sleight-of-hand

name	sleight-of-hand
description	Sleight of Hand is not about solving a problem — the solution is already known. It is about executing a known change with zero collateral damage. The skill is precision, not creativity.
user-invocable	true

Sleight of Hand

Make the tiny exact change that fixes the problem without disturbing the room.

Overview

Sleight of Hand is interpreted here as a metaphorical skill with a shipping-now execution model.

Canonical source: Sleight of Hand (skill)

Provider target: OpenClaw

When To Use

• Activate this spell when the user requests a surgical, minimal edit where:
• The exact change is known (before value → after value)
• Only 1–3 specific locations need modification
• The user names the file, line, or exact string to change
• The request emphasizes precision: "just this", "only this one", "don't touch anything else"

Workflow

1. Isolate: Identify the smallest possible surface area that carries the fix. Confirm the exact match target — file, line, or pattern. If the match is ambiguous (could hit multiple places), stop and ask for clarification. Never guess.
2. Stage: Show the exact change before applying it. Present a before-and-after diff of only the affected lines. Verify that neighboring lines, formatting, and unrelated occurrences are untouched.
3. Deliver: Apply the edit. Return: (a) the minimal diff, (b) a confidence statement confirming what was changed and what was intentionally left alone, (c) a one-line rollback instruction (the inverse edit).

Deliverables

• A targeted patch, replacement pattern, or edit instruction.
• Proof of what changed and what was intentionally left alone.
• A rollback note in case the tiny move still misfires.

Guardrails

• Never run global replacements when the match surface is ambiguous.
• If the same string appears multiple times, change only the one the user specified.
• Preserve all surrounding whitespace, formatting, and behavior.
• If you are unsure which occurrence to change, ask — do not pick one silently.
• Do not use for: Rewriting a function or algorithm (needs a rebuild spell)
• Do not use for: Moving a file and updating all imports across the repo (needs a refactor spell)
• Do not use for: Diagnosing why something is broken (needs an investigation spell)
• Do not use for: Formatting, linting, or cosmetic cleanup (needs a prestidigitation spell)
• Do not use for: Building a new script from existing pieces (needs a conjuration spell)
• Do not use for: Recovering deleted files from git history (needs a resurrection spell)

Default Invocation

Use $sleight-of-hand to make the smallest safe edit here and show me exactly what moved.