feat(cli): prototype clean UI toggle and minimal-mode bleed-through by LyalinDotCom · Pull Request #18683 · google-gemini/gemini-cli

LyalinDotCom · 2026-02-09T22:01:01Z

Summary

Prototype a new Focus UI mode for Gemini CLI that is opt-in, keeps existing behavior as default, and can be toggled quickly without losing core controls.

Details

Added a double-Tab (Tab + Tab) toggle that switches between:
- Full UI (current/default experience)
- Minimal UI (reduced chrome)
Restored single Tab to its original uses (focus/suggestions/navigation behavior).
Persisted Focus UI choice in persistent state (focusUiEnabled) so once a user opts into minimal mode, that preference is remembered across sessions.

Minimal UI behavior implemented:

Input bar always remains visible.
Hint near the input area shows: press tab twice for more.
? shortcuts panel remains available from minimal mode and full mode.
Mode bleed-through badges render in minimal mode for:
- YOLO
- plan
- auto edit
Busy/action-required states suppress non-essential minimal hints and badges.
Streaming in minimal mode uses inline loading on the minimal meta row.
Escape rewind/status toasts continue to show in minimal mode.
Context percentage can bleed through in minimal mode when usage is high (>60%) and context percentage is enabled.
When slash suggestions are shown above input (alternate buffer), minimal hint/mode badges are hidden to avoid overlap.

Header/layout behavior:

Keep Gemini logo visible.
Alternate buffer supports reduced header details in minimal mode.
Regular buffer keeps stable static header rendering to avoid redraw/flicker regressions around /clear and resize.

Also updated shortcuts/help presentation:

Shortcuts panel ordering now keeps first column stable as:
- !
- @
- Esc Esc
- Tab Tab
Updated shortcut text labels to match final behavior (Esc Esc clear & rewind, Tab Tab focus UI).

Related Issues

N/A

How to Validate

Build and typecheck:
- npm run build
- npm run typecheck
Run focused CLI UI tests:
- npm run test --workspace @google/gemini-cli -- src/ui/AppContainer.test.tsx src/ui/components/Composer.test.tsx src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx src/ui/components/MainContent.test.tsx src/ui/components/ShortcutsHelp.test.tsx
Manual behavior checks in terminal:
- Start CLI and confirm default is full UI.
- Press Tab once and verify normal tab behavior still works.
- Press Tab twice quickly and verify UI toggles to minimal mode.
- Press Tab twice again and verify it returns to full UI.
- In minimal mode, verify ? opens shortcuts panel and closes with expected keys.
- In minimal mode, verify mode badges (YOLO, plan, auto edit) appear appropriately.
- While streaming/action-required, verify non-essential minimal hints are hidden.
- In alternate buffer with slash suggestions above input, verify hint/mode badges hide.
- Run /clear and resize terminal to verify header/layout stability.

Pre-Merge Checklist

gemini-cli · 2026-02-09T22:01:34Z

Hi @LyalinDotCom, thank you so much for your contribution to Gemini CLI! We really appreciate the time and effort you've put into this.

We're making some updates to our contribution process to improve how we track and review changes. Please take a moment to review our recent discussion post: Improving Our Contribution Process & Introducing New Guidelines.

Key Update: Starting January 26, 2026, the Gemini CLI project will require all pull requests to be associated with an existing issue. Any pull requests not linked to an issue by that date will be automatically closed.

Thank you for your understanding and for being a part of our community!

gemini-cli · 2026-02-09T22:01:35Z

Hi there! Thank you for your contribution to Gemini CLI.

To improve our contribution process and better track changes, we now require all pull requests to be associated with an existing issue, as announced in our recent discussion and as detailed in our CONTRIBUTING.md.

This pull request is being closed because it is not currently linked to an issue. Once you have updated the description of this PR to link an issue (e.g., by adding Fixes #123 or Related to #123), it will be automatically reopened.

How to link an issue:
Add a keyword followed by the issue number (e.g., Fixes #123) in the description of your pull request. For more details on supported keywords and how linking works, please refer to the GitHub Documentation on linking pull requests to issues.

Thank you for your understanding and for being a part of our community!

gemini-code-assist · 2026-02-09T22:01:36Z

Summary of Changes

Hello @LyalinDotCom, 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 user experience of the CLI by introducing a 'clean UI' prototype. The primary goal is to minimize visual clutter upon startup, allowing users to focus on core interactions while still providing immediate access to detailed information when needed. This is achieved through a new toggle mechanism and intelligent 'bleed-through' for essential indicators, making the interface more streamlined and user-friendly without sacrificing critical feedback.

