fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args by galz10 · Pull Request #18855 · google-gemini/gemini-cli

galz10 · 2026-02-11T23:30:21Z

Summary

Improve headless mode detection to correctly trust workspaces when using flags like -p, --prompt, -y, and --yolo, or when providing query positional arguments. This ensures that non-interactive commands correctly bypass folder trust prompts.

Details

Updated isHeadlessMode in packages/core to detect query arguments and fallback to process.argv for common headless/auto-approve flags.
Updated isWorkspaceTrusted in packages/cli to accept and pass headless options, ensuring trust is granted when headless mode is active.
Refined interactivity logic in loadCliConfig to stay consistent with the improved headless detection.
Fixed TypeScript errors in tests by using canonical Object.defineProperty for system streams instead of delete.

Related Issues

Fixes the issue where npm start -- -y -p "hi" would still trigger folder trust errors.

How to Validate

Run npm start -- -y -p "hi" in an untrusted folder.
Observe that it no longer prompts for folder trust and proceeds with the prompt.
Run npm run test -w @google/gemini-cli-core -- src/utils/headless.test.ts to verify detection logic.
Run npm run build to ensure no regressions in types or linting.

Pre-Merge Checklist

gemini-code-assist · 2026-02-11T23:30:41Z

Summary of Changes

Hello @galz10, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly improves the detection of headless environments within the CLI, ensuring that non-interactive commands bypass folder trust prompts as intended. By expanding the isHeadlessMode logic to recognize common CLI flags and query arguments, and integrating this enhanced detection into the workspace trust mechanism, the system now behaves more predictably and robustly in automated or script-driven scenarios.

Highlights

Enhanced Headless Mode Detection: The isHeadlessMode function now more robustly detects headless environments by checking for specific CLI flags (-p, --prompt, -y, --yolo) within process.argv and by considering query arguments.
Improved Workspace Trust in Headless Contexts: The isWorkspaceTrusted function in @google/gemini-cli has been updated to accept and utilize headless options, ensuring that folder trust prompts are correctly bypassed when running in a detected headless mode.
Refined Interactivity Logic: The loadCliConfig function's interactivity determination logic has been adjusted to align with the enhanced headless mode detection, preventing unintended interactive prompts.
Test Infrastructure Fixes: TypeScript errors in test files related to mocking system streams (process.stdout, process.stdin) were resolved by switching from delete to Object.defineProperty for property manipulation.

Changelog

packages/cli/src/config/config.ts
- Modified the call to isWorkspaceTrusted to pass argv.prompt and argv.query as headless options.
- Updated the interactive variable calculation to include argv.query in the isHeadlessMode check.
packages/cli/src/config/trustedFolders.test.ts
- Added a new test case to verify that isPathTrusted returns true when isHeadlessMode is active.
packages/cli/src/config/trustedFolders.ts
- Imported HeadlessModeOptions type.
- Modified isPathTrusted to immediately return true if isHeadlessMode is detected with provided options.
- Updated getWorkspaceTrustFromLocalConfig and isWorkspaceTrusted functions to accept and propagate headlessOptions.
packages/core/src/utils/headless.test.ts
- Added new test cases to confirm isHeadlessMode correctly identifies headless mode when -p, --prompt, -y, or --yolo flags are present in process.argv.
- Added a test case to confirm isHeadlessMode correctly identifies headless mode when a query option is provided.
- Replaced delete process.stdout and delete process.stdin with Object.defineProperty in tests to avoid TypeScript errors and correctly mock system streams.
packages/core/src/utils/headless.ts
- Extended isHeadlessMode to check for options?.query and to scan process.argv for -p, --prompt, -y, or --yolo flags, both for integration tests and general execution.
- Refactored the headless mode detection logic for clarity and robustness.

Activity

No human activity (comments, reviews) has been recorded on this pull request yet.

Using Gemini Code Assist

The full guide for Gemini Code Assist can be found on our documentation page, here are some quick tips.

Invoking Gemini

You can request assistance from Gemini at any point by creating a comment using either /gemini <command> or @gemini-code-assist <command>. Below is a summary of the supported commands on the current page.

Feature	Command	Description
Code Review	`/gemini review`	Performs a code review for the current pull request in its current state.
Pull Request Summary	`/gemini summary`	Provides a summary of the current pull request in its current state.
Comment	@gemini-code-assist	Responds in comments when explicitly tagged, both in pull request comments and review comments.
Help	`/gemini help`	Displays a list of available commands.

Customization

To customize Gemini Code Assist for GitHub experience, repository maintainers can create a configuration file and/or provide a custom code review style guide (such as PEP-8 for Python) by creating and adding files to a .gemini/ folder in the base of the repository. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Limitations & Feedback

Gemini Code Assist may make mistakes. Please leave feedback on any instances where its feedback is incorrect or counter productive. You can react with 👍 and 👎 on @gemini-code-assist comments. If you're interested in giving your feedback about your experience with Gemini Code Assist for Github and other Google products, sign up here.

