fix: resolve infinite loop when using 'Modify with external editor' by ppgranger · Pull Request #17453 · google-gemini/gemini-cli

ppgranger · 2026-01-24T18:03:00Z

Summary

Fix infinite loop when selecting "Modify with external editor" without a configured or available editor. Also improve the user experience by prompting the user to select an editor interactively.

Details

Root cause: In both confirmation.ts and coreToolScheduler.ts, when getPreferredEditor() returned undefined, the code silently returned without changing the loop outcome variable, causing the confirmation loop to repeat indefinitely.

Solution:

Added resolveEditorAsync() - validates availability of preferred editor and prompts the user to select an editor
Updated confirmation.ts to check editor resolution result and return to previous screen when unavailable

Related Issues

Fixes #7669

How to Validate

Run npm run start in a workspace where preferredEditor is NOT set in settings.json.
Ask Gemini to make a code change (e.g., "add a comment to README.md").
When prompted to confirm, select Modify with Editor.
Observe that the "choose an editor" dialog appeared.
Hit Esc or choose "none" in the editor dialog.
Observe that you are returned to the accept once / accept always prompt with an error message, instead of the turn being cancelled.
Try again, but this time select an editor (e.g., vim).
Observe that vim opens with the diff.

Pre-Merge Checklist

…oogle-gemini#7669) This fix addresses the infinite loop issue reported in google-gemini#7669 where selecting "Modify with external editor" would loop indefinitely when no editor was configured or available. Root cause: When getPreferredEditor() returned undefined, the code silently returned without changing the outcome, causing the while loop to repeat. Changes: - Add detectFirstAvailableEditor() to auto-detect available editors - Add resolveEditor() to handle editor resolution with proper error messages - Update confirmation.ts to break the loop and show error when editor unavailable - Update coreToolScheduler.ts to cancel operation with feedback when editor unavailable - Add 11 new tests for the new editor resolution functions The fix: 1. Properly validates editor availability before attempting to use it 2. Auto-detects an available editor if none is configured 3. Provides clear error messages explaining why the editor cannot be used 4. Breaks the loop gracefully instead of looping infinitely

gemini-code-assist · 2026-01-24T18:03:22Z

Summary of Changes

Hello @ppgranger, 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 addresses a critical user experience issue where attempting to modify content with an external editor, without a valid editor configured or available, would lead to an infinite loop. The changes introduce a comprehensive editor detection and resolution system, ensuring that users receive clear feedback and the operation is gracefully cancelled instead of getting stuck.

Highlights

Infinite Loop Resolution: Resolved an infinite loop that occurred when attempting to 'Modify with external editor' without a properly configured or available editor, ensuring a graceful exit and user feedback.
Robust Editor Resolution: Introduced a new resolveEditor function that intelligently validates the preferred editor, auto-detects available editors (prioritizing terminal editors for sandbox compatibility), and generates clear, actionable error messages for various failure scenarios.
Enhanced User Feedback: Implemented specific error messages that explain why an editor cannot be used (e.g., not installed, sandbox mode incompatibility), guiding users on how to resolve the issue.
Integration and Error Handling: Integrated the new editor resolution logic into coreToolScheduler.ts and confirmation.ts to prevent silent failures, emit user-friendly error feedback, and ensure operations are cleanly cancelled when an editor is unavailable.

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gemini-code-assist

Code Review

This pull request effectively resolves a critical infinite loop bug that occurred when attempting to use an external editor without one being configured or available. The introduction of the resolveEditor utility is a robust solution that properly detects available editors, provides clear user feedback on failure, and gracefully cancels the operation. The changes are well-implemented across coreToolScheduler.ts and confirmation.ts, and the new logic is thoroughly covered by unit tests.

