| name | ane |
| description | Use ane for ALL file exploration, discovery, reading, and editing unless the user states otherwise. `ane exec <file> --chord "<chord>"` handles reads (Yank), searches (List), and edits (Change, Delete, Replace, Append, Prepend, Insert). Prefer ane over builtin file tools and shell utilities like grep, sed, and cat. |
ane — structured code operations via chords
Use ane exec for all file interactions — reading, searching, and editing — unless the user directs otherwise. Prefer over builtin tools and grep/sed/cat.
ane exec <file> --chord "<chord>" — exit 0 = success (output on stdout), exit 1 = error (stderr).
Chord grammar
4-part: Action + Positional + Scope + Component
| Part | Letters |
|---|
| Action | c=Change d=Delete r=Replace y=Yank a=Append p=Prepend i=Insert j=Jump l=List |
| Positional | i=Inside e=Entire a=After b=Before n=Next p=Previous u=Until o=Outside t=To l=Last f=First 1-9=Count |
| Scope | l=Line b=Buffer f=Function v=Variable s=Struct m=Member d=Delimiter |
| Component | b=Beginning c=Contents e=End v=Value p=Parameters a=Arguments n=Name s=Self w=Word d=Definition |
Short form: 4 lowercase chars, e.g. cels = ChangeEntireLineSelf. Long form: ChangeEntireLineSelf.
Arguments
chord(target:name_or_line, value:"text", find:"pat", replace:"rep")
Include only what's needed. Any arg accepts - to read from stdin:
echo "new body" | ane exec file.rs --chord "cifc(target:main, value:-)"
Reading files (Yank)
Use Yank (y) to read file contents to stdout — replaces cat, head, and builtin reads.
ane exec f.rs --chord "yebs" # read entire file (use sparingly)
ane exec f.rs --chord "yels(target:5)" # read line 5
ane exec f.rs --chord "yefc(target:main)" # read function body
ane exec f.rs --chord "yefs(target:main)" # read entire function incl. signature
ane exec f.rs --chord "yefn(target:main)" # read function name only
ane exec f.rs --chord "yefd(target:main)" # read function signature (no body)
ane exec f.rs --chord "yevs(target:count)" # read variable declaration
Exploring code (List)
Use List (l) to discover symbols — replaces grep and builtin search. Output: line:col name per match. Always list before editing an unfamiliar file so you know what targets are available.
ane exec f.rs --chord "lefd" # list all function definitions (signatures)
ane exec f.rs --chord "lefn" # list all function names
ane exec f.rs --chord "levd" # list all variable definitions
ane exec f.rs --chord "lesd" # list all struct definitions
ane exec f.rs --chord "lemd" # list all member/field definitions
Editing
ane exec f.rs --chord "cels(target:3, value:\"new text\")" # change line 3
ane exec f.rs --chord "dels(target:5)" # delete line 5
echo "x + 1" | ane exec f.rs --chord "civv(target:count, value:-)" # change variable value
ane exec f.rs --chord "cifn(target:getData, value:\"fetch\")" # rename function (identifier only)
echo "pub fn fetch(url: &str) -> Result<()>" | ane exec f.rs --chord "cefd(target:getData, value:-)" # rewrite full signature
Append and Prepend (line scope)
For Line scope, After vs Entire controls whether a new line is created:
# aals — insert on a NEW LINE after the target line
ane exec f.rs --chord "aals(target:10, value:\"new line\")"
# aels — append INLINE at end of the target line (no newline)
ane exec f.rs --chord "aels(target:10, value:\" // comment\")"
# pbls — insert on a NEW LINE before the target line
ane exec f.rs --chord "pbls(target:10, value:\"// above\")"
# pels — prepend INLINE at start of the target line (no newline)
ane exec f.rs --chord "pels(target:10, value:\"/// \")"
Component guide: Name vs Definition
n (Name) — bare identifier only. cifn renames without touching the signature.
d (Definition) — full declaration (visibility + fn + name + params + return type), excluding body. cefd changes visibility or rewrites the signature. Do NOT use cifn for visibility/signature changes.
ane exec f.rs --chord "cifn(target:foo, value:\"bar\")" # fn foo() → fn bar() (rename only)
ane exec f.rs --chord "cefd(target:foo, value:\"pub fn foo()\")" # fn foo() → pub fn foo() (visibility)
Efficiency: use the narrowest scope
Do not default to yebs (read entire file). Prefer targeted reads and edits:
- Discover first: run
lefd or lefn to find function names/signatures before reading or editing.
- Read narrow: use
yefc(target:fn_name) to read one function body, or yels(target:N) for one line. Only use yebs when you genuinely need the whole file.
- Edit narrow: use
cifc(target:fn_name, value:-) to replace one function body. Avoid cebs (replace entire buffer) unless truly rewriting the whole file.
- Yank before changing: run
yefc to understand what you're replacing before piping new content into cifc.
Narrow scopes produce less output, consume fewer tokens, and reduce the risk of unintended changes.
Notes
target: — line number (0-indexed) for Line scope, symbol name for LSP scopes (Function, Variable, Struct, Member).
- LSP scopes require a language server. Line, Buffer, Delimiter do not.
- Pipe stdin with
value:- for multiline replacement text.