openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix [Bug]: Edit tool parameter alias coverage incomplete - old_text, new_text, file not recognized [2 pull requests, 2 comments, 3 participants]

Q: Expected behavior

The edit tool should accept `file`, `old_text`, and `new_text` as valid parameter aliases, similar to how it already accepts both camelCase (`oldText`) and snake_case (`old_string`) variants.

wezuntanglang-create · 2026-03-22T09:20:11Z

[openclaw] The edit tool's parameter validation in CLAUDE PARAM GROUPS does not cover common parameter name variants that LLMs generate. This causes repeated M… The edit tool's parameter validation in `CLAUDE_PARAM_GROUPS` does not cover common parameter name variants that LLMs generate. This causes repeated `Missing required parameters` errors even when the model provides correct values under slightly different parameter names. **Current accepted aliases:** - Path: `path`, `file_path` - Old text: `oldText`, `old_string` - New text: `newText`, `new_string` **Missing aliases that LLMs commonly generate:** - `file` (for path) — Claude models frequently use this - `old_text` (for oldText) — snake_case variant - `new_text` (for newText) — snake_case variant # PR #52371: Agents: add missing tool parameter aliases - Repository: openclaw/openclaw - Author: wangji0923 - State: open | merged: False - Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/52371 ## Description (problem / solution / changelog) ## Summary - Problem: the edit tool compatibility layer exposed `file_path`, `old_string`, and `new_string`, but not the common `file`, `old_text`, and `new_text` aliases. - Why it matters: Claude-style tool calls and schema-driven help could omit or reject those spellings, which makes the edit tool less reliable and less discoverable. - What changed: added the missing aliases to the file-tool parameter groups, normalized them to the canonical `path` / `oldText` / `newText` fields, exposed them in the wrapped tool schemas, and added targeted regression coverage. - What did NOT change (scope boundary): no broader tool-surface refactor, no behavior change outside the existing read/write/edit file-tool compatibility path. ## Change Type (select all) - [x] Bug fix - [ ] Feature - [ ] Refactor - [ ] Docs - [ ] Security hardening - [ ] Chore/infra ## Scope (select all touched areas) - [ ] Gateway / orchestration - [x] Skills / tool execution - [ ] Auth / tokens - [ ] Memory / storage - [ ] Integrations - [x] API / contracts - [x] UI / DX - [ ] CI/CD / infra ## Linked Issue/PR - Closes #52164 - Related #52164 ## User-visible / Behavior Changes - Wrapped file tools now expose `file` as a path alias in their schema/help surface. - Wrapped edit tools now expose and accept `old_text` / `new_text` in addition to the existing canonical and Claude-style aliases. ## Security Impact (required) - New permissions/capabilities? (`No`) - Secrets/tokens handling changed? (`No`) - New/changed network calls? (`No`) - Command/tool execution surface changed? (`Yes`) - Data access scope changed? (`No`) - If any `Yes`, explain risk + mitigation: Existing file tools now accept additional alias spellings for the same canonical parameters. The underlying capabilities and data scope are unchanged; the wrapper normalizes the aliases back to the existing `path` / `oldText` / `newText` fields, and the new regression tests cover both schema exposure and execution. ## Repro + Verification ### Environment - OS: Windows 11 - Runtime/container: Node v22.20.0 / pnpm 10.23.0 - Model/provider: N/A - Integration/channel (if any): N/A - Relevant config (redacted): None ### Steps 1. Call the wrapped edit tool with `file`, `old_text`, and `new_text`, or inspect the wrapped tool schema for those alias properties. 2. Before this change, the edit compatibility path only exposed and normalized `file_path`, `old_string`, and `new_string`. 3. After this change, the schema exposes the missing aliases and the wrapper normalizes them to the canonical edit fields before execution. ### Expected - The wrapped schema/help surface includes the missing aliases. - The wrapped edit tool accepts `file` / `old_text` / `new_text` without validation failures. ### Actual - Verified via regression tests after the patch; the new alias cases pass and the older alias cases still pass. ## Evidence Attach at least one: - [x] Failing test/log before + passing after - [ ] Trace/log snippets - [ ] Screenshot/recording - [ ] Perf numbers (if relevant) ## Human Verification (required) What you personally verified (not just CI), and how: - Verified scenarios: `pnpm build`, `pnpm check`, and `pnpm test -- src/agents/pi-tools.create-openclaw-coding-tools.adds-claude-style-aliases-schemas-without-dropping-f.test.ts`. - Edge cases checked: legacy `file_path` / `old_string` / `new_string` still pass; `file` works for wrapped read/write schema + execution; `file` / `old_text` / `new_text` work for wrapped edit schema + execution. - What you did **not** verify: I did not capture an interactive CLI help screenshot; verification was done through the wrapped schema and regression tests that drive the same compatibility path. ## Review Conversations - [x] I replied to or resolved every bot review conversation I addressed in this PR. - [x] I left unresolved only the conversations that still need reviewer or maintainer judgment. If a bot review conversation is addressed by this PR, resolve that conversation you