I have one suggestion regarding the use of synchronous process execution, which could be refactored to be asynchronous to better align with project conventions for non-blocking operations.

packages/core/src/utils/editor.ts

Replace synchronous execSync calls with async alternatives in editor detection functions to prevent blocking the Node.js event loop. Changes: - Add commandExistsAsync using promisified exec - Add checkHasEditorTypeAsync, isEditorAvailableAsync, detectFirstAvailableEditorAsync, and resolveEditorAsync - Update confirmation.ts and coreToolScheduler.ts to use resolveEditorAsync - Mark synchronous resolveEditor as deprecated - Add comprehensive tests for all async functions The synchronous versions are kept for UI components that require synchronous execution (useEditorSettings, editorSettingsManager).

Extract the platform-specific command construction into getCommandExistsCmd() to avoid duplication between commandExists and commandExistsAsync.

ppgranger · 2026-01-24T19:07:32Z

Small commit : extracted the platform-specific command construction (where.exe on Windows, command -v elsewhere) into a shared getCommandExistsCmd() helper function to remove duplication between commandExists and commandExistsAsync.

gemini-cli · 2026-01-27T02:45:48Z

Hi there! Thank you for your contribution to Gemini CLI. We really appreciate the time and effort you've put into this pull request.

To keep our backlog manageable and ensure we're focusing on current priorities, we are closing pull requests that haven't seen maintainer activity for 30 days. Currently, the team is prioritizing work associated with 🔒 maintainer only or help wanted issues.

If you believe this change is still critical, please feel free to comment with updated details. Otherwise, we encourage contributors to focus on open issues labeled as help wanted. Thank you for your understanding!

gemini-cli · 2026-01-28T02:43:27Z

Hi there! Thank you for your contribution to Gemini CLI. We really appreciate the time and effort you've put into this pull request.

To keep our backlog manageable and ensure we're focusing on current priorities, we are closing pull requests that haven't seen maintainer activity for 30 days. Currently, the team is prioritizing work associated with 🔒 maintainer only or help wanted issues.

If you believe this change is still critical, please feel free to comment with updated details. Otherwise, we encourage contributors to focus on open issues labeled as help wanted. Thank you for your understanding!

ppgranger · 2026-01-28T10:32:49Z

Hi @jackwotherspoon , I'm a bit confused regarding the status of the PR, gemini-cli still closing it every day ...

…p-7669

ehedlund · 2026-02-03T15:25:59Z

Hi @ppgranger, could you please fix the current build errors?

…r-infinite-loop-7669

Replace direct property access with 'in' operator to properly narrow the union type, fixing TypeScript compilation error.

ppgranger · 2026-02-04T15:17:53Z

Hi @ehedlund, done :)
P.

- Fixes an infinite loop when using 'Modify with Editor' without a configured editor. - Implements interactive editor selection via a UI dialog. - Returns to the previous confirmation prompt if selection is cancelled or fails. - Simplifies editor availability logic and removes deprecated sync functions. Fixes google-gemini#7669

…p-7669

The test was timing out because resolveEditorAsync waits for an EditorSelected event when no editor is available. Mock the function to return 'vscode' directly.

…p-7669

ehedlund · 2026-02-04T20:28:55Z

/gemini review

gemini-code-assist

Code Review

The pull request effectively resolves the infinite loop issue when using 'Modify with external editor' without a configured or available editor. The introduction of resolveEditorAsync() and the associated event-driven editor selection mechanism significantly improves the user experience by allowing interactive editor selection and providing clear feedback when an editor is unavailable. The changes are well-implemented, include appropriate error handling, and are supported by comprehensive tests for the new asynchronous editor resolution logic.

ppgranger · 2026-02-05T11:29:44Z

Hi @ehedlund , any plan to merge this PR :)? Would like me to add something?

ehedlund · 2026-02-05T16:14:09Z

@ppgranger yes we plan to merge this, no action needed from you

packages/core/src/scheduler/confirmation.ts

packages/core/src/utils/editor.ts

- Remove redundant `success` field from ExternalModificationResult, check for error presence instead - Rename checkHasEditorType to hasValidEditorCommand for clarity - Run command existence checks in parallel in hasValidEditorCommandAsync - Simplify JSDoc comment for isEditorAvailableAsync

