cline/cline · error

Parameter `old_text` is required when editing an existing fi

Error message

Parameter `old_text` is required when editing an existing file without `insert_line`

What it means

Error "Parameter `old_text` is required when editing an existing file without `insert_line`" thrown in cline/cline.

Source

Thrown at sdk/packages/core/src/extensions/tools/executors/editor.ts:261

		cwd: string,
		_context: AgentToolContext,
	): Promise<string> => {
		const filePath = resolveFilePath(cwd, input.path, restrictToCwd);

		if (input.insert_line != null) {
			return insertInFile(
				filePath,
				input.insert_line, // One-based index
				input.new_text,
				encoding,
			);
		}

		if (!(await fileExists(filePath))) {
			return createFile(filePath, input.new_text, encoding);
		}
		if (input.old_text == null) {
			throw new Error(
				"Parameter `old_text` is required when editing an existing file without `insert_line`",
			);
		}

		return replaceInFile(
			filePath,
			input.old_text,
			input.new_text,
			encoding,
			maxDiffLines,
		);
	};
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 491b30b806)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at sdk/packages/core/src/extensions/tools/executors/editor.ts:261 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of cline/cline@491b30b806 (2026-08-25). Data as JSON: /api/errors/591a84b6a76d4106. Report an issue: GitHub.