Docs: Clarify extensions documentation.

[jkcinouye]

Summary

Updates extensions documentation for clarity between users and developers.

Details

This update delineates between managing and installing extensions (user-focused materials) and building and releasing extensions (developer-focused materials).

Additionally, this update adds information pertaining to releases, including .json config files, version releases, and extension discoverability.

Related Issues

Fixes #19276 19276

How to Validate

Read for any errors or unintended changes. This is a docs-only change.

Pre-Merge Checklist

• Updated relevant documentation and README (if needed)
• Added/updated tests (if needed)
• Noted breaking changes (if any)
• Validated on required platforms/methods:
  • MacOS
    • npm run
    • npx
    • Docker
    • Podman
    • Seatbelt
  • Windows
    • npm run
    • npx
    • Docker
  • Linux
    • npm run
    • npx
    • Docker

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @jkcinouye, 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 refines the Gemini CLI extensions documentation. The primary goal is to provide a clearer, more structured guide for both users and developers, making it easier to understand how to interact with, build, and release extensions. The changes aim to improve the overall accessibility and utility of the extension ecosystem.

Highlights

• Documentation Clarity: Clarified extensions documentation by separating user-focused content (managing/installing) from developer-focused content (building/releasing).
• Release Information: Introduced new information regarding extension releases, including .json configuration files, versioning, and discoverability in the gallery.
• Improved Readability: Improved clarity and conciseness across several documentation pages, enhancing readability and user experience.

Changelog

• docs/extensions/best-practices.md
  • Renamed the document title for better clarity.
  • Revised sections on development, security, and releasing for improved readability and conciseness.
  • Added new sections for testing, verification, and troubleshooting common extension issues.
• docs/extensions/index.md
  • Restructured the page to clearly delineate between user-focused and developer-focused content.
  • Updated the introduction to better reflect the purpose of extensions.
  • Revised the installation instructions.
• docs/extensions/reference.md
  • Updated the document title to "Extension reference".
  • Refined descriptions for extension management commands (install, uninstall, disable, enable, update, new, link).
  • Expanded the gemini-extension.json manifest details, including a new themes property.
  • Clarified the explanation of extension settings, custom commands, hooks, agent skills, sub-agents, and conflict resolution.
  • Simplified the variables table.
• docs/extensions/releasing.md
  • Rewrote the introduction to better distinguish between Git repository and GitHub Releases.
  • Added a new section on how to list extensions in the Gemini CLI gallery.
  • Clarified best practices for managing release channels and custom pre-built archives.
• docs/extensions/writing-extensions.md
  • Renamed the document title to "Build Gemini CLI extensions".
  • Updated the introductory text and the "When to use what" table (now "Extension features").
  • Introduced a new step for adding extension settings.
  • Renumbered subsequent steps to reflect the added section.
• docs/sidebar.json
  • Updated navigation labels for extension documentation to provide a clearer distinction between user and developer guides.
  • Adjusted slugs to point to specific sections within index.md for user-focused content.
  • Reordered developer guide links for logical flow.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request significantly improves the documentation for Gemini CLI extensions. The changes restructure the content to better serve both users and developers, with clear paths for each audience. The addition of sections on best practices, testing, troubleshooting, and publishing to the gallery provides valuable information for extension developers. The overall clarity and organization of the documentation are much improved. The changes look good.

[github-actions]

Size Change: -2 B (0%)

Total Size: 24.4 MB

ℹ️ View Unchanged

Filename	Size	Change
./bundle/gemini.js	24.4 MB	-2 B (0%)
./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-open.sb	3.36 kB	0 B
./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-proxied.sb	3.56 kB	0 B
./bundle/sandbox-macos-strict-open.sb	4.82 kB	0 B
./bundle/sandbox-macos-strict-proxied.sb	5.02 kB	0 B

_{compressed-size-action}

[g-samroberts]

Fyi Link checker is failing, but I don't think it blocks so I turned off auto-merge for now:

20:39:28 ▶ src/pages/404.astro
Step #4: 20:39:28 └─ /404.html[AstroUserError] The slug "docs/extensions/index#manage-extensions" specified in the Starlight sidebar config does not exist.