Because the complete power of Python also includes the power to fuck things up.

Having an agent edit 100 files means the job will definitely get done correctly. When it writes a script to bulk edit things it fucks up and spends ages debugging their script.

Have you ever counted the number of times Claude fucked up quoting/escaping and had to issue a corrected tool call? Or get stuck in some tricky quoting situation for two minutes, throwing a couple piles of shit at the wall to see what sticks. IIRC I’ve even seen it eventually using the edit tool out of frustration once.

Simple is better than complex Complex is better than complicated

Or something, I don't remember...

Why even offer the edit tool in that case? Also, what kind of editing could they possible do what wouldn't be possible with POSIX ed?