feat(cli): introduce compact tool output layout

docs/cli/settings.md

@@ -32,9 +32,10 @@ they appear in the UI.
 
 ### Output
 
-| UI Label      | Setting         | Description                                            | Default  |
-| ------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------- |
-| Output Format | `output.format` | The format of the CLI output. Can be `text` or `json`. | `"text"` |
+| UI Label               | Setting            | Description                                                                                                         | Default     |
+| ---------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
+| Output Format          | `output.format`    | The format of the CLI output. Can be `text` or `json`.                                                              | `"text"`    |
+| Verbose Output History | `output.verbosity` | Show verbose output history. When enabled, output history will include autonomous tool calls, additional logs, etc. | `"verbose"` |
 
 ### UI
 
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ they appear in the UI.
 | Use Background Color                 | `ui.useBackgroundColor`                 | Whether to use background colors in the UI.                                                                                                                       | `true`  |
 | Incremental Rendering                | `ui.incrementalRendering`               | Enable incremental rendering for the UI. This option will reduce flickering but may cause rendering artifacts. Only supported when useAlternateBuffer is enabled. | `true`  |
 | Show Spinner                         | `ui.showSpinner`                        | Show the spinner during operations.                                                                                                                               | `true`  |
+| Enable Compact Tool Output           | `ui.enableCompactToolOutput`            | Render tool outputs in a compact, single-line format when possible.                                                                                               | `true`  |
 | Enable Loading Phrases               | `ui.accessibility.enableLoadingPhrases` | Enable loading phrases during operations.                                                                                                                         | `true`  |
 | Screen Reader Mode                   | `ui.accessibility.screenReader`         | Render output in plain-text to be more screen reader accessible                                                                                                   | `false` |
 

docs/get-started/configuration.md

@@ -163,6 +163,12 @@ their corresponding top-level category object in your `settings.json` file.
   - **Default:** `"text"`
   - **Values:** `"text"`, `"json"`
 
+- **`output.verbosity`** (enum):
+  - **Description:** Show verbose output history. When enabled, output history
+    will include autonomous tool calls, additional logs, etc.
+  - **Default:** `"verbose"`
+  - **Values:** `"info"`, `"verbose"`
+
 #### `ui`
 
 - **`ui.theme`** (string):
@@ -278,6 +284,11 @@ their corresponding top-level category object in your `settings.json` file.
   - **Description:** Show the spinner during operations.
   - **Default:** `true`
 
+- **`ui.enableCompactToolOutput`** (boolean):
+  - **Description:** Render tool outputs in a compact, single-line format when
+    possible.
+  - **Default:** `true`
+
 - **`ui.customWittyPhrases`** (array):
   - **Description:** Custom witty phrases to display during loading. When
     provided, the CLI cycles through these instead of the defaults.

packages/a2a-server/src/utils/testing_utils.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import {
 import { createMockMessageBus } from '@google/gemini-cli-core/src/test-utils/mock-message-bus.js';
 import type { Config, Storage } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import { expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
 
 export function createMockConfig(
   overrides: Partial<Config> = {},
@@ -43,8 +45,8 @@ export function createMockConfig(
     getCheckpointingEnabled: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion
     storage: {
-      getProjectTempDir: () => '/tmp',
-      getProjectTempCheckpointsDir: () => '/tmp/checkpoints',
+      getProjectTempDir: () => os.tmpdir(),
+      getProjectTempCheckpointsDir: () => path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'checkpoints'),
     } as Storage,
     getTruncateToolOutputThreshold: () =>
       DEFAULT_TRUNCATE_TOOL_OUTPUT_THRESHOLD,

packages/cli/src/config/extension-manager-themes.spec.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 import * as fs from 'node:fs';
 import * as path from 'node:path';
+import * as os from 'node:os';
 import {
   beforeAll,
   afterAll,
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ describe('ExtensionManager theme loading', () => {
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
     tempHomeDir = await fs.promises.mkdtemp(
-      path.join(fs.realpathSync('/tmp'), 'gemini-cli-test-'),
+      path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gemini-cli-test-'),
     );
   });
 

packages/cli/src/config/settingsSchema.ts

@@ -328,6 +328,21 @@ const SETTINGS_SCHEMA = {
           { value: 'json', label: 'JSON' },
         ],
       },
+      // Defined as enum type to support the addition of more verbosity levels
+      verbosity: {
+        type: 'enum',
+        label: 'Verbose Output History',
+        category: 'General',
+        requiresRestart: false,
+        default: 'verbose',
+        description:
+          'Show verbose output history. When enabled, output history will include autonomous tool calls, additional logs, etc.',
+        showInDialog: true,
+        options: [
+          { value: 'info', label: 'false' },
+          { value: 'verbose', label: 'true' },
+        ],
+      },
     },
   },
 
