Gemini CLI supports several built-in commands to help you manage your session, customize the interface, and control its behavior. These commands are prefixed with a forward slash (`/`), an at symbol (`@`), or an exclamation mark (`!`).
- **Description:** File an issue about Gemini CLI. By default, the issue is filed within the GitHub repository for Gemini CLI. The string you enter after `/bug` will become the headline for the bug being filed. The default `/bug` behavior can be modified using the `bugCommand` setting in your `.gemini/settings.json` files.
- **Description:** Save and resume conversation history for branching conversation state interactively, or resuming a previous state from a later session.
- **Sub-commands:**
- **`save`**
- **Description:** Saves the current conversation history. You must add a `<tag>` for identifying the conversation state.
- When you run `/chat list`, the CLI only scans these specific directories to find available checkpoints.
- **Note:** These checkpoints are for manually saving and resuming conversation states. For automatic checkpoints created before file modifications, see the [Checkpointing documentation](../checkpointing.md).
- **Description:** Clear the terminal screen, including the visible session history and scrollback within the CLI. The underlying session data (for history recall) might be preserved depending on the exact implementation, but the visual display is cleared.
- **Keyboard shortcut:** Press **Ctrl+L** at any time to perform a clear action.
- **`/compress`**
- **Description:** Replace the entire chat context with a summary. This saves on tokens used for future tasks while retaining a high level summary of what has happened.
- **Description:** Manage workspace directories for multi-directory support.
- **Sub-commands:**
- **`add`**:
- **Description:** Add a directory to the workspace. The path can be absolute or relative to the current working directory. Moreover, the reference from home directory is supported as well.
- **Usage:** `/directory add <path1>,<path2>`
- **Note:** Disabled in restrictive sandbox profiles. If you're using that, use `--include-directories` when starting the session instead.
- **Description:** Display the full, concatenated content of the current hierarchical memory that has been loaded from all `GEMINI.md` files. This lets you inspect the instructional context being provided to the Gemini model.
- **Description:** Reload the hierarchical instructional memory from all `GEMINI.md` files found in the configured locations (global, project/ancestors, and sub-directories). This command updates the model with the latest `GEMINI.md` content.
- **Note:** For more details on how `GEMINI.md` files contribute to hierarchical memory, see the [CLI Configuration documentation](./configuration.md#4-geminimd-files-hierarchical-instructional-context).
- **Description:** Restores the project files to the state they were in just before a tool was executed. This is particularly useful for undoing file edits made by a tool. If run without a tool call ID, it will list available checkpoints to restore from.
- **Note:** Only available if the CLI is invoked with the `--checkpointing` option or configured via [settings](./configuration.md). See [Checkpointing documentation](../checkpointing.md) for more details.
- **Description:** Open the settings editor to view and modify Gemini CLI settings.
- **Details:** This command provides a user-friendly interface for changing settings that control the behavior and appearance of Gemini CLI. It is equivalent to manually editing the `.gemini/settings.json` file, but with validation and guidance to prevent errors.
- **Usage:** Simply run `/settings` and the editor will open. You can then browse or search for specific settings, view their current values, and modify them as desired. Changes to some settings are applied immediately, while others require a restart.
- **Description:** Display detailed statistics for the current Gemini CLI session, including token usage, cached token savings (when available), and session duration. Note: Cached token information is only displayed when cached tokens are being used, which occurs with API key authentication but not with OAuth authentication at this time.
- **Description:** Display the Privacy Notice and allow users to select whether they consent to the collection of their data for service improvement purposes.
- **Description:** Toggle vim mode on or off. When vim mode is enabled, the input area supports vim-style navigation and editing commands in both NORMAL and INSERT modes.
- **Features:**
- **NORMAL mode:** Navigate with `h`, `j`, `k`, `l`; jump by words with `w`, `b`, `e`; go to line start/end with `0`, `$`, `^`; go to specific lines with `G` (or `gg` for first line)
- **INSERT mode:** Standard text input with escape to return to NORMAL mode
- **Editing commands:** Delete with `x`, change with `c`, insert with `i`, `a`, `o`, `O`; complex operations like `dd`, `cc`, `dw`, `cw`
- **Description:** To help users easily create a `GEMINI.md` file, this command analyzes the current directory and generates a tailored context file, making it simpler for them to provide project-specific instructions to the Gemini agent.
