> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tryvoss.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scoped editing

> How voss edit limits write access to explicit targets and nearby tests.

`voss edit` is the main safety primitive for bounded code changes.

When you run:

```bash theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
voss edit voss/harness/edit_scope.py
```

Voss creates a write scope for that target. The agent can read within the cwd jail, but writes are limited to the target scope unless you approve an expansion.

## Allowed writes

For a file target, the edit scope allows writes to:

* The target file itself
* Existing sibling test mirrors:
  * `test_name.py`
  * `name_test.py`
  * `tests/<relative-path>/test_name.py`
  * `tests/<relative-path>/name_test.py`

For a directory target, the scope allows writes under the target directory and existing mirrored test directories.

## Source and test mapping

Voss strips common `src/` and `lib/` prefixes when looking for mirrored tests. This lets a file such as:

```text theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
src/foo/bar.py
```

map to:

```text theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
tests/foo/test_bar.py
```

without granting broad repo write access.

## Scope expansion

If Voss needs to write outside scope, it must show a diff preview and ask for approval. Expansions are session-local and do not become durable allow rules.

<Note>
  Scoped editing is a write boundary. Read access is still controlled by the cwd path jail.
</Note>