Inspect Gemini CLI context.
Write GEMINI.md guidance, inspect loaded context and distinguish editing from reloading.
Read the descriptive transcript
Follow the complete narration and the changes shown in the video. Each example can be copied.
1. Context has a source and a scope.
Gemini CLI uses a Gemini dot M D file for project context. Use the uppercase filename shown here. This canvas edits a document; it is not a live Gemini session.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Check it.
## Boundaries
Review only.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
2. 01 / Specify the verification command
Check it does not say how. Replace that sentence with Run N P M test and report failures. Use the command that exists in your real project.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only.On screen
The source is edited character by character and its parsed result updates.
3. 02 / Make review-only work explicit
Review only sets the scope. Add Ask before changing files. This gives the agent a clear boundary, alongside the host permissions that actually control access.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.On screen
The source is edited character by character and its parsed result updates.
4. Inspect the assembled memory.
In Gemini CLI, slash memory show displays the current instruction context. After changing a context file, slash memory reload reloads it. Check that the intended text is present before relying on it.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.On screen
Gemini CLI: /memory show → /memory reload
5. Reloading is not a behavior test.
Seeing the text confirms that context was assembled. It does not prove that every future answer will follow it. Try a small review task and check that no file changes occurred.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
6. Your turn / Compare intended and actual scope
Complete Context, Checks, and Boundaries. Then use a disposable Gemini CLI project to inspect the loaded guidance and test one small task. The browser exercise checks structure only.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Context
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
A Markdown file can supply tool-specific context
Gemini CLI uses GEMINI.md files for persistent instructions. Its documented hierarchy includes global, workspace and more local context. The resulting instructions depend on the working location and configured discovery behavior. Google’s GEMINI.md guide.
Do not copy a Codex precedence diagram and relabel it Gemini. Similar-looking files are interpreted by different hosts. Start with the smallest project example you can inspect.
Write an original project contract
# Garden project
## Context
Garden notes live in docs/.
## Checks
Run npm test and report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.The command is a supplied fact for our fictional project, not a command every Markdown folder supports. For your own project, check its scripts before including it. “Review only” describes the requested task; host permissions remain the mechanism that controls file writes.
Inspect before and after an edit
Inside Gemini CLI, these commands serve different purposes:
/memory show
/memory reloadshow displays the combined loaded context. reload rescans the configured locations. Edit the disposable project’s file, reload, then show it again and look for the exact changed sentence. Google’s context commands.
The browser exercise below does not run those commands. It helps you write the file before testing it in your own installed host.
Make a useful observation
Try a review request for a short fictional document. Record whether the output reports concerns without editing the file. Compare the file before and after; do not use the agent’s own assurance as your only check. Try a folder with additional context only after the single-file test is understandable.
If old guidance remains, inspect loaded sources and configuration. If the context is correct but behavior is wrong, improve the instruction and repeat the small test. These are different diagnoses.
Project facts versus reusable work
Keep always-relevant project facts here. Put an on-demand procedure in a skill when it has a clear trigger, input and output. Google recommends focused descriptions and loading detailed references only when needed. Gemini skill best practices.
In the exercise, write the three requested sections. Passing means the browser found that structure and the sample command; it makes no claim about actual Gemini behavior or factual correctness.
Sources checked 17 September 2026. Host behavior can change; verify it against the linked documentation when using these examples.
YOUR TURN
Make the idea your own.
Write a title and populated Context, Checks and Boundaries sections. Include npm test and an explicit review-only boundary.
Readable result
Garden project
Context
Garden documentation.
Compare with one possible answer
# Garden project
## Context
Garden notes live in docs/.
## Checks
Run npm test and report failures.
## Boundaries
Review only. Ask before changing files.This is one approach. Your writing can differ while meeting the same structural goal.
TAKE IT WITH YOU
Inspect the context your tool loaded, rather than assuming a filename was enough.
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