@@ -591,6 +606,16 @@ const SETTINGS_SCHEMA = {
         description: 'Show the spinner during operations.',
         showInDialog: true,
       },
+      enableCompactToolOutput: {
+        type: 'boolean',
+        label: 'Enable Compact Tool Output',
+        category: 'UI',
+        requiresRestart: false,
+        default: true,
+        description:
+          'Render tool outputs in a compact, single-line format when possible.',
+        showInDialog: true,
+      },
       customWittyPhrases: {
         type: 'array',
         label: 'Custom Witty Phrases',

packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.tsx

@@ -862,7 +862,7 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
   const performMemoryRefresh = useCallback(async () => {
     historyManager.addItem(
       {
-        type: MessageType.INFO,
+        type: MessageType.VERBOSE,
         text: 'Refreshing hierarchical memory (GEMINI.md or other context files)...',
       },
       Date.now(),
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
 
       historyManager.addItem(
         {
-          type: MessageType.INFO,
+          type: MessageType.VERBOSE,
           text: `Memory refreshed successfully. ${
             memoryContent.length > 0
               ? `Loaded ${memoryContent.length} characters from ${fileCount} file(s).`

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

@@ -171,6 +171,18 @@ describe('<HistoryItemDisplay />', () => {
     expect(lastFrame()).toContain('Agent powering down. Goodbye!');
   });
 
+  it('renders InfoMessage for "debug" type with gear icon', () => {
+    const item: HistoryItem = {
+      ...baseItem,
+      type: MessageType.DEBUG,
+      text: 'Debug info',
+    };
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(
+      <HistoryItemDisplay {...baseItem} item={item} />,
+    );
+    expect(lastFrame()).toContain('⚙ Debug info');
+  });
+
   it('should escape ANSI codes in text content', () => {
     const historyItem: HistoryItem = {
       id: 1,

packages/cli/src/ui/components/HistoryItemDisplay.tsx

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { GeminiMessageContent } from './messages/GeminiMessageContent.js';
 import { CompressionMessage } from './messages/CompressionMessage.js';
 import { WarningMessage } from './messages/WarningMessage.js';
 import { Box } from 'ink';
+import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
 import { AboutBox } from './AboutBox.js';
 import { StatsDisplay } from './StatsDisplay.js';
 import { ModelStatsDisplay } from './ModelStatsDisplay.js';
@@ -96,6 +97,27 @@ export const HistoryItemDisplay: React.FC<HistoryItemDisplayProps> = ({
           color={itemForDisplay.color}
         />
       )}
+      {itemForDisplay.type === 'verbose' && (
+        <InfoMessage
+          text={itemForDisplay.text}
+          icon={itemForDisplay.icon || 'ℹ '}
+          color={theme.text.secondary}
+        />
+      )}
+      {itemForDisplay.type === 'debug' && (
+        <InfoMessage
+          text={itemForDisplay.text}
+          icon={'⚙ '}
+          color={theme.text.accent}
+        />
+      )}
+      {itemForDisplay.type === 'trace' && (
+        <InfoMessage
+          text={itemForDisplay.text}
+          icon={'🔍 '}
+          color={theme.text.accent}
+        />
+      )}
       {itemForDisplay.type === 'warning' && (
         <WarningMessage text={itemForDisplay.text} />
       )}

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

@@ -7,13 +7,14 @@
 import { renderWithProviders } from '../../test-utils/render.js';
 import { waitFor } from '../../test-utils/async.js';
 import { MainContent } from './MainContent.js';
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
 import type React from 'react';
 import { useAlternateBuffer } from '../hooks/useAlternateBuffer.js';
 import { ToolCallStatus } from '../types.js';
 import { SHELL_COMMAND_NAME } from '../constants.js';
 import type { UIState } from '../contexts/UIStateContext.js';
+import type { HistoryItem } from '../types.js';
 
