feat: Multi-Directory Workspace Support (part2: add "directory" command)

[y-okt]

TLDR

I implemented in #4605 the Multi-Directory Workspace Support by adding --include-directories option in command line. To follow up on that, this ticket is to add /directory command in CLI, so that even after starting up gemini-cli, we can add directories.
This feature is already discussed in #1118. Also, in the discussion with @jacob314 and @allenhutchison , we agreed to separate PRs for the sake of simplicity.
In another PR, I'm planning to work on configuration supports, suggested by this comment.

Dive Deeper

The same as TLDR.

Reviewer Test Plan

1. pull this branch and build. Have ../test, ../test1 directories and have some random files for each.
2. Run in gemini-cli npm run start -- --include-direcotires ../test
3. In CLI, run /direcotry add ../test1
4. Do the following.

Testing Matrix

	🍏	🪟	🐧
npm run	✅	❓	❓
npx	❓	❓	❓
Docker	❓	❓	❓
Podman	❓	-	-
Seatbelt	❓	-	-

Linked issues / bugs

Partially Resolves #1118

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @y-okt, 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 enhances the multi-directory workspace support in the Gemini CLI by introducing an interactive in-session command. It allows users to dynamically manage their workspace directories, ensuring the AI model's context remains up-to-date with their project structure without needing to restart the application. This improves flexibility and user experience for multi-project workflows.

Highlights

• New CLI Command: I've introduced a new /directory slash command (with /dir as an alias) to manage workspace directories directly within the Gemini CLI, building upon the existing --include-directories startup option.
• Directory Management Subcommands: The /directory command includes two subcommands: add to dynamically add new directories to the workspace, and show to list all currently included directories.
• Dynamic Environment Refresh: After successfully adding new directories via the /directory add command, the CLI now triggers an environment refresh. This ensures the Gemini model's context is immediately updated with the newly included paths, providing more relevant responses.
• Sandbox Compatibility: The /directory add subcommand is explicitly disabled when the CLI is running in a restrictive sandbox profile. In such cases, users are guided to use the --include-directories option at startup instead, maintaining security while providing clear guidance.

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[y-okt]

@jacob314 @allenhutchison Hi, could you please review this PR as well? This is a follow-up for #4605 , and I added "/directory" command to add context directories from the CLI as well. After this merge, I'll work on the settings.json configuration supports. Thanks!

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces a valuable feature for multi-directory workspace support by adding the /directory command. The implementation is well-structured, including documentation, tests, and the core command logic. The addition of refreshEnvironment to update the chat context dynamically is a key part of this functionality.

My review identified one critical issue regarding an un-awaited asynchronous call, which could lead to race conditions. I've provided a detailed comment and a code suggestion to address this. The other changes appear to be correct and well-implemented.

[allenhutchison]

Thank you for this contribution! The /directory command is a great feature that will significantly improve the user experience for multi-directory projects.

My review found one issue that need to be addressed before this can be merged:

1. Missing Help Text: The subcommands for /directory (add and show) do not appear in the /help output. To fix this, you can add the subCommands property to the directoryCommand object in packages/cli/src/ui/commands/directoryCommand.tsx.

Suggested change for the help text in directoryCommand.tsx:

export const directoryCommand: SlashCommand = {
  name: 'directory',
  altNames: ['dir'],
  description: 'Manage workspace directories',
  kind: CommandKind.BUILT_IN,
  subCommands: [
    {
      name: 'add',
      description: 'Add a directory to the workspace',
    },
    {
      name: 'show',
      description: 'Show all directories in the workspace',
    },
  ],
  action: async (context: CommandContext, args: string) => {
    // ...
  },
};

Additionally, Memory Refresh Ignores New Directories: The performMemoryRefresh function is not aware of directories added via the /directory add command. When it calls loadHierarchicalGeminiMemory, it doesn't pass the updated list of workspace directories. As a result, the memory refresh only scans the original directory, and any context files in newly added directories are ignored. I think this is actually the right default behaviour, and we should think about a setting that controls it.

[y-okt]

Hi @allenhutchison , thank you for reviewing! I appreciate your reviews and suggestions! I added it to my PR. Could you please review again?
Also, about performMemoryRefresh, actually, I noticed that in this PR I don't need to add that. addDirectoryContext is enough to reflect the directory structures to the model. However, I agree that performMemoryRefresh is not able to reflect the directories added. In the next PR, I'm planning to work on having a configuration option in settings.json. Probably we can add the customization logic there!

[allenhutchison]

Great work on this PR. This will be a valuable addition.