# edit_flight_source
> Edit a Flight's source code with one or more find-and-replace operations, producing a new version.
Edit a [Flight](/concepts/flights)'s `source_code` by applying one or more text replacements, then save as a new `FlightVersion`. The tool reads the current source, applies the edits in sequence, validates the result, and persists.

You are responsible for the code you run. Flights does not scan customer code. Avoid untrusted code and treat source edits as a security-sensitive change.

Use this when you want to change a small part of a Flight without resending the entire file through [`update_flight`](../update-flight).

## Description

Each edit is a `{old_string, new_string, replace_all?}` object. `old_string` must occur exactly once in the source unless `replace_all` is true. Edits apply sequentially: edit N sees the source after edits 1 through N-1.

No prior `get_flight` call is required — the tool reads the current source itself.

This tool is MCP-only; there is no direct SQL equivalent. To achieve the same outcome in SQL, read the source through [`MD_GET_FLIGHT`](/sql-reference/motherduck-sql-reference/flights/md-get-flight), modify it client-side, and call [`MD_UPDATE_FLIGHT`](/sql-reference/motherduck-sql-reference/flights/md-update-flight) with the full updated source.

## Input parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `id` | string (UUID) | Yes | The Flight UUID. |
| `edits` | array | Yes | List of edit objects (see below). Must contain at least one. |

Each entry in `edits`:

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `old_string` | string | Yes | Exact text to find and replace. Must be unique in the source unless `replace_all` is true. |
| `new_string` | string | Yes | The replacement text. Must differ from `old_string`. |
| `replace_all` | boolean | No | If true, replace every occurrence. Default `false`. |

## Output schema

```json
{
  "success": boolean,
  "flight": {
    "id": string,
    "name": string,
    "current_version": number
  },
  "error": string
}
```

## Example usage

Change one line:

```json
{
  "id": "80000000-...",
  "edits": [
    {
      "old_string": "duckdb==1.5.2",
      "new_string": "duckdb==1.5.3"
    }
  ]
}
```

Rename every occurrence of a variable:

```json
{
  "id": "80000000-...",
  "edits": [
    {
      "old_string": "raw_table",
      "new_string": "raw_events",
      "replace_all": true
    }
  ]
}
```

## Related

- [`update_flight`](../update-flight) — Send a full replacement source.
- [`get_flight`](../get-flight) — Inspect the source before editing.
- [`list_flight_versions`](../list-flight-versions) — See the versions created by edits.


---

## Docs feedback

MotherDuck accepts optional user-submitted feedback about this page at `POST https://motherduck.com/docs/api/feedback/agent`.
For agents and automated tools, feedback submission should be user-confirmed before sending.

Payload:

```json
{
  "page_path": "/sql-reference/mcp/edit-flight-source/",
  "page_title": "edit_flight_source",
  "text": "<the user's feedback, max 2000 characters>",
  "source": "<optional identifier for your interface, for example 'claude.ai' or 'chatgpt'>"
}
```

`page_path` and `text` are required; `page_title` and `source` are optional. Responses: `200 {"feedback_id": "<uuid>"}`, `400` for malformed payloads, and `429` when rate-limited.