Before replacing text across files, prove that the query is running at the smallest scope that matches the assignment. In the controlled case, one open file contained two matches, while the workspace contained 26. If the edit request names only that file, the other 24 occurrences are not replacement candidates.
The observed Rune Studio work stopped at search comparison. It did not preview, apply, or reverse-check a replacement, and it did not test extension filters or automatic exclusion of a build folder. Those steps are separated below so the supported result is not confused with a replacement that never ran.
A single-file edit has a single-file boundary
Imagine an editor asks for “Old Harbor” to become “Harbor District” in chapters/ch03.md. The same phrase appears in other chapters, research notes, and generated output.
Write the boundary before searching:
target=chapters/ch03.md | query=Old Harbor | expected=2 | workspace results=diagnostic only
If you cannot write that sentence confidently, the editing assignment is not yet clear enough for replacement.
Reproduce the two-versus-26 decision
Search the active file
Bring chapters/ch03.md to the front and check its full path. Use file search for Old Harbor. Open both results and read the surrounding sentences. Two hits in the correct file are more useful than a large unexplained count.
Compare with workspace search
Run the same query at workspace scope once. The controlled sample returned 26 matches. Inspect enough paths to understand that 24 belong outside ch03.md, then return to the file result.
The purpose of this second search is not to prepare a 26-item replacement. It proves why file scope is the correct boundary for the named assignment.
Record the boundary
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| target | chapters/ch03.md |
| file matches | 2 |
| workspace matches | 26 |
| outside target | 24 |
| replacement status | not run |
| filters/exclusions | not tested |
What must happen before an actual replacement
Rune Studio’s published product information describes file, selected-scope, and workspace search, followed by replacement after result review. The title’s safety promise still requires more than the observed two-versus-26 search.
On a disposable copy, the reader should confirm all four of these:
- The replacement preview lists only the two occurrences in
ch03.md. - Applying the change modifies that file and no others.
- Searching the old phrase again at file scope returns the intended remainder.
- Searching the new phrase opens the two changed contexts.
Until those checks have been performed in the current app, this article does not claim that the replacement portion succeeded.
Extension and exclusion rules remain separate
A broad project search often needs an .md include rule and an exclusion such as build/. Neither was exercised in the controlled sample. Do not infer them from the 2/26 result.
The established result is narrower: the same query returned two matches in one file and 26 in the workspace. Semantic approval, every regular-expression feature, and binary replacement are also outside this result.
The decision to carry forward
Use four values before replacing across files: target path, file count, workspace count, and outside-target count. Here they are ch03.md, 2, 26, and 24.
If the assignment is truly one file, stay with the two-result scope. Then test preview, application, and reverse search on a copy. Readers who need those scope choices can check Rune Studio’s current search and replacement details on the product page.