You can also get AI-powered code generation, chat, as well as code reviews directly in the IDE at no cost with the Gemini Code Assist IDE Extension.

Review the Privacy Notices, Generative AI Prohibited Use Policy, Terms of Service, and learn how to configure Gemini Code Assist in GitHub here. Gemini can make mistakes, so double check it and use code with caution. ↩

github-actions · 2026-02-11T23:34:23Z

Size Change: +382 B (0%)

Total Size: 24.3 MB

ℹ️ View Unchanged

Filename	Size	Change
`./bundle/gemini.js`	24.3 MB	+382 B (0%)
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-closed.sb`	1.03 kB	0 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-open.sb`	890 B	0 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-proxied.sb`	1.31 kB	0 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-closed.sb`	3.29 kB	0 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-open.sb`	3.36 kB	0 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-proxied.sb`	3.56 kB	0 B

_{compressed-size-action}

gemini-code-assist

Code Review

This pull request improves headless mode detection by considering additional flags and query arguments, which correctly bypasses folder trust prompts in non-interactive scenarios. The changes are consistently applied across the cli and core packages, and the tests have been updated to reflect the new logic. I've included one suggestion to refactor the isHeadlessMode function to reduce code duplication and improve maintainability.

packages/core/src/utils/headless.ts

…ini/gemini-cli (#37) * fix(cli): resolve double rendering in shpool and address vscode lint warnings (google-gemini#18704) * feat(plan): document and validate Plan Mode policy overrides (google-gemini#18825) * Fix pressing any key to exit select mode. (google-gemini#18421) * fix(cli): update F12 behavior to only open drawer if browser fails (google-gemini#18829) * feat(plan): allow skills to be enabled in plan mode (google-gemini#18817) Co-authored-by: Jerop Kipruto <jerop@google.com> * docs(plan): add documentation for plan mode tools (google-gemini#18827) * Remove experimental note in extension settings docs (google-gemini#18822) * Update prompt and grep tool definition to limit context size (google-gemini#18780) * docs(plan): add `ask_user` tool documentation (google-gemini#18830) * Revert unintended credentials exposure (google-gemini#18840) * feat(core): update internal utility models to Gemini 3 (google-gemini#18773) * feat(a2a): add value-resolver for auth credential resolution (google-gemini#18653) * Removed getPlainTextLength (google-gemini#18848) * More grep prompt tweaks (google-gemini#18846) * refactor(cli): Reactive useSettingsStore hook (google-gemini#14915) * fix(mcp): Ensure that stdio MCP server execution has the `GEMINI_CLI=1` env variable populated. (google-gemini#18832) * fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args (google-gemini#18855) * refactor(cli): simplify UI and remove legacy inline tool confirmation logic (google-gemini#18566) * feat(cli): deprecate --allowed-tools and excludeTools in favor of policy engine (google-gemini#18508) * fix(workflows): improve maintainer detection for automated PR actions (google-gemini#18869) * refactor(cli): consolidate useToolScheduler and delete legacy implementation (google-gemini#18567) * Update changelog for v0.28.0 and v0.29.0-preview0 (google-gemini#18819) * fix(core): ensure sub-agents are registered regardless of tools.allowed (google-gemini#18870) --------- Co-authored-by: Brad Dux <959674+braddux@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Jerop Kipruto <jerop@google.com> Co-authored-by: Jacob Richman <jacob314@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Sandy Tao <sandytao520@icloud.com> Co-authored-by: Adib234 <30782825+Adib234@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: christine betts <chrstn@uw.edu> Co-authored-by: Christian Gunderman <gundermanc@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Adam Weidman <65992621+adamfweidman@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Dev Randalpura <devrandalpura@google.com> Co-authored-by: Pyush Sinha <pyushsinha20@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Richie Foreman <richie.foreman@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Gal Zahavi <38544478+galz10@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Abhi <43648792+abhipatel12@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Abhijit Balaji <abhijitbalaji@google.com> Co-authored-by: Bryan Morgan <bryanmorgan@google.com> Co-authored-by: g-samroberts <158088236+g-samroberts@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: matt korwel <matt.korwel@gmail.com>

skeshive · 2026-02-12T14:30:11Z

/patch

github-actions · 2026-02-12T14:30:40Z

✅ Patch workflow(s) dispatched successfully!

📋 Details:

Channels: stable,preview
Commit: 08e8eeab841fbd16554d01a273f9a67a0825d233
Workflows Created: 2

🔗 Track Progress:

github-actions · 2026-02-12T14:31:36Z

❌ Patch creation failed!

There was an error creating the patch release.

🔍 Troubleshooting:

Check the workflow logs for detailed error information
Verify the commit SHA is valid and accessible
Ensure you have permissions to create branches and PRs

🔗 Links:

View workflow run

…18855)

github-actions · 2026-02-12T14:31:39Z

🚀 Patch PR Created!

