Rename Transcript Proof

Real AI coding agent sessions renaming TSServerRequestCommand.execute in the VS Code TypeScript extension codebase.
Same symbol, same codebase, same model. Only difference: pandō tools vs standard text tools.
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pandō
7 seconds
29/29 refs · 18 files · Correct on first try
Standard tools
10 min 30 sec
2/29 refs on first attempt 27 MISSED
Required human intervention to discover and fix
pandō — MCP tools 2 tool calls · ~7s · rename → marshmallow
❯ rename the symbol (execute) at extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts #1150-2772:MethodDeclaration using pandō find-nodes to find it first and then pandō rename operation […] the new name should be marshmallow do not ask for confirmation just perform it Tool Call 1 — find-nodes ▮ pandō - find-nodes (MCP) symbolKinds: ["method"] name: "execute" scopeNode: "extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts"
⎯ Response JSON (expand)
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "elapsedMs": 206,
    "results": [{
      "type": "Method",
      "name": "execute",
      "file_path": "extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts",
      "start_pos": 1150,
      "end_pos": 2772,
      "path": "extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts#1150-2772:MethodDeclaration@pb81a279d:cb059d96e2a",
      "hash": "@pb81a279d:cb059d96e2a"
    }],
    "totalCount": 1
  }
}
⎯ Found: TSServerRequestCommand.execute (206ms, 1 result) Tool Call 2 — rename ▮ pandō - rename (MCP) path: "extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts#1150-2772:MethodDeclaration" newName: "marshmallow" expectedHash: "pb81a279d:cb059d96e2a"
⎯ Response JSON (expand)
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "elapsedMs": 6102,
    "changes": {
      "summary": "TS LS rename applied. Files: 18",
      "count": 18
    },
    "details": {
      "changedFiles": [
        "commands/commandManager.ts",
        "commands/configurePlugin.ts",
        "commands/goToProjectConfiguration.ts",
        "commands/learnMoreAboutRefactorings.ts",
        "commands/openJsDocLink.ts",
        "commands/openTsServerLog.ts",
        "commands/reloadProject.ts",
        "commands/restartTsServer.ts",
        "commands/selectTypeScriptVersion.ts",
        "commands/tsserverRequests.ts",
        "commands/useTsgo.ts",
        "languageFeatures/completions.ts",
        "languageFeatures/fileReferences.ts",
        "languageFeatures/organizeImports.ts",
        "languageFeatures/quickFix.ts",
        "languageFeatures/refactor.ts",
        "languageFeatures/sourceDefinition.ts",
        "languageFeatures/util/copilot.ts"
      ],
      "referencesRenamed": 29
    }
  }
}
✓ 18 files, 29 refs renamed (6,102ms) Summary References renamed: 29 Files affected: 18 Files changed: 1. commandManager.ts 2. configurePlugin.ts 3. goToProjectConfiguration.ts 4. learnMoreAboutRefactorings.ts 5. openJsDocLink.ts 6. openTsServerLog.ts 7. reloadProject.ts 8. restartTsServer.ts 9. selectTypeScriptVersion.ts 10. tsserverRequests.ts (declaration site) 11. useTsgo.ts 12. completions.ts 13. fileReferences.ts 14. organizeImports.ts 15. quickFix.ts 16. refactor.ts 17. sourceDefinition.ts 18. copilot.ts Token usage: 33k/200k (16%) ✓ Done. 2 MCP tool calls. ~7 seconds.
Standard agent — text tools ~90 tool calls · 10m 30s · rename → cucumber
❯ find the symbol named execute at extensions/.../tsserverRequests.ts #1150-2772:MethodDeclaration […] and then rename its declaration and all its references (and only its references not of other also named "execute" symbols) […] Before you start AND before you are done print the timestamp Phase 1: Investigation (22:52:15 – 22:53) ▮ Bash(date) ⎯ Tue Feb 24 22:52:15 PST 2026 ▮ Read(tsserverRequests.ts) ⎯ Read 73 lines ▮ Search(pattern: "extensions/.../commandManager.ts") ⎯ Found 1 file ▮ Search(pattern: "TSServerRequestCommand|tsserverRequest") ⎯ Found 5 lines ▮ Read(commandManager.ts) ⎯ Read 42 lines ⚠ Stopped to ask user (didn't know the target name) "What should the new name be? […] Do you want to: - Rename only TSServerRequestCommand.execute […] or - Rename the method + the Command interface declaration + all call sites?" ✦ Crunched for 58s (user thinking + typing) ❯ cucumber Phase 2: More searching (22:54 – 22:55) ▮ Search(pattern: "implements Command") ⎯ Found 26 lines ▮ Search(pattern: "\.execute\b") ⎯ Found 97 lines ▮ Search(pattern: "TSServerRequestCommand") ⎯ Found 4 lines Phase 3: First rename attempt (22:55) Agent concludes only 2 references exist in 1 file: ▮ Update(tsserverRequests.ts) — declaration public async execute → public async cucumber ▮ Update(tsserverRequests.ts) — string literal 'TSServerRequestCommand.execute' → 'TSServerRequestCommand.cucumber' ▮ Read(tsserverRequests.ts) — verify ▮ Bash(date) ⎯ Tue Feb 24 22:55:33 PST 2026 ⚠ Agent declares "Done" — 2 refs in 1 file "References found and updated: 2 in 1 file" ✘ WRONG — missed 27 references across 17 other files. Agent's reasoning: "commandManager.ts:27 was referencing Command.execute (a 'different' symbol)" — but in TypeScript's type system, an interface method and all its implementations are the same symbol for rename purposes. ✦ Churned for 1m 58s Phase 4: User intervention (22:57) ❯ User pastes pandō's correct 18-file list and asks: "verify this" ▮ Explore sub-agent launched ⎯ Reads all 17 remaining files (17 Read operations, 29s) ⎯ Reports: "All 18 files CORRECT — they all contain references" "No. It was incomplete. I only changed 2 things in 1 file […] I missed ~28 actual code references across 17 other files." Phase 5: Fix attempt (23:01 – 23:02) ❯ User: "yes please update all remaining references EXCEPT the string literals" ▮ Read all 17 files (17 Read operations) ▮ 27 Update operations across 17 files: commandManager.ts — interface decl + call site (2) configurePlugin.ts — 1 method decl goToProjectConfig.ts — 2 method decls learnMoreAbout...ts — 1 method decl openJsDocLink.ts — 1 method decl openTsServerLog.ts — 1 method decl reloadProject.ts — 2 method decls restartTsServer.ts — 1 method decl selectTSVersion.ts — 1 method decl useTsgo.ts — 2 method decls completions.ts — 3 method decls fileReferences.ts — 1 method decl organizeImports.ts — 1 method decl + 1 inline (failed once, retried) quickFix.ts — 2 method decls + 1 call site refactor.ts — 3 method decls + 1 call site sourceDefinition.ts — 1 method decl copilot.ts — 2 method decls ▮ Final verification search ⎯ 3 remaining execute — all on different symbols (confirmed) ▮ Bash(date) ⎯ Tue Feb 24 23:02:45 PST 2026 Total: 22:52:15 → 23:02:45 = 10 minutes 30 seconds Token usage: 78k/200k (39%) Timeline breakdown: 22:52:15 Start 22:53 Asked user for target name (didn't know) 22:55:33 First "done" — 2/29 refs (wrong) 22:57 User intervenes with pandō's correct list 22:58 Agent admits: "incomplete — missed ~28 refs" 23:01 User asks to fix. Agent re-reads all 17 files. 23:02 27 Updates across 17 files (1 failed, retried) 23:02:45 Actually done — 10m 30s total