manual_slop/conductor/directives/edit_small_incremental/v1.md

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.