For a quick start, see the [example](#example-a-pure-function-refactoring-command) below.
Custom commands allow you to save and reuse your favorite or most frequently used prompts as personal shortcuts within Gemini CLI. You can create commands that are specific to a single project or commands that are available globally across all your projects, streamlining your workflow and ensuring consistency.
#### File Locations & Precedence
Gemini CLI discovers commands from two locations, loaded in a specific order:
1.**User Commands (Global):** Located in `~/.gemini/commands/`. These commands are available in any project you are working on.
2.**Project Commands (Local):** Located in `<your-project-root>/.gemini/commands/`. These commands are specific to the current project and can be checked into version control to be shared with your team.
If a command in the project directory has the same name as a command in the user directory, the **project command will always be used.** This allows projects to override global commands with project-specific versions.
#### Naming and Namespacing
The name of a command is determined by its file path relative to its `commands` directory. Subdirectories are used to create namespaced commands, with the path separator (`/` or `\`) being converted to a colon (`:`).
- A file at `~/.gemini/commands/test.toml` becomes the command `/test`.
- A file at `<project>/.gemini/commands/git/commit.toml` becomes the namespaced command `/git:commit`.
#### TOML File Format (v1)
Your command definition files must be written in the TOML format and use the `.toml` file extension.
##### Required Fields
-`prompt` (String): The prompt that will be sent to the Gemini model when the command is executed. This can be a single-line or multi-line string.
##### Optional Fields
-`description` (String): A brief, one-line description of what the command does. This text will be displayed next to your command in the `/help` menu. **If you omit this field, a generic description will be generated from the filename.**
Custom commands support two powerful methods for handling arguments. The CLI automatically chooses the correct method based on the content of your command's `prompt`.
If your `prompt` contains the special placeholder `{{args}}`, the CLI will replace that placeholder with the text the user typed after the command name.
The behavior of this injection depends on where it is used:
**A. Raw Injection (Outside Shell Commands)**
When used in the main body of the prompt, the arguments are injected exactly as the user typed them.
The model receives: `Please provide a code fix for the issue described here: "Button is misaligned".`
**B. Using Arguments in Shell Commands (Inside `!{...}` Blocks)**
When you use `{{args}}` inside a shell injection block (`!{...}`), the arguments are automatically **shell-escaped** before replacement. This allows you to safely pass arguments to shell commands, ensuring the resulting command is syntactically correct and secure while preventing command injection vulnerabilities.
**Example (`/grep-code.toml`):**
```toml
prompt = """
Please summarize the findings for the pattern `{{args}}`.
Search Results:
!{grep -r {{args}} .}
"""
```
When you run `/grep-code It's complicated`:
1. The CLI sees `{{args}}` used both outside and inside `!{...}`.
2. Outside: The first `{{args}}` is replaced raw with `It's complicated`.
3. Inside: The second `{{args}}` is replaced with the escaped version (e.g., on Linux: `"It's complicated"`).
4. The command executed is `grep -r "It's complicated" .`.
5. The CLI prompts you to confirm this exact, secure command before execution.
If your `prompt` does **not** contain the special placeholder `{{args}}`, the CLI uses a default behavior for handling arguments.
If you provide arguments to the command (e.g., `/mycommand arg1`), the CLI will append the full command you typed to the end of the prompt, separated by two newlines. This allows the model to see both the original instructions and the specific arguments you just provided.
If you do **not** provide any arguments (e.g., `/mycommand`), the prompt is sent to the model exactly as it is, with nothing appended.
**Example (`changelog.toml`):**
This example shows how to create a robust command by defining a role for the model, explaining where to find the user's input, and specifying the expected format and behavior.
description = "Adds a new entry to the project's CHANGELOG.md file."
prompt = """
# Task: Update Changelog
You are an expert maintainer of this software project. A user has invoked a command to add a new entry to the changelog.
