File system tools reference

The Gemini CLI core provides a suite of tools for interacting with the local file system. These tools allow the model to explore and modify your codebase.

Technical reference

All file system tools operate within a rootDirectory (the current working directory or workspace root) for security.

list_directory (ReadFolder)

Lists the names of files and subdirectories directly within a specified path.

• Tool name: list_directory
• Arguments:
  • dir_path (string, required): Absolute or relative path to the directory.
  • ignore (array, optional): Glob patterns to exclude.
  • file_filtering_options (object, optional): Configuration for .gitignore and .geminiignore compliance.

read_file (ReadFile)

Reads and returns the content of a specific file. Supports text, images, audio, and PDF.

• Tool name: read_file
• Arguments:
  • file_path (string, required): Path to the file.
  • offset (number, optional): Start line for text files (0-based).
  • limit (number, optional): Maximum lines to read.

write_file (WriteFile)

Writes content to a specified file, overwriting it if it exists or creating it if not.

• Tool name: write_file
• Arguments:
  • file_path (string, required): Path to the file.
  • content (string, required): Data to write.
• Confirmation: Requires manual user approval.

glob (FindFiles)

Finds files matching specific glob patterns across the workspace.

• Tool name: glob
• Display name: FindFiles
• File: glob.ts
• Parameters:
  • pattern (string, required): The glob pattern to match against (e.g., "*.py", "src/**/*.js").
  • path (string, optional): The absolute path to the directory to search within. If omitted, searches the tool’s root directory.
  • case_sensitive (boolean, optional): Whether the search should be case-sensitive. Defaults to false.
  • respect_git_ignore (boolean, optional): Whether to respect .gitignore patterns when finding files. Defaults to true.
• Behavior:
  • Searches for files matching the glob pattern within the specified directory.
  • Returns a list of absolute paths, sorted with the most recently modified files first.
  • Ignores common nuisance directories like node_modules and .git by default.
• Output (llmContent): A message like: Found 5 file(s) matching "*.ts" within src, sorted by modification time (newest first):\nsrc/file1.ts\nsrc/subdir/file2.ts...
• Confirmation: No.

5. grep_search (SearchText)

grep_search searches for a regular expression pattern within the content of files in a specified directory. Can filter files by a glob pattern. Returns the lines containing matches, along with their file paths and line numbers.

• Tool name: grep_search
• Display name: SearchText
• File: grep.ts
• Parameters:
  • pattern (string, required): The regular expression (regex) to search for (e.g., "function\s+myFunction").
  • path (string, optional): The absolute path to the directory to search within. Defaults to the current working directory.
  • include (string, optional): A glob pattern to filter which files are searched (e.g., "*.js", "src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"). If omitted, searches most files (respecting common ignores).
• Behavior:
  • Uses git grep if available in a Git repository for speed; otherwise, falls back to system grep or a JavaScript-based search.
  • Returns a list of matching lines, each prefixed with its file path (relative to the search directory) and line number.
• Output (llmContent): A formatted string of matches, e.g.:

  Found 3 matches for pattern "myFunction" in path "." (filter: "*.ts"):
  ---
  File: src/utils.ts
  L15: export function myFunction() {
  L22:   myFunction.call();
  ---
  File: src/index.ts
  L5: import { myFunction } from './utils';
  ---

• Confirmation: No.

6. replace (Edit)

replace replaces text within a file. By default, replaces a single occurrence, but can replace multiple occurrences when expected_replacements is specified. This tool is designed for precise, targeted changes and requires significant context around the old_string to ensure it modifies the correct location.

• Tool name: replace
• Arguments:
  • file_path (string, required): Path to the file.
  • instruction (string, required): Semantic description of the change.
  • old_string (string, required): Exact literal text to find.
  • new_string (string, required): Exact literal text to replace with.
• Confirmation: Requires manual user approval.

Next steps

• Follow the File management tutorial for practical examples.
• Learn about Trusted folders to manage access permissions.