# Edits must be small and incremental — 3-10 lines, verify, repeat

### Rule 1. ALWAYS Use Small, Incremental Edits

**WRONG:** Replace large blocks (50+ lines)

**RIGHT:** Replace 3-10 lines at a time, verify, repeat

Rationale: `manual-slop_edit_file` requires exact string matches. The `set_file_slice` tool requires exact line ranges. A single 50+ line edit can fail on whitespace drift and lose the working tree's state silently. Small edits let you verify after each, isolate failures, and roll back atomically.