From f09c5bd67c1ef3d29047cffa78cae403db36d7c0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: can1357 <me@can.ac>
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:42:42 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] feat(patch): added boundary duplication detection to prevent
 off-by-one range errors

- Added boundary duplication warning to detect off-by-one range errors in replace_range and replace_line operations.
- Updated hashline tool documentation with boundary duplication trap guidance to prevent closing delimiter duplication.
---
 packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md            |  2 +-
 packages/coding-agent/src/patch/hashline.ts   | 32 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../src/prompts/tools/hashline.md             |  1 +
 3 files changed, 34 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
index 9c9b98b73..1920da9ec 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 # Changelog
 
 ## [Unreleased]
-
 ### Breaking Changes
 
 - Renamed hashline edit operation types: `append` → `append_at`, `prepend` → `prepend_at`, `append_eof` → `append_file`, `prepend_bof` → `prepend_file`
@@ -11,6 +10,7 @@
 
 ### Added
 
+- Added boundary duplication warning when replace_range or replace_line operations include a last inserted line that matches the next surviving line, helping detect off-by-one range errors
 - Added git branch isolation for autoresearch sessions via `ensureAutoresearchBranch()` to safely revert failed experiments
 - Added branch status line to autoresearch initialization and resume prompts showing created or reused branch name
 - Added `Files in Scope`, `Off Limits`, and `Constraints` sections to autoresearch.md template for explicit scope definition
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/patch/hashline.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/patch/hashline.ts
index e4c2b6df5..58330de73 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/patch/hashline.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/patch/hashline.ts
@@ -539,6 +539,38 @@ export function applyHashlineEdits(
 	}
 	maybeAutocorrectEscapedTabIndentation(edits, warnings);
 	maybeWarnSuspiciousUnicodeEscapePlaceholder(edits, warnings);
+
+	// Warn when a replace_range/replace_line's last inserted line duplicates the next surviving line.
+	// This catches the common boundary-overreach pattern where the agent includes a closing delimiter
+	// in the replacement but sets `end` to the line before the delimiter, causing duplication.
+	for (const edit of edits) {
+		let endLine: number;
+		switch (edit.op) {
+			case "replace_line":
+				endLine = edit.pos.line;
+				break;
+			case "replace_range":
+				endLine = edit.end.line;
+				break;
+			default:
+				continue;
+		}
+		if (edit.lines.length === 0) continue;
+		const nextSurvivingIdx = endLine; // 0-indexed: endLine (1-indexed) is the next line after `end`
+		if (nextSurvivingIdx >= originalFileLines.length) continue;
+		const nextSurvivingLine = originalFileLines[nextSurvivingIdx];
+		const lastInsertedLine = edit.lines[edit.lines.length - 1];
+		const trimmedNext = nextSurvivingLine.trim();
+		const trimmedLast = lastInsertedLine.trim();
+		// Only warn for non-trivial lines to avoid false positives on blank lines or bare punctuation
+		if (trimmedLast.length > 0 && trimmedLast === trimmedNext) {
+			const tag = formatLineTag(endLine + 1, nextSurvivingLine);
+			warnings.push(
+				`Possible boundary duplication: your last replacement line \`${trimmedLast}\` is identical to the next surviving line ${tag}. ` +
+					`If you meant to replace the entire block, set \`end\` to ${tag} instead.`,
+			);
+		}
+	}
 	// Deduplicate identical edits targeting the same line(s)
 	const seenEditKeys = new Map<string, number>();
 	const dedupIndices = new Set<number>();
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/prompts/tools/hashline.md b/packages/coding-agent/src/prompts/tools/hashline.md
index fcbc3f233..8a5c34d81 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/prompts/tools/hashline.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/prompts/tools/hashline.md
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ When adding a sibling declaration, prefer `prepend_at` on the next declaration.
 - `replace_range` requires both `pos` and `end`. All other anchored ops require `pos` only.
 - `append_file` and `prepend_file` do not take anchors.
 - Replace exactly the owned span. If `lines` re-emits content beyond `end`, it will duplicate.
+- **Boundary duplication trap**: when replacing a block, `end` must be the **last line of the block** (e.g. the closing `}`), not the last *content* line before it. Otherwise the closing delimiter survives and your replacement adds a second copy.
 - Do not target shared boundary lines such as `} else {`, `} catch (…) {`, `}),`, or `},{`.
 - For a block, either replace only the body or replace the whole block. Do not split block boundaries.
 - `lines` must be literal file content with matching indentation. If the file uses tabs, use real tabs.