chore: update channels

packages/cli/src/gemini.test.tsx

@@ -575,6 +575,7 @@ describe('gemini.tsx main function kitty protocol', () => {
       rawOutput: undefined,
       acceptRawOutputRisk: undefined,
       isCommand: undefined,
+      channels: undefined,
     });
 
     await act(async () => {

packages/cli/src/gemini.tsx

@@ -285,13 +285,6 @@ export async function main() {
     });
   }
 
-  if (argv.channels && argv.channels.length > 0) {
-    coreEvents.emitFeedback(
-      'info',
-      `Channels listening for messages: ${argv.channels.join(', ')}`,
-    );
-  }
-
   // Check for invalid input combinations early to prevent crashes
   if (argv.promptInteractive && !process.stdin.isTTY) {
     writeToStderr(

packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.tsx

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import {
 } from './types.js';
 import { checkPermissions } from './hooks/atCommandProcessor.js';
 import { MessageType, StreamingState } from './types.js';
+import { theme } from './semantic-colors.js';
 import { ToolActionsProvider } from './contexts/ToolActionsContext.js';
 import {
   type StartupWarning,
@@ -66,7 +67,6 @@ import {
   flattenMemory,
   type MemoryChangedPayload,
   type ChannelMessagePayload,
-  activeChannels,
   writeToStdout,
   disableMouseEvents,
   enterAlternateScreen,
@@ -1233,22 +1233,6 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
     };
   }, [channelsEnabled, addMessage]);
 
-  // Warn about requested channels whose MCP servers did not declare capability.
-  const channelWarningFired = useRef(false);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isMcpReady || !channelsEnabled || channelWarningFired.current) return;
-    channelWarningFired.current = true;
-    const requested = config.getChannels();
-    for (const name of requested) {
-      if (!activeChannels.has(name)) {
-        coreEvents.emitFeedback(
-          'warning',
-          `Channel "${name}" was requested but the MCP server did not declare channel capability.`,
-        );
-      }
-    }
-  }, [isMcpReady, channelsEnabled, config]);
-
   cancelHandlerRef.current = useCallback(
     (shouldRestorePrompt: boolean = true) => {
       if (isToolAwaitingConfirmation(pendingHistoryItems)) {
@@ -2011,10 +1995,16 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
           );
       }
 
+      const isChannel = payload.style === 'channel';
       historyManager.addItem(
         {
           type,
           text: payload.message,
+          ...(isChannel && {
+            icon: '» ',
+            color: theme.text.secondary,
+            marginTop: 0,
+          }),
         },
         Date.now(),
       );

packages/cli/src/ui/components/HistoryItemDisplay.tsx

@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ export const HistoryItemDisplay: React.FC<HistoryItemDisplayProps> = ({
           secondaryText={itemForDisplay.secondaryText}
           icon={itemForDisplay.icon}
           color={itemForDisplay.color}
+          marginTop={itemForDisplay.marginTop}
           marginBottom={itemForDisplay.marginBottom}
         />
       )}

packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/InfoMessage.tsx

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ interface InfoMessageProps {
   secondaryText?: string;
   icon?: string;
   color?: string;
+  marginTop?: number;
   marginBottom?: number;
 }
 
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ export const InfoMessage: React.FC<InfoMessageProps> = ({
   secondaryText,
   icon,
   color,
+  marginTop,
   marginBottom,
 }) => {
   color ??= theme.status.warning;
@@ -29,7 +31,11 @@ export const InfoMessage: React.FC<InfoMessageProps> = ({
   const prefixWidth = prefix.length;
 
   return (
-    <Box flexDirection="row" marginTop={1} marginBottom={marginBottom ?? 0}>
+    <Box
+      flexDirection="row"
+      marginTop={marginTop ?? 1}
+      marginBottom={marginBottom ?? 0}
+    >
       <Box width={prefixWidth}>
         <Text color={color}>{prefix}</Text>
       </Box>

packages/cli/src/ui/components/views/ChannelsList.tsx

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import type React from 'react';
 import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
 import { theme } from '../../semantic-colors.js';
+import { RenderInline } from '../../utils/InlineMarkdownRenderer.js';
 import type { ChannelInfo } from '../../types.js';
 
 interface ChannelsListProps {
@@ -18,10 +19,11 @@ export const ChannelsList: React.FC<ChannelsListProps> = ({ channels }) => {
     return (
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
         <Text color={theme.text.primary}>No active channels.</Text>
-        <Text color="gray">
-          {
-            "MCP servers must declare `experimental['gemini/channel']` in their capabilities to act as channels."
-          }
+        <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>
+          <RenderInline
+            text="Use `--channels <name>` to listen for channel messages from MCP servers."
+            defaultColor={theme.text.secondary}
+          />
         </Text>
       </Box>
     );
@@ -41,9 +43,11 @@ export const ChannelsList: React.FC<ChannelsListProps> = ({ channels }) => {
               <Text bold color={theme.text.accent}>
                 {channel.displayName || channel.name} ({channel.name})
               </Text>
-              <Text color="gray">
+              <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>
                 Direction:{' '}
-                <Text color={channel.supportsReply ? 'green' : 'gray'}>
+                <Text
+                  color={channel.supportsReply ? 'green' : theme.text.secondary}
+                >
                   {channel.supportsReply ? 'two-way' : 'one-way'}
                 </Text>
               </Text>

packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts

@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ export type HistoryItemInfo = HistoryItemBase & {
   secondaryText?: string;
   icon?: string;
   color?: string;
+  marginTop?: number;
   marginBottom?: number;
 };
 

packages/core/src/config/config.ts

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ import {
   type TelemetryTarget,
 } from '../telemetry/index.js';
 import { coreEvents, CoreEvent } from '../utils/events.js';
+import { activeChannels } from '../channels/types.js';
 import { tokenLimit } from '../core/tokenLimits.js';
 import {
   DEFAULT_GEMINI_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
@@ -1380,6 +1381,26 @@ export class Config implements McpContext, AgentLoopContext {
           debugLogger.error('Error initializing MCP clients:', result.reason);
         }
       }
+      // Report channel status after all MCP servers have initialized.
+      if (this.channels.length > 0) {
+        const active = this.channels.filter((name) => activeChannels.has(name));
+        if (active.length > 0) {
+          coreEvents.emitFeedback(
+            'info',
+            `Channels listening for messages: ${active.join(', ')}`,
+            undefined,
+            { style: 'channel' },
+          );
+        }
+        for (const name of this.channels) {
+          if (!activeChannels.has(name)) {
+            coreEvents.emitFeedback(
+              'warning',
+              `Channel "${name}" was requested but the MCP server did not declare channel capability.`,
+            );
+          }
+        }
+      }
     });
 
     if (!this.interactive || this.acpMode) {

packages/core/src/utils/events.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ export interface UserFeedbackPayload {
    * or verbose output, while keeping the 'message' field clean for end users.
    */
   error?: unknown;
+  /**
+   * Optional semantic style hint for the UI.
+   * 'channel' renders with secondary text color and a » icon,
+   * suitable for channel status messages.
+   */
+  style?: 'channel';
 }
 
 /**
@@ -285,8 +291,14 @@ export class CoreEventEmitter extends EventEmitter<CoreEvents> {
     severity: FeedbackSeverity,
     message: string,
     error?: unknown,
+    options?: { style?: 'channel' },
   ): void {
-    const payload: UserFeedbackPayload = { severity, message, error };
+    const payload: UserFeedbackPayload = {
+      severity,
+      message,
+      error,
+      ...options,
+    };
     this._emitOrQueue(CoreEvent.UserFeedback, payload);
   }