mirror of
https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli.git
synced 2026-03-10 22:21:22 -07:00
117 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
117 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
# Provide context with GEMINI.md files
|
|
|
|
Context files, which use the default name `GEMINI.md`, are a powerful feature
|
|
for providing instructional context to the Gemini model. You can use these files
|
|
to give project-specific instructions, define a persona, or provide coding style
|
|
guides to make the AI's responses more accurate and tailored to your needs.
|
|
|
|
Instead of repeating instructions in every prompt, you can define them once in a
|
|
context file.
|
|
|
|
## Understand the context hierarchy
|
|
|
|
The CLI uses a hierarchical system to source context. It loads various context
|
|
files from several locations, concatenates the contents of all found files, and
|
|
sends them to the model with every prompt. The CLI loads files in the following
|
|
order:
|
|
|
|
1. **Global context file:**
|
|
- **Location:** `~/.gemini/GEMINI.md` (in your user home directory).
|
|
- **Scope:** Provides default instructions for all your projects.
|
|
|
|
2. **Environment and workspace context files:**
|
|
- **Location:** The CLI searches for `GEMINI.md` files in your configured
|
|
workspace directories and their parent directories.
|
|
- **Scope:** Provides context relevant to the projects you are currently
|
|
working on.
|
|
|
|
3. **Just-in-time (JIT) context files:**
|
|
- **Location:** When a tool accesses a file or directory, the CLI
|
|
automatically scans for `GEMINI.md` files in that directory and its
|
|
ancestors up to a trusted root.
|
|
- **Scope:** Lets the model discover highly specific instructions for
|
|
particular components only when they are needed.
|
|
|
|
The CLI footer displays the number of loaded context files, which gives you a
|
|
quick visual cue of the active instructional context.
|
|
|
|
### Example `GEMINI.md` file
|
|
|
|
Here is an example of what you can include in a `GEMINI.md` file at the root of
|
|
a TypeScript project:
|
|
|
|
```markdown
|
|
# Project: My TypeScript Library
|
|
|
|
## General Instructions
|
|
|
|
- When you generate new TypeScript code, follow the existing coding style.
|
|
- Ensure all new functions and classes have JSDoc comments.
|
|
- Prefer functional programming paradigms where appropriate.
|
|
|
|
## Coding Style
|
|
|
|
- Use 2 spaces for indentation.
|
|
- Prefix interface names with `I` (for example, `IUserService`).
|
|
- Always use strict equality (`===` and `!==`).
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Manage context with the `/memory` command
|
|
|
|
You can interact with the loaded context files by using the `/memory` command.
|
|
|
|
- **`/memory show`**: Displays the full, concatenated content of the current
|
|
hierarchical memory. This lets you inspect the exact instructional context
|
|
being provided to the model.
|
|
- **`/memory refresh`**: Forces a re-scan and reload of all `GEMINI.md` files
|
|
from all configured locations.
|
|
- **`/memory add <text>`**: Appends your text to your global
|
|
`~/.gemini/GEMINI.md` file. This lets you add persistent memories on the fly.
|
|
|
|
## Modularize context with imports
|
|
|
|
You can break down large `GEMINI.md` files into smaller, more manageable
|
|
components by importing content from other files using the `@file.md` syntax.
|
|
This feature supports both relative and absolute paths.
|
|
|
|
**Example `GEMINI.md` with imports:**
|
|
|
|
```markdown
|
|
# Main GEMINI.md file
|
|
|
|
This is the main content.
|
|
|
|
@./components/instructions.md
|
|
|
|
More content here.
|
|
|
|
@../shared/style-guide.md
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
For more details, see the [Memory Import Processor](../reference/memport.md)
|
|
documentation.
|
|
|
|
## Customize the context file name
|
|
|
|
While `GEMINI.md` is the default filename, you can configure this in your
|
|
`settings.json` file. To specify a different name or a list of names, use the
|
|
`context.fileName` property.
|
|
|
|
**Example `settings.json`:**
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
{
|
|
"context": {
|
|
"fileName": ["AGENTS.md", "CONTEXT.md", "GEMINI.md"]
|
|
}
|
|
}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Next steps
|
|
|
|
- Learn about [Ignoring files](./gemini-ignore.md) to exclude content from the
|
|
context system.
|
|
- Explore the [Memory tool](../tools/memory.md) to save persistent memories.
|
|
- See how to use [Custom commands](./custom-commands.md) to automate common
|
|
prompts.
|