**The user's raw command is appended below your instructions.**
Your task is to parse the `<version>`, `<change_type>`, and `<message>` from their input and use the `write_file` tool to correctly update the `CHANGELOG.md` file.
## Expected Format
The command follows this format: `/changelog <version> <type> <message>`
-`<type>` must be one of: "added", "changed", "fixed", "removed".
## Behavior
1. Read the `CHANGELOG.md` file.
2. Find the section for the specified `<version>`.
3. Add the `<message>` under the correct `<type>` heading.
4. If the version or type section doesn't exist, create it.
5. Adhere strictly to the "Keep a Changelog" format.
"""
```
When you run `/changelog 1.2.0 added "New feature"`, the final text sent to the model will be the original prompt followed by two newlines and the command you typed.
You can make your commands dynamic by executing shell commands directly within your `prompt` and injecting their output. This is ideal for gathering context from your local environment, like reading file content or checking the status of Git.
When a custom command attempts to execute a shell command, Gemini CLI will now prompt you for confirmation before proceeding. This is a security measure to ensure that only intended commands can be run.
2.**Argument Substitution:** If `{{args}}` is present inside the block, it is automatically shell-escaped (see [Context-Aware Injection](#1-context-aware-injection-with-args) above).
3.**Robust Parsing:** The parser correctly handles complex shell commands that include nested braces, such as JSON payloads.
4.**Security Check and Confirmation:** The CLI performs a security check on the final, resolved command (after arguments are escaped and substituted). A dialog will appear showing the exact command(s) to be executed.
5.**Execution and Error Reporting:** The command is executed. If the command fails, the output injected into the prompt will include the error messages (stderr) followed by a status line, e.g., `[Shell command exited with code 1]`. This helps the model understand the context of the failure.
When you run `/git:commit`, the CLI first executes `git diff --staged`, then replaces `!{git diff --staged}` with the output of that command before sending the final, complete prompt to the model.
Open `~/.gemini/commands/refactor/pure.toml` in your editor and add the following content. We are including the optional `description` for best practice.
```toml
# In: ~/.gemini/commands/refactor/pure.toml
# This command will be invoked via: /refactor:pure
description = "Asks the model to refactor the current context into a pure function."
prompt = """
Please analyze the code I've provided in the current context.
Refactor it into a pure function.
Your response should include:
1. The refactored, pure function code block.
2. A brief explanation of the key changes you made and why they contribute to purity.
"""
```
**3. Run the Command:**
That's it! You can now run your command in the CLI. First, you might add a file to the context, and then invoke your command:
```
> @my-messy-function.js
> /refactor:pure
```
Gemini CLI will then execute the multi-line prompt defined in your TOML file.
- **Description:** Inject the content of the specified file or files into your current prompt. This is useful for asking questions about specific code, text, or collections of files.
- The command uses the `read_many_files` tool internally. The content is fetched and then inserted into your query before being sent to the Gemini model.
- **Git-aware filtering:** By default, git-ignored files (like `node_modules/`, `dist/`, `.env`, `.git/`) are excluded. This behavior can be changed via the `fileFiltering` settings.
- **File types:** The command is intended for text-based files. While it might attempt to read any file, binary files or very large files might be skipped or truncated by the underlying `read_many_files` tool to ensure performance and relevance. The tool indicates if files were skipped.
- **Output:** The CLI will show a tool call message indicating that `read_many_files` was used, along with a message detailing the status and the path(s) that were processed.
- **Description:** If you type a lone `@` symbol without a path, the query is passed as-is to the Gemini model. This might be useful if you are specifically talking _about_ the `@` symbol in your prompt.
- If the path specified after `@` is not found or is invalid, an error message will be displayed, and the query might not be sent to the Gemini model, or it will be sent without the file content.
- If the `read_many_files` tool encounters an error (e.g., permission issues), this will also be reported.
- **Description:** Execute the given `<shell_command>` using `bash` on Linux/macOS or `cmd.exe` on Windows. Any output or errors from the command are displayed in the terminal.
- **Environment Variable:** When a command is executed via `!` or in shell mode, the `GEMINI_CLI=1` environment variable is set in the subprocess's environment. This allows scripts or tools to detect if they are being run from within the Gemini CLI.