Highlights

Clean UI Prototype: Introduced a new 'clean UI' mode where the CLI starts in a minimal state, reducing visual noise. Users can toggle detailed UI on demand using the Tab key.
Keybinding Changes: The Tab key's primary function has been remapped to toggle between minimal and full UI details when no completion or search interaction is active. Shell focus controls (focus/unfocus) have been moved from Tab/Shift+Tab to F6/Shift+F6 respectively.
Minimal UI Bleed-Through: Critical operational feedback, such as approval mode labels (YOLO, plan, auto edit), transient status/warning flashes (e.g., Esc-rewind prompt), and context usage percentage (when exceeding 60%), will now 'bleed through' and remain visible even in minimal UI mode.
Header and Shortcuts Behavior: The header/logo behavior has been restored, and detail restoration when toggling UI has been fixed. The shortcuts help menu (?) is now accessible in minimal UI mode.
Documentation Updates: Keyboard shortcut documentation has been regenerated to reflect the new F6/Shift+F6 bindings for shell focus and to clarify the Tab key's new role in UI toggling.

Changelog

docs/cli/commands.md
- Added a note clarifying the distinction between the /shortcuts command and the new Tab key clean UI detail toggle.
docs/cli/keyboard-shortcuts.md
- Updated keybindings for shell focus commands, remapping them from Tab and Shift+Tab to F6 and Shift+F6.
- Added new entries for Tab to toggle minimal/full UI details and Shift+Tab to temporarily reveal details in minimal UI for approval mode changes.
packages/cli/src/config/keyBindings.ts
- Modified keybinding configurations to reflect the change of shell focus commands from Tab to F6 and Shift+F6.
packages/cli/src/test-utils/render.tsx
- Added cleanUiDetailsVisible to the baseMockUiState for testing purposes.
- Introduced mocks for new UI actions: setCleanUiDetailsVisible, toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible, and revealCleanUiDetailsTemporarily.
packages/cli/src/ui/App.test.tsx
- Set cleanUiDetailsVisible to true in mockUIState for initial testing contexts.
packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.test.tsx
- Updated test descriptions and keypress simulations to use F6 and Shift+F6 for shell focus, replacing Tab and Shift+Tab.
packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.tsx
- Implemented state management for cleanUiDetailsVisible and associated functions (setCleanUiDetailsVisible, toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible, revealCleanUiDetailsTemporarily).
- Added logic to temporarily reveal UI details when Shift+Tab is used to cycle approval modes in minimal UI.
- Ensured timeouts for temporary UI reveals are cleared on component unmount.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/AppHeader.tsx
- Introduced a showDetails prop to AppHeader to conditionally render a compact header in minimal UI mode.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.test.tsx
- Updated mock UI state and actions to include cleanUiDetailsVisible and related functions.
- Added new test cases to verify that non-essential UI details are hidden in clean mode, while critical bleed-through indicators (approval mode, Esc rewind, context usage) remain visible.
- Included tests for shortcuts hint visibility in both minimal and full UI modes.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx
- Integrated cleanUiDetailsVisible to control the rendering of various UI components, hiding them in minimal mode.
- Implemented logic for 'bleed-through' indicators, ensuring approval mode badges, status messages, and context usage percentage are visible in minimal UI under specific conditions.
- Adjusted the visibility of QueuedMessageDisplay, TodoTray, HorizontalLine, DetailedMessagesDisplay, and Footer based on the showUiDetails state.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx
- Updated tests for Tab key behavior to verify it now toggles clean UI details instead of shell focus when no completion/search is active.
- Added a test to confirm Shift+Tab triggers a temporary reveal of clean UI details.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx
- Integrated toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible and revealCleanUiDetailsTemporarily actions.
- Modified Tab key handling to toggle UI details if no completion or search is active.
- Added logic for Shift+Tab to temporarily reveal UI details when in minimal mode.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/MainContent.test.tsx
- Updated AppHeader mock to distinguish between full and minimal display.
- Added cleanUiDetailsVisible to the default mock UI state.
- Included tests to verify correct header rendering in minimal mode and proper restoration of full header details after toggling in both alternate and normal buffer modes.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/MainContent.tsx
- Passed cleanUiDetailsVisible as the showDetails prop to AppHeader.
- Moved AppHeader out of the Static component in the normal buffer to ensure reliable re-rendering upon UI detail toggles.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/ShortcutsHint.tsx
- Modified to display 'press tab for more' when cleanUiDetailsVisible is false, providing a clear hint for UI toggling.
packages/cli/src/ui/components/snapshots/MainContent.test.tsx.snap
- Updated snapshots to reflect the new AppHeader(full) rendering in tests.
packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIActionsContext.tsx
- Added setCleanUiDetailsVisible, toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible, and revealCleanUiDetailsTemporarily to the UIActions interface.
packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIStateContext.tsx
- Added cleanUiDetailsVisible to the UIState interface.
packages/cli/src/ui/keyMatchers.test.ts
- Updated the key matcher for FOCUS_SHELL_INPUT to f6, removing tab.