…p-7669

- Remove redundant `if (modResult.error)` check - Update parallel implementation of `hasValidEditorCommandAsync` to short-circuit return true as soon as the first command is found to exist

ppgranger · 2026-02-05T19:49:21Z

@scidomino @ehedlund
Just addressed PR review comment :)

…oogle-gemini#17453) Co-authored-by: Jack Wotherspoon <jackwoth@google.com> Co-authored-by: ehedlund <ehedlund@google.com>

Ignacioscript · 2026-02-15T21:48:46Z

Did this issue finally get resolved?

ppgranger requested a review from a team as a code owner January 24, 2026 18:03

ppgranger mentioned this pull request Jan 24, 2026

Modify with external editor not working #7669

Closed

gemini-code-assist bot reviewed Jan 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

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

gemini-cli bot added the priority/p1 Important and should be addressed in the near term. label Jan 24, 2026

ppgranger added 2 commits January 24, 2026 19:58

refactor(editor): extract command construction to shared function

4bd33f3

Extract the platform-specific command construction into getCommandExistsCmd() to avoid duplication between commandExists and commandExistsAsync.

gemini-cli bot closed this Jan 27, 2026

jackwotherspoon reopened this Jan 27, 2026

gemini-cli bot closed this Jan 28, 2026

bdmorgan reopened this Feb 1, 2026

bdmorgan added area/core Issues related to User Interface, OS Support, Core Functionality help wanted We will accept PRs from all issues marked as "help wanted". Thanks for your support! labels Feb 1, 2026

ppgranger and others added 2 commits February 1, 2026 21:03

Merge branch 'main' into fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loo…

0ead53b

…p-7669

Merge branch 'main' into fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loo…

59422b0

…p-7669

gemini-cli bot added the 🔒 maintainer only ⛔ Do not contribute. Internal roadmap item. label Feb 2, 2026

ppgranger and others added 2 commits February 4, 2026 13:56

Merge branch 'google-gemini:main' into fix/modify-with-external-edito…

fa46232

…r-infinite-loop-7669

fix(confirmation): use type guard for ToolConfirmationPayload union type

37dabd8

Replace direct property access with 'in' operator to properly narrow the union type, fixing TypeScript compilation error.

ehedlund and others added 5 commits February 4, 2026 14:00

Move error message to constant.

8fd65b5

Merge branch 'main' into fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loo…

e981f8e

…p-7669

test(core): mock resolveEditorAsync in modifyWithEditor test

819a08d

The test was timing out because resolveEditorAsync waits for an EditorSelected event when no editor is available. Mock the function to return 'vscode' directly.

Merge branch 'main' into fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loo…

3f86193

…p-7669

ehedlund changed the title ~~fix: resolve infinite loop when using 'Modify with external editor' (…~~ fix: resolve infinite loop when using 'Modify with external editor' Feb 4, 2026

gemini-code-assist bot reviewed Feb 4, 2026

View reviewed changes

Revert changes to legacy file coreToolScheduler.

2dcc453

scidomino reviewed Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

ppgranger requested a review from scidomino February 5, 2026 19:32

ppgranger and others added 2 commits February 5, 2026 20:33

Merge branch 'main' into fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loo…

856b996

…p-7669

- Rename mockCheckHasEditorType -> mockHasValidEditorCommand

4e648eb

- Remove redundant `if (modResult.error)` check - Update parallel implementation of `hasValidEditorCommandAsync` to short-circuit return true as soon as the first command is found to exist

scidomino approved these changes Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

scidomino added this pull request to the merge queue Feb 5, 2026

Merged via the queue into google-gemini:main with commit 2498114 Feb 5, 2026
26 checks passed

ppgranger deleted the fix/modify-with-external-editor-infinite-loop-7669 branch February 5, 2026 21:36

This was referenced Feb 18, 2026

Changelog for v0.29.0 #19361

Merged

Changelog for v0.30.0-preview.5 #20107

Merged

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ppgranger commented Jan 24, 2026 • edited by ehedlund Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Summary

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ppgranger commented Jan 24, 2026 •

edited by ehedlund

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