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Use before changing existing indexed files with Miller edit, especially symbol rewrites, text replacements, renames, or refactors.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
Use when an agent needs extractor-recognized code-shape facts such as routes, htmx attributes, Alpine directives, SQL DDL/DML, or data-document structure.
Use when starting a Miller task, choosing a Miller tool, or choosing a Miller search mode.
Use when tracing Miller bridge paths in supported providers: dotnet-web URL literals and fetch/axios client requests to ASP.NET signals, client requests to Next.js route handlers or Nuxt server routes, Next.js/Nuxt route references to file routes, Vue/React references to route definitions, or backend-http client requests to Express/FastAPI/Flask/Django/Spring/Go/gin/echo/Rails/NestJS/Laravel/Phoenix/axum/actix/Symfony/Ktor route facts.
Use when orienting on an unfamiliar code area with Miller, explaining a module, finding entry points, or gathering context before a change.
Use when assessing blast radius with Miller, choosing tests for a change, answering who uses a symbol, or planning a refactor.
Use when resuming Miller-backed work from a handoff packet or validating a packet before continuing in another harness, model, or session.
| name | miller-editing |
| description | Use before changing existing indexed files with Miller edit, especially symbol rewrites, text replacements, renames, or refactors. |
| allowed-tools | mcp__miller__edit, mcp__miller__inspect, mcp__miller__impact, mcp__miller__search, mcp__miller__workspace |
Use Miller's index-aware edit tool for existing indexed files. It previews a diff by default and blocks stale
indexed spans. Only replace_text can explicitly allow a stale index because it proves its match against current
disk text.
Creating a brand-new file is outside this skill; use the normal file creation path.
search(query="<symbol or file>")
inspect(target="<symbol-or-file>")
For symbols, start with inspect(target="<symbol>", depth="overview") to choose the edit target and understand
nearby refs/calls without dumping the full body. Use inspect(target="<symbol>", depth="full") before rewriting a
body or auditing complete relation lists.
For broad multi-hunk edits or when you need to handcraft a large replacement, use the normal patch/edit path. For
small file-level text edits where you know the old value and a nearby selector, use replace_text directly and let
Miller prove the match in preview:
edit(operation="replace_text", target="<file>", old_text="<known-old>", new_text="<new>", match_mode="auto", query="<nearby text>")
impact(target="<symbol-or-file>")
edit(operation="replace_text", target="<file>", old_text="<old>", new_text="<new>")
edit(operation="replace_text", target="<file>", old_text="<old>", new_text="<new>", match_mode="auto", line=42)
edit(operation="replace_text", target="<file>", old_text="<old>", new_text="<new>", match_mode="auto", anchor="<nearby text>")
edit(operation="replace_symbol_body", target="<symbol>", new_text="<body>")
edit(operation="rename_symbol", target="<symbol>", new_text="<new-name>")
The preview should show match mode, match source, line range, occurrence, disk verification, and a concise diff.
If it is the intended edit, re-run the same call with apply=true.
edit(operation="...", target="...", new_text="...", apply=true)
workspace(operation="refresh")
Use allow_stale=true only for replace_text after independently checking current disk state. Symbol-body,
signature, insert, doc, and rename operations require fresh indexed spans even when the user accepts the risk.
replace_text still requires a known old_text, but match_mode="auto" can accept exact, normalized, or bounded
fuzzy matches after verifying the span against current disk text. If preview is ambiguous or text is not found:
line=<line> when you know the target line.anchor="<nearby text>" when the old text appears in multiple places.query="<nearby text>" to use indexed content as a candidate finder.match_mode="exact" when whitespace-tolerant or fuzzy matching would be unsafe.occurrence="all" only when every whole-file match should change; do not combine it with line, anchor,
or query.replace_symbol_body or replace_symbol_signature for code symbols.rename_symbol for symbol renames.replace_text for docs, config, and arbitrary text.impact.