# agent parser failed on rfp amendment redline doc: how to fix it

An agent parser failing on an RFP amendment redline needs to handle tracked changes before parsing. Accept the revisions into a clean copy, or parse the redline view explicitly. Redlines are diffs, and parsers built for clean documents choke on the markup.

```text
agent parser failed on rfp amendment redline doc
```

## When to use this skill
- Parsing fails on amendment redline documents
- The document shows tracked changes

## When not to use this skill
- The amendment is a clean document that parses wrong (a parser issue)
- You need the redline details preserved (parse both versions)

## Tool compatibility
Agent document parsing with tracked-change documents.
Related area: document export, rendering, and OCR tooling.
Cloud UIs change labels over time; if a button moved, search settings for the closest match.

## Before you start
- Sign in to the tool and keep one tab open so sessions stay clean
- Copy the exact error text and note the time it happened
- Set aside 15 to 20 minutes; most of these resolve in a single pass

## Quick diagnosis
Make sure this is the right skill before you invest the 15 minutes.
- If you are dealing with parsing fails on amendment redline documents, start at step 1 below.
- If instead the amendment is a clean document that parses wrong (a parser issue), stop here; you need a different skill.
- If neither quite matches, compare your screen against the verbatim error block at the top; that block is exactly what this skill covers.

## Fix it in steps
### 1. Detect the redline markup

```
Check whether the document contains tracked changes or revision marks.
```
Expected: confirmed redline content.

### 2. Accept revisions into a clean copy

```
Produce a clean version with all changes accepted.
```
Expected: a normal document the parser handles.

### 3. Parse the clean copy

```
Run the normal amendment parser on it.
```
Expected: extracted changes and new requirements.

### 4. Diff against the original RFP

```
Compare parsed amendments to the base document requirements.
```
Expected: a clear list of what changed.

## Confirm each step worked
Run through this checklist before moving on. If a check fails, redo that step instead of pushing ahead.
- Step 1 (detect the redline markup): Expected: confirmed redline content.
- Step 2 (accept revisions into a clean copy): Expected: a normal document the parser handles.
- Step 3 (parse the clean copy): Expected: extracted changes and new requirements.
- Step 4 (diff against the original rfp): Expected: a clear list of what changed.

## Quick recap
1. Detect the redline markup
2. Accept revisions into a clean copy
3. Parse the clean copy
4. Diff against the original RFP

## Still stuck?
Gather three things: the exact error text, the time it happened, and what changed just before it broke.
Check the vendor status page for an active incident. Then open a support ticket with those three things;
it cuts the back-and-forth in half. For agent runs, attach the last 50 lines of the agent log too,
since the loop or timeout signature in the log usually names the cause.

## Variant phrasings
### redline doc parser failed
Accept revisions first, then parse. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

### agent cant parse amendment redline
Redlines are diffs, parsers want clean documents. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

## Why it happens
Redline documents interleave deleted and inserted text with revision markup. Parsers expecting clean prose misread the markup as content, producing garbage or failing outright.

## Edge cases
- Keep the redline original for audit, parse the clean copy
- Some amendments only exist as redlines, this flow is mandatory then
- Verify accepted changes match what the buyer intended

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_RSIQiAChvigC2G5CfdOT1A