Activity

The pull request introduces a new feature for a 'clean UI' in the CLI.
It involves significant refactoring of UI state management and component rendering logic.
Keybindings for Tab and F6 have been remapped to support the new UI toggle and shell focus functionalities.
Extensive unit tests have been added and updated across multiple UI components (App, AppContainer, Composer, InputPrompt, MainContent, keyMatchers) to ensure the new behavior is correct and robust.
Documentation for keyboard shortcuts and commands has been updated to reflect these changes.

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Code Review

This pull request introduces a significant and well-executed UX improvement with the clean UI toggle and minimal mode. The implementation is robust, handling the new cleanUiDetailsVisible state with thoughtful logic for both permanent toggling and temporary reveals. The remapping of keybindings from Tab to F6 for shell focus is applied consistently across configuration, documentation, and tests. The fix in MainContent.tsx to move the AppHeader out of the Static component to ensure it re-renders correctly is a clever solution to a tricky problem. The added tests provide good coverage for the new functionality. Overall, this is a high-quality prototype that greatly enhances the CLI's usability.

github-actions · 2026-02-10T04:04:12Z

Size Change: +10.8 kB (+0.04%)

Total Size: 24.3 MB

Filename	Size	Change
`./bundle/gemini.js`	24.3 MB	+10.8 kB (+0.04%)

ℹ️ View Unchanged

Filename	Size
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-open.sb`	890 B
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-proxied.sb`	1.31 kB
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-open.sb`	3.36 kB
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-proxied.sb`	3.56 kB
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-strict-open.sb`	4.82 kB
`./bundle/sandbox-macos-strict-proxied.sb`	5.02 kB

_{compressed-size-action}

# Conflicts: # packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.test.tsx # packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx

LyalinDotCom · 2026-02-10T15:10:14Z

@jacob314 this is ready for your review

jacob314 · 2026-02-12T18:51:48Z

Thank you for this PR! The clean UI mode looks like a great addition to reduce visual noise.

I've reviewed the code and have identified a critical React anti-pattern that needs to be addressed before merging.

React Anti-Pattern in `toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible`

In packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.tsx, the toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible function performs side effects directly within the state setter callback:

const toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible = useCallback(() => {
  clearModeRevealTimeout();
  setCleanUiDetailsVisibleState((visible) => {
    const nextVisible = !visible;
    // SIDE EFFECTS BELOW:
    cleanUiDetailsPinnedRef.current = nextVisible;
    persistFocusUiPreference(nextVisible);
    return nextVisible;
  });
}, [clearModeRevealTimeout, persistFocusUiPreference]);

React strictly forbids performing side effects (like updating refs or making external calls like persistFocusUiPreference) inside state updater functions. In React's Strict Mode, these updater functions can be called multiple times for a single render, which would cause these side effects to run multiple times unexpectedly.

Recommendation:

Since you already have cleanUiDetailsPinnedRef which synchronously tracks the pinned state, you can read from the ref to determine the next state without needing the functional updater.

Please update the function to look like this:

const toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible = useCallback(() => {
  clearModeRevealTimeout();
  const nextVisible = !cleanUiDetailsPinnedRef.current;
  cleanUiDetailsPinnedRef.current = nextVisible;
  setCleanUiDetailsVisibleState(nextVisible);
  persistFocusUiPreference(nextVisible);
}, [clearModeRevealTimeout, persistFocusUiPreference]);

This ensures the side effects run exactly once per invocation, and the state is updated safely.