 // Mock dependencies
 vi.mock('../contexts/AppContext.js', async () => {
@@ -26,6 +27,26 @@ vi.mock('../contexts/AppContext.js', async () => {
   };
 });
 
+const mockSettings = {
+  merged: {
+    output: {
+      verbosity: 'info',
+    },
+    ui: {
+      enableCompactToolOutput: false,
+    },
+  },
+};
+
+vi.mock('../contexts/SettingsContext.js', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual =
+    await importOriginal<typeof import('../contexts/SettingsContext.js')>();
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    useSettings: () => mockSettings,
+  };
+});
+
 vi.mock('../hooks/useAlternateBuffer.js', () => ({
   useAlternateBuffer: vi.fn(),
 }));
@@ -78,6 +99,12 @@ describe('MainContent', () => {
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.mocked(useAlternateBuffer).mockReturnValue(false);
+    mockSettings.merged.output.verbosity = 'info';
+    mockSettings.merged.ui.enableCompactToolOutput = false;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
   });
 
   it('renders in normal buffer mode', async () => {
@@ -221,4 +248,38 @@ describe('MainContent', () => {
       },
     );
   });
+
+  it('filters out verbose items when verbosity is info', async () => {
+    const history: HistoryItem[] = [
+      { id: 1, type: 'user', text: 'Visible User Message' },
+      { id: 2, type: 'verbose', text: 'Hidden Verbose Log' },
+    ];
+    mockSettings.merged.output.verbosity = 'info';
+
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(<MainContent />, {
+      uiState: { ...defaultMockUiState, history } as Partial<UIState>,
+    });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(lastFrame()).toContain('AppHeader'));
+    const output = lastFrame();
+
+    expect(output).toContain('Visible User Message');
+    expect(output).not.toContain('Hidden Verbose Log');
+  });
+
+  it('shows verbose items when verbosity is verbose', async () => {
+    const history: HistoryItem[] = [
+      { id: 1, type: 'user', text: 'Visible User Message' },
+      { id: 2, type: 'verbose', text: 'Visible Verbose Log' },
+    ];
+    mockSettings.merged.output.verbosity = 'verbose';
+
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(<MainContent />, {
+      uiState: { ...defaultMockUiState, history } as Partial<UIState>,
+    });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(lastFrame()).toContain('AppHeader'));
+    const output = lastFrame();
+
+    expect(output).toContain('Visible User Message');
+    expect(output).toContain('Visible Verbose Log');
+  });
 });

packages/cli/src/ui/components/MainContent.tsx

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import { MAX_GEMINI_MESSAGE_LINES } from '../constants.js';
 import { useConfirmingTool } from '../hooks/useConfirmingTool.js';
 import { ToolConfirmationQueue } from './ToolConfirmationQueue.js';
 import { useConfig } from '../contexts/ConfigContext.js';
+import { VERBOSITY_MAPPING, Verbosity } from '../types.js';
+import { useSettings } from '../contexts/SettingsContext.js';
 
 const MemoizedHistoryItemDisplay = memo(HistoryItemDisplay);
 const MemoizedAppHeader = memo(AppHeader);
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@ export const MainContent = () => {
   const { version } = useAppContext();
   const uiState = useUIState();
   const config = useConfig();
+  const settings = useSettings();
   const isAlternateBuffer = useAlternateBuffer();
 
   const confirmingTool = useConfirmingTool();
@@ -53,9 +56,24 @@ export const MainContent = () => {
     availableTerminalHeight,
   } = uiState;
 
+  const currentVerbosity =
+    VERBOSITY_MAPPING[settings.merged.output?.verbosity ?? 'info'] ??
+    Verbosity.INFO;
+
+  const filteredHistory = useMemo(
+    () =>
+      uiState.history.filter((item) => {
+        const itemType = item.type;
+        const itemVerbosity =
+          item.verbosity ?? VERBOSITY_MAPPING[itemType] ?? Verbosity.INFO;
+        return itemVerbosity <= currentVerbosity;
+      }),
+    [uiState.history, currentVerbosity],
+  );
+
   const historyItems = useMemo(
     () =>
-      uiState.history.map((h) => (
+      filteredHistory.map((h) => (
         <MemoizedHistoryItemDisplay
           terminalWidth={mainAreaWidth}
           availableTerminalHeight={staticAreaMaxItemHeight}
