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Gemini CLI Filesystem edit_file

How to: Gemini CLI Filesystem edit_file

client:Gemini CLI transport:stdio tool:edit_file

Add Filesystem to Gemini CLI

  1. 01

    Open ~/.gemini/settings.json and merge this in. Keep any servers already there.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"
      ]
    }
  }
}
  1. 02

    Save the file and restart Gemini CLI.

  2. 03

    Ask for something edit_file does. Gemini CLI lists the server's tools on connect and calls edit_file itself — you do not invoke it by name.

  3. 04

    If nothing happens, check the server is running and that Filesystem's identifier in your config matches the one above exactly.

Gemini expands $VAR and ${VAR} inside env values, so a secret can live in your shell rather than this file. Gemini CLI docs

Same tool, other clients

Mutating and Read-only are read off each tool's name, not its schema — a hint, not a guarantee. The registry stores tool names only; connect the server for its live schemas.