openclaw2026-03-22 09:20:11

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openclaw/openclaw#52164•Fetched 2026-04-08 01:14:54

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The edit tool's parameter validation in CLAUDE_PARAM_GROUPS does not cover common parameter name variants that LLMs generate. This causes repeated Missing required parameters errors even when the model provides correct values under slightly different parameter names.

Current accepted aliases:

Path: path, file_path
Old text: oldText, old_string
New text: newText, new_string

Missing aliases that LLMs commonly generate:

file (for path) — Claude models frequently use this
old_text (for oldText) — snake_case variant
new_text (for newText) — snake_case variant

Error Message

[ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameters: oldText (oldText or old_string), newText (newText or new_string). Supply correct parameters before retrying. [ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameter: path (path or file_path). Supply correct parameters before retrying. From session transcripts, the error has been recurring since March 4, 2026 across multiple sessions:

#44203 — Same error symptom but caused by model completely omitting parameters (different root cause)

Root Cause

The validation logic in assertRequiredParams checks:

for (const group of groups) if (!group.keys.some((key) => {
  if (!(key in record)) return false;
  // ...
}))

When the LLM sends old_text, it doesn't match oldText or old_string, so validation fails.

Code Example

[ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameters: oldText (oldText or old_string), newText (newText or new_string). Supply correct parameters before retrying.

---

[ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameter: path (path or file_path). Supply correct parameters before retrying.

---

for (const group of groups) if (!group.keys.some((key) => {
  if (!(key in record)) return false;
  // ...
}))

---

edit: [
-  { keys: ["path", "file_path"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
+  { keys: ["path", "file_path", "file"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
-  { keys: ["oldText", "old_string"], label: "oldText (oldText or old_string)" },
+  { keys: ["oldText", "old_string", "old_text"], label: "oldText (oldText or old_string)" },
-  { keys: ["newText", "new_string"], label: "newText (newText or new_string)" },
+  { keys: ["newText", "new_string", "new_text"], label: "newText (newText or new_string)" },
]

---

{"name":"edit","arguments":{"file":"C:\\Users\\PC\\Desktop\\openclaw-panel\\main.js","oldText":"...","newText":"..."}}

---

{"name":"edit","arguments":{"file_path":"C:\\Users\\PC\\Desktop\\openclaw-panel\\main.js","old_text":"...","new_text":"..."}}

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Behavior bug (incorrect output/state without crash)

Summary

Current accepted aliases:

Path: path, file_path
Old text: oldText, old_string
New text: newText, new_string

Missing aliases that LLMs commonly generate:

file (for path) — Claude models frequently use this
old_text (for oldText) — snake_case variant
new_text (for newText) — snake_case variant

Steps to reproduce

Use any Claude model (tested with claude-opus-4-6, claude-sonnet-4-6)
Have the model call the edit tool repeatedly across sessions
Observe that the model sometimes generates file instead of path, or old_text instead of oldText
These calls fail with Missing required parameters even though the values are correct

Expected behavior

The edit tool should accept file, old_text, and new_text as valid parameter aliases, similar to how it already accepts both camelCase (oldText) and snake_case (old_string) variants.

Actual behavior

[ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameters: oldText (oldText or old_string), newText (newText or new_string). Supply correct parameters before retrying.

or:

[ERROR] [tools] edit failed: Missing required parameter: path (path or file_path). Supply correct parameters before retrying.

