docs/archived/STEAL_MECHANICS_FIX.md

Steal Mechanics Fix - Item Extraction

Problem

Tests were failing because _extract_item() method couldn't extract item names from steal commands:

• Input: "steal the healing potion"
• Expected resource: "healing potion"
• Actual resource: None (then "Healing Potion" after partial fix)

Root Cause

The _extract_item() method in action_validator.py only had patterns for item use actions:

• use, drink, eat, equip, wear, wield, etc.
• Missing: steal, swipe, pilfer, pocket, snatch, lift

Solution

File: dnd_rag_system/systems/action_validator.py

Change 1: Add steal keywords to item patterns (line 675)

item_patterns = [
    r'\b(?:steal|swipe|pilfer|pocket|snatch|lift)\b',  # Added steal keywords
    r'\b(?:use|uses|using)\b',
    r'\b(?:drink|drinks|drinking)\b',
    # ... rest of patterns
]

Change 2: Return lowercase item names (line 704)

# Before:
item_name = ' '.join(words).strip('.,!?')
return item_name.title()  # Returns "Healing Potion"

# After:
item_name = ' '.join(words).strip('.,!?').lower()
return item_name  # Returns "healing potion"

Reason for lowercase: Inventory and shop systems use lowercase item names for consistency.

Test Results

All 13 tests in test_recent_fixes.py now passing:

• ✅ test_steal_keyword_detected - Extracts "healing potion" from "steal the healing potion"
• ✅ test_swipe_keyword_detected - Alternative keywords work (swipe, pocket, pickpocket)
• ✅ All other tests remain passing (no regressions)

Integration Points

1. Action Detection (line 175): if any(keyword in lower_input for keyword in self.STEAL_KEYWORDS)
2. Item Extraction (line 176): item = self._extract_item(lower_input)
3. Steal Handler (lines 435-461 in gm_dialogue_unified.py): Receives extracted item name

Next Steps

Manual testing in Gradio UI to verify:

1. Steal command extracts item correctly
2. Item appears in inventory after success
3. Stealth checks work with NPCs
4. No goblin hallucinations