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docs(rfd): Indicate deletes in diffs #441
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| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
|---|---|---|
| @@ -0,0 +1,78 @@ | ||
| --- | ||
| title: "Represent deleted files in diff" | ||
| --- | ||
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| Author(s): [anna239](https://github.com/benbrandt) | ||
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| ## Elevator pitch | ||
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| > What are you proposing to change? | ||
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| Add flag `deleted` to [Diff](https://agentclientprotocol.com/protocol/tool-calls#diffs) entity type for the case of a deleted file. | ||
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| ## Status quo | ||
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| > How do things work today and what problems does this cause? Why would we change things? | ||
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| Currently, in Diff entity type `newText` is not nullable, so it's not possible to distinguish between a deleted file and empty file. | ||
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| ## What we propose to do about it | ||
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| > What are you proposing to improve the situation? | ||
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| Add flag `deleted` to [Diff](https://agentclientprotocol.com/protocol/tool-calls#diffs) entity type for the case of a deleted file. | ||
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| **Current structure (cannot distinguish deleted file from empty file):** | ||
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| ```json | ||
| { | ||
| "type": "diff", | ||
| "path": "/home/user/project/src/config.json", | ||
| "oldText": "{\n \"debug\": false\n}", | ||
| "newText": "" | ||
| } | ||
| ``` | ||
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| **Proposed structure with `deleted` flag:** | ||
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| ```json | ||
| { | ||
| "type": "diff", | ||
| "path": "/home/user/project/src/config.json", | ||
| "oldText": "{\n \"debug\": false\n}", | ||
| "newText": "", | ||
| "deleted": true | ||
| } | ||
| ``` | ||
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| Note: we would ideally make newText nullable, but that would break existing clients. | ||
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| ## Shiny future | ||
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| > How will things will play out once this feature exists? | ||
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| It is possible for the agent to distinguish between a deleted file and an empty file. | ||
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| ## Implementation details and plan | ||
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| > Tell me more about your implementation. What is your detailed implementation plan? | ||
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| Adding the new field will be a non-breaking change, and clients that update can better distinguish between deleted and empty files. | ||
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| ## Frequently asked questions | ||
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| > What questions have arisen over the course of authoring this document or during subsequent discussions? | ||
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| **Do we need to represent moved files?** | ||
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| An agent could represent that with a deleted file at the old path and a new file at the new path. | ||
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| We need to rework the entire diff structure to handle more cases, and binary files, but in the meantime this provides a stop-gap until we can implement a more comprehensive solution. | ||
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| ### What alternative approaches did you consider, and why did you settle on this one? | ||
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| We considered making newText nullable, but that would break existing clients. | ||
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| ## Revision history | ||
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| 2026-02-20: Initial draft | ||
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