replace_regex
Replace text in files using Python-style regular expressions on the Serena MCP server. Specify regex patterns and replacement strings to update content efficiently. Use wildcards for broad or multi-line matches.
Instructions
Replaces one or more occurrences of the given regular expression. This is the preferred way to replace content in a file whenever the symbol-level tools are not appropriate. Even large sections of code can be replaced by providing a concise regular expression of the form "beginning.*?end-of-text-to-be-replaced". Always try to use wildcards to avoid specifying the exact content of the code to be replaced, especially if it spans several lines.
IMPORTANT: REMEMBER TO USE WILDCARDS WEHEN APPROPRIATE! I WILL BE VERY UNHAPPY IF YOU WRITE LONG REGEXES WITHOUT USING WILDCARDS INSTEAD!.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| allow_multiple_occurrences | No | If True, the regex may match multiple occurrences in the file and all of them will be replaced. If this is set to False and the regex matches multiple occurrences, an error will be returned (and you may retry with a revised, more specific regex). | |
| regex | Yes | A Python-style regular expression, matches of which will be replaced. Dot matches all characters, multi-line matching is enabled. | |
| relative_path | Yes | The relative path to the file. | |
| repl | Yes | The string to replace the matched content with, which may contain backreferences like \1, \2, etc. |