Auto-Read Injection for Edit Tool (proposal + example implementation)

[DirkScharff]

Problem

When using smaller models (like devstral), they frequently attempt to use the Edit tool without first reading the file, causing failures and requiring manual retry loops. This creates a frustrating UX and doesn't help the model learn the correct pattern.

Proposed Solution

When an Edit tool call fails due to "no prior read", automatically inject a Read operation into the conversation history, making it appear as if the model executed the correct sequence all along.

Current Flow (Broken)

Model → Edit tool (without reading first)
Tool → ❌ Error: "File must be read before editing"
Model → Must see error and retry

Proposed Flow (Auto-Corrected)

Model → Edit tool (without reading first)
Tool → Detects missing read, performs it automatically
Rewrites conversation context to show:
✓ Read tool call (injected)
✓ Read result (actual file contents)
✓ Edit tool call (original request)
✓ Edit result (success/failure based on validity)
Model → Sees correct Read→Edit pattern in context

Benefits

1. Better UX: Small models "just work" without frustrating retry loops
2. Pattern Learning: The model sees the correct behavior in its own conversation history, reinforcing proper tool sequencing over time
3. Safety Maintained: Legitimate edit failures (bad old_string, etc.) still surface to the model
4. Zero Config: Works transparently without requiring prompt engineering or special flags

Implementation

The key insight is that the Read requirement exists to prevent blind edits - but if the tool orchestrator does the read internally before executing the edit, that safety goal is still achieved. We just rewrite the context to show what should have happened.

I have a working implementation in a fork that demonstrates this behavior. The context injection happens at the conversation orchestrator level, tracking read state per-turn and intercepting edit failures.

I have made a (agentic driven) implementation without any real (human) review in https://github.com/DirkScharff/crush/tree/feat/edit-tool-auto-read if anyone is interested. I'm not even proficient in Golang so I'd rather not be responsible for a real PR. Feel free to incorporate the idea if you think its a good idea.

Basic implementation spec for the agent attached.
edit-tool-auto-read-proposal.md