Issues with grok coder editing

[mrbm]

App Version

Version: 3.27.0 (173acdb)

API Provider

Groq

Model Used

Grok Coder 4 free / Sonic

Roo Code Task Links (Optional)

I seem to randomly have issues with roo code failing to be able to edit files, here is what the error message says:

backend/wispy-resonance-e9f9/src/handlers/payments.ts - Diff 1: ERROR: Diff block is malformed: marker '=======' found in your diff content at line 81. Expected: <<<<<<< SEARCH>?

CORRECT FORMAT:

<<<<<<< SEARCH
:start_line: (required) The line number of original content where the search block starts.
-------
[exact content to find including whitespace]
=======
[new content to replace with]
>>>>>>> REPLACE

AND

Failed to parse apply_diff XML: Failed to parse XML: StopNode is not closed.

AND

<error_details>
Diff 1 failed for file: backend/wispy-resonance-e9f9/src/handlers/payments.ts
Error: ERROR: Diff block is malformed: marker '=======' found in your diff content at line 49. Expected: <<<<<<< SEARCH>?

CORRECT FORMAT:

<<<<<<< SEARCH
:start_line: (required) The line number of original content where the search block starts.
-------
[exact content to find including whitespace]
=======
[new content to replace with]
>>>>>>> REPLACE


Suggested fixes:
1. Verify the search content exactly matches the file content (including whitespace and case)
2. Check for correct indentation and line endings
3. Use <read_file> to see the current file content
4. Consider breaking complex changes into smaller diffs
5. Ensure start_line parameter matches the actual content location

</error_details>

🔁 Steps to Reproduce

I don't know how to reproduce this...just giving prompts and then...it just seems stuck now.

💥 Outcome Summary

Expected code to run but after a few tries it then says:

Roo is having trouble...
This may indicate a failure in the model's thought process or inability to use a tool properly, which can be mitigated with some user guidance (e.g. "Try breaking down the task into smaller steps").

📄 Relevant Logs or Errors (Optional)

[roomote]

I'm exploring a potential fix for the apply_diff parsing issues with Grok Coder models. The problem appears to be related to malformed diff blocks where '=======' markers are incorrectly placed in the diff content. I'll investigate the diff parsing logic and open a PR to share progress.

[roomote]

I've opened PR #7751 with a fix for this issue: #7751

The fix improves the error messages to clearly explain when and how to escape special markers that appear in file content. The key improvements are:

1. Clearer error messages - Now distinguishes between structural diff errors and content that needs escaping
2. Helpful examples - Shows exactly how to escape markers like ======= when they appear in the actual file content
3. Better guidance - Suggests using read_file first to check the content, then escaping any special markers

All CI checks have passed successfully. This should resolve the issues you were experiencing with Grok Coder models failing to edit files containing diff-like markers.

Feedback welcome!

[mrbm]

The fix improves the error messages to clearly explain when and how to escape special markers that appear in file content

Just a note, i am noticing that the @roomote-agent is saying the solution is to have better error messaing and guidance in regards to markers like: =======

Please note that the file giving issue does not contain the marker: =======

I can privately show it to the developers if that would be helpful.

[roomote]

@mrbm Thank you for this crucial clarification! This is a very important detail - if the file doesn't actually contain the '=======' marker, then the issue is likely in how the diff is being generated or parsed by Grok models, not in the file content itself.

I'll investigate why the diff parser is incorrectly detecting these markers when they're not present in the actual file. This suggests a different root cause than what was addressed in the previous PR.

[roomote]

@mrbm I've implemented a fix that improves error handling for malformed diffs from AI models, particularly when they generate incorrect diff syntax. However, I want to ensure this fully addresses your specific issue.

My implementation detects when AI models (like Grok) generate malformed diffs with:

• Consecutive separators (=======)
• Separators appearing before SEARCH markers
• Unbalanced markers

When detected, it provides clearer error messages explaining it's likely an AI model issue rather than actual file content.

Since you mentioned the file doesn't actually contain the '=======' marker, I'm concerned there might be an additional edge case I haven't covered. Would it be possible to:

1. Share the exact error message you're seeing?
2. Share a snippet of the file content that's causing the issue (with any sensitive data redacted)?
3. Share the diff that Grok is trying to apply?

This would help me ensure the fix completely resolves your issue. In the meantime, I'll push my current implementation which should help with many Grok-related diff issues.