Other than this issue, the React code and test cases look solid. Snapshots correctly reflect the changes to the AppHeader mock.

jacob314 · 2026-02-12T19:10:15Z

packages/cli/src/ui/keyMatchers.test.ts

    {
      command: Command.FOCUS_SHELL_INPUT,
      positive: [createKey('tab')],
-      negative: [createKey('f', { ctrl: true }), createKey('f')],


revert this change. we aren't supporting F6.

jacob314 · 2026-02-12T19:12:44Z

packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.test.tsx


 describe('Composer', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    composerTestControls.suggestionsVisible = false;


revert this slop

jacob314

raduc · 2026-02-21T00:19:20Z

There is a bug in how the hideBanner setting works after this:

it hides the banner in full UI
it shows the banner again in minimal UI

Which is somewhat against the purpose of those two options (hideBanner and minimal UI)

Does anyone know where this can be fixed?

gemini-cli bot closed this Feb 9, 2026

gemini-code-assist bot reviewed Feb 9, 2026

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jacob314 reopened this Feb 10, 2026

LyalinDotCom added 2 commits February 9, 2026 22:55

feat(cli): add clean UI minimal mode toggle prototype

eda9eab

fix(cli): resolve clean-ui rebase fallout on latest main

866b291

LyalinDotCom force-pushed the explore-cleanui branch from d6ef101 to 866b291 Compare February 10, 2026 04:01

LyalinDotCom added 12 commits February 9, 2026 23:41

feat(cli): add double-tab clean UI toggle and restore tab focus

86d9a72

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

6df688f

fix(cli): keep header at top in regular buffer mode

915d67f

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

bd5b0a2

fix(cli): hide minimal hints while busy and show inline loading

b1374dd

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

8250933

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

afef6b0

fix(cli): hide tab hint when suggestions render above input

920db77

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

c223541

fix(cli): hide mode labels when slash menu is above input

21691f4

fix(cli): prioritize key shortcuts in help layout

9135e36

fix(cli): force regular buffer remount after static refresh

4024c37

gemini-cli bot added the area/core Issues related to User Interface, OS Support, Core Functionality label Feb 10, 2026

fix(cli): stabilize clear redraw and polish shortcuts wording

dacd4ea

LyalinDotCom marked this pull request as ready for review February 10, 2026 14:55

LyalinDotCom requested review from a team as code owners February 10, 2026 14:55

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into explore-cleanui-rebase

b200fde

# Conflicts: # packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.test.tsx # packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

707ad75

LyalinDotCom added 17 commits February 10, 2026 13:06

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

eccdb60

Add Focus UI preview setting and gate clean UI behavior

cb53692

Merge main into explore-cleanui and resolve clean UI conflicts

94074cf

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

c72fc61

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

837e8fa

Fix regular-buffer header redraw behavior

c4fb4a6

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

c0c0aa8

Fix CI settings sync checks and MainContent tests

5189948

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

16b47c2

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

9d31595

feat(cli): remove focus UI setting and persist tab-tab mode

fe5c6aa

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

7358e3f

docs(cli): resolve keyboard shortcuts merge text

2764d4d

Merge origin/main into explore-cleanui

3012e7f

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

8ff00b3

fix(cli): remove duplicate handleWarning declaration

0f80fe6

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into explore-cleanui-rebase

a4c0159

LyalinDotCom added 2 commits February 12, 2026 13:53

docs(cli): clarify Focus UI default and single-tab behavior

de3ffc0

Merge branch 'main' into explore-cleanui

49c09a3

jacob314 reviewed Feb 12, 2026

View reviewed changes

gemini-cli bot added the status/need-issue Pull requests that need to have an associated issue. label Feb 12, 2026

jacob314 reviewed Feb 12, 2026

View reviewed changes

jacob314 approved these changes Feb 12, 2026

View reviewed changes

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

Merged via the queue into main with commit db00c5a Feb 12, 2026
26 of 27 checks passed

LyalinDotCom deleted the explore-cleanui branch February 12, 2026 19:35

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

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feat(cli): prototype clean UI toggle and minimal-mode bleed-through#18683
LyalinDotCom merged 39 commits intomainfrom
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Summary

Details

Related Issues

How to Validate

Pre-Merge Checklist

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React Anti-Pattern in toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible

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React Anti-Pattern in `toggleCleanUiDetailsVisible`

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