Root Cause Analysis

The validation logic in assertRequiredParams checks:

for (const group of groups) if (!group.keys.some((key) => {
  if (!(key in record)) return false;
  // ...
}))

When the LLM sends old_text, it doesn't match oldText or old_string, so validation fails.

Suggested Fix

Add missing aliases to CLAUDE_PARAM_GROUPS:

edit: [
-  { keys: ["path", "file_path"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
+  { keys: ["path", "file_path", "file"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
-  { keys: ["oldText", "old_string"], label: "oldText (oldText or old_string)" },
+  { keys: ["oldText", "old_string", "old_text"], label: "oldText (oldText or old_string)" },
-  { keys: ["newText", "new_string"], label: "newText (newText or new_string)" },
+  { keys: ["newText", "new_string", "new_text"], label: "newText (newText or new_string)" },
]

Same aliases should be added for read and write tools' path parameter.

OpenClaw version

2026.3.2

Operating system

Windows 10

Install method

npm global

Model

anthropic/claude-opus-4-6, anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6

Evidence

From session transcripts, the error has been recurring since March 4, 2026 across multiple sessions:

Case 1 — file alias (2026-03-21):

{"name":"edit","arguments":{"file":"C:\\Users\\PC\\Desktop\\openclaw-panel\\main.js","oldText":"...","newText":"..."}}

Result: Missing required parameter: path (path or file_path)

Case 2 — old_text/new_text alias (2026-03-22):

{"name":"edit","arguments":{"file_path":"C:\\Users\\PC\\Desktop\\openclaw-panel\\main.js","old_text":"...","new_text":"..."}}

Result: Missing required parameters: oldText (oldText or old_string), newText (newText or new_string)

Both cases had correct values — only the parameter names were slightly different from what the validator accepts.

Related Issues

#44203 — Same error symptom but caused by model completely omitting parameters (different root cause)
#19085 — Empty string newText rejected (fixed with allowEmpty: true)

Impact and severity

Frequency: Intermittent but recurring (multiple times per day across sessions) Severity: Blocks edit operations, forces fallback to write tool (data loss risk) Affected models: Claude Opus 4, Claude Sonnet 4 (likely affects all models)

extent analysis

Fix Plan

To resolve the issue, update the CLAUDE_PARAM_GROUPS configuration to include the missing aliases for path, oldText, and newText.

Update CLAUDE_PARAM_GROUPS:

edit: [
  { keys: ["path", "file_path", "file"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
  { keys: ["oldText", "old_string", "old_text"], label: "oldText (oldText or old_string)" },
  { keys: ["newText", "new_string", "new_text"], label: "newText (newText or new_string)" },
]

Apply the same changes to read and write tools: Ensure that the path parameter in these tools also accepts the file alias.

read: [
  { keys: ["path", "file_path", "file"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
  // ... other parameters
]
write: [
  { keys: ["path", "file_path", "file"], label: "path (path or file_path)" },
  // ... other parameters
]

Verify the update: After applying these changes, test the edit tool with the Claude models using the previously problematic parameter names (file, old_text, new_text) to ensure that the Missing required parameters error no longer occurs.

Verification

To verify that the fix worked:

Test the edit tool with different parameter name variants (file instead of path, old_text instead of oldText, new_text instead of newText).
Confirm that the edit operations complete successfully without throwing Missing required parameters errors.

Extra Tips

Regularly review model-generated parameter names to catch any new variants that might not be covered by the current validation logic.
Consider implementing a more flexible validation mechanism that can handle unforeseen parameter name variations, such as using regex patterns or fuzzy matching.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

The edit tool should accept file, old_text, and new_text as valid parameter aliases, similar to how it already accepts both camelCase (oldText) and snake_case (old_string) variants.

#authentication issue #prompt issue #agent setup #task chaining #parallel task

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openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix [Bug]: Edit tool parameter alias coverage incomplete - old_text, new_text, file not recognized [2 pull requests, 2 comments, 3 participants]

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PR fix notes

PR #52371: Agents: add missing tool parameter aliases

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

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Compatibility / Migration

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Changed files

PR #52516: fix(agents): harden edit tool recovery

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