[apply-patch] Clean up apply-patch tool definitions (#2539)

## Summary
We've experienced a bit of drift in system prompting for `apply_patch`:
- As pointed out in #2030 , our prettier formatting started altering
prompt.md in a few ways
- We introduced a separate markdown file for apply_patch instructions in
#993, but currently duplicate them in the prompt.md file
- We added a first-class apply_patch tool in #2303, which has yet
another definition

This PR starts to consolidate our logic in a few ways:
- We now only use
`apply_patch_tool_instructions.md](https://github.com/openai/codex/compare/dh--apply-patch-tool-definition?expand=1#diff-d4fffee5f85cb1975d3f66143a379e6c329de40c83ed5bf03ffd3829df985bea)
for system instructions
- We no longer include apply_patch system instructions if the tool is
specified

I'm leaving the definition in openai_tools.rs as duplicated text for now
because we're going to be iterated on the first-class tool soon.

## Testing
- [x] Added integration tests to verify prompt stability
- [x] Tested locally with several different models (gpt-5, gpt-oss,
o4-mini)
This commit is contained in:
Dylan
2025-08-21 20:07:41 -07:00
committed by GitHub
parent 9f71dcbf57
commit e4c275d615
6 changed files with 282 additions and 107 deletions

View File

@@ -270,67 +270,6 @@ When using the shell, you must adhere to the following guidelines:
- When searching for text or files, prefer using `rg` or `rg --files` respectively because `rg` is much faster than alternatives like `grep`. (If the `rg` command is not found, then use alternatives.)
- Read files in chunks with a max chunk size of 250 lines. Do not use python scripts to attempt to output larger chunks of a file. Command line output will be truncated after 10 kilobytes or 256 lines of output, regardless of the command used.
## `apply_patch`
Your patch language is a strippeddown, fileoriented diff format designed to be easy to parse and safe to apply. You can think of it as a highlevel envelope:
**_ Begin Patch
[ one or more file sections ]
_** End Patch
Within that envelope, you get a sequence of file operations.
You MUST include a header to specify the action you are taking.
Each operation starts with one of three headers:
**_ Add File: <path> - create a new file. Every following line is a + line (the initial contents).
_** Delete File: <path> - remove an existing file. Nothing follows.
\*\*\* Update File: <path> - patch an existing file in place (optionally with a rename).
May be immediately followed by \*\*\* Move to: <new path> if you want to rename the file.
Then one or more “hunks”, each introduced by @@ (optionally followed by a hunk header).
Within a hunk each line starts with:
- for inserted text,
* for removed text, or
space ( ) for context.
At the end of a truncated hunk you can emit \*\*\* End of File.
Patch := Begin { FileOp } End
Begin := "**_ Begin Patch" NEWLINE
End := "_** End Patch" NEWLINE
FileOp := AddFile | DeleteFile | UpdateFile
AddFile := "**_ Add File: " path NEWLINE { "+" line NEWLINE }
DeleteFile := "_** Delete File: " path NEWLINE
UpdateFile := "**_ Update File: " path NEWLINE [ MoveTo ] { Hunk }
MoveTo := "_** Move to: " newPath NEWLINE
Hunk := "@@" [ header ] NEWLINE { HunkLine } [ "*** End of File" NEWLINE ]
HunkLine := (" " | "-" | "+") text NEWLINE
A full patch can combine several operations:
**_ Begin Patch
_** Add File: hello.txt
+Hello world
**_ Update File: src/app.py
_** Move to: src/main.py
@@ def greet():
-print("Hi")
+print("Hello, world!")
**_ Delete File: obsolete.txt
_** End Patch
It is important to remember:
- You must include a header with your intended action (Add/Delete/Update)
- You must prefix new lines with `+` even when creating a new file
You can invoke apply_patch like:
```
shell {"command":["apply_patch","*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: hello.txt\n+Hello, world!\n*** End Patch\n"]}
```
## `update_plan`
A tool named `update_plan` is available to you. You can use it to keep an uptodate, stepbystep plan for the task.