📋 Patch Details:

Environment: prod
Channel: stable → will publish to npm tag latest
Commit: 08e8eeab841fbd16554d01a273f9a67a0825d233
Hotfix Branch: hotfix/v0.28.2/0.28.3/stable/cherry-pick-08e8eea/pr-18855
Hotfix PR: #18904

📝 Next Steps:

Review and approve the hotfix PR: #18904
Once merged, the patch release will automatically trigger
You'll receive updates here when the release completes

🔗 Track Progress:

View hotfix PR #18904

github-actions · 2026-02-12T14:42:49Z

❌ Patch creation failed!

There was an error creating the patch release.

🔍 Troubleshooting:

Check the workflow logs for detailed error information
Verify the commit SHA is valid and accessible
Ensure you have permissions to create branches and PRs

🔗 Links:

View workflow run

…18855)

github-actions · 2026-02-12T14:46:31Z

🚀 Patch PR Created!

📋 Patch Details:

Environment: prod
Channel: preview → will publish to npm tag preview
Commit: 08e8eeab841fbd16554d01a273f9a67a0825d233
Hotfix Branch: hotfix/v0.29.0-preview.1/0.29.0-preview.2/preview/cherry-pick-08e8eea/pr-18855
Hotfix PR: #18905

📝 Next Steps:

Review and approve the hotfix PR: #18905
Once merged, the patch release will automatically trigger
You'll receive updates here when the release completes

🔗 Track Progress:

View hotfix PR #18905

github-actions · 2026-02-12T15:50:13Z

🚀 Patch Release Started!

📋 Release Details:

Environment: prod
Channel: preview → publishing to npm tag preview
Version: v0.29.0-preview.1
Hotfix PR: Merged ✅
Release Branch: release/v0.29.0-preview.1-pr-18855

⏳ Status: The patch release is now running. You'll receive another update when it completes.

🔗 Track Progress:

View release workflow

github-actions · 2026-02-12T16:18:41Z

✅ Patch Release Complete!

📦 Release Details:

Version: 0.29.0-preview.2
NPM Tag: preview
Channel: preview
Dry Run: false

🎉 Status: Your patch has been successfully released and published to npm!

📝 What's Available:

GitHub Release: View release v0.29.0-preview.2
NPM Package: npm install @google/gemini-cli@preview

🔗 Links:

- Fix regression introduced in #18855 where YOLO mode flags were incorrectly identified as headless mode indicators. - Update headless mode tests to verify that --yolo remains interactive in a TTY environment.

…oogle-gemini#18855)

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args

9026adc

galz10 requested a review from a team as a code owner February 11, 2026 23:30

Adib234 approved these changes Feb 11, 2026

View reviewed changes

gemini-code-assist bot reviewed Feb 11, 2026

View reviewed changes

packages/core/src/utils/headless.ts Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

gemini-cli bot added the status/need-issue Pull requests that need to have an associated issue. label Feb 11, 2026

galz10 and others added 2 commits February 11, 2026 15:50

chore: dedupped code

2c37147

Merge branch 'main' into galzahavi/fix/headless

1471d31

galz10 enabled auto-merge February 12, 2026 00:05

galz10 added this pull request to the merge queue Feb 12, 2026

Merged via the queue into main with commit 08e8eea Feb 12, 2026
27 checks passed

galz10 deleted the galzahavi/fix/headless branch February 12, 2026 00:30

github-actions bot pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Feb 12, 2026

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args (#…

0386ce5

…18855)

github-actions bot pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Feb 12, 2026

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args (#…

66f0ac3

…18855)

NTaylorMullen mentioned this pull request Feb 13, 2026

fix(core): ensure --yolo does not force headless mode #18976

Merged

6 tasks

gemini-code-assist bot mentioned this pull request Feb 18, 2026

Changelog for v0.30.0-preview.0 #19364

Merged

kuishou68 pushed a commit to iOfficeAI/aioncli that referenced this pull request Feb 27, 2026

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args (g…

4d38027

…oogle-gemini#18855)

liamhelmer pushed a commit to badal-io/gemini-cli that referenced this pull request Mar 12, 2026

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args (g…

a6f7a38

…oogle-gemini#18855)

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args#18855

fix(core): improve headless mode detection for flags and query args#18855
galz10 merged 3 commits intomainfrom
galzahavi/fix/headless

galz10 commented Feb 11, 2026

Uh oh!

gemini-code-assist bot commented Feb 11, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 11, 2026 •

edited

Loading

Uh oh!

gemini-code-assist bot left a comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

skeshive commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

3 participants

Conversation

galz10 commented Feb 11, 2026

Summary

Details

Related Issues

How to Validate

Pre-Merge Checklist

Uh oh!

gemini-code-assist bot commented Feb 11, 2026

Summary of Changes

Highlights

Footnotes

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 11, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

gemini-code-assist bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Code Review

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

skeshive commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Feb 12, 2026

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

3 participants

github-actions bot commented Feb 11, 2026 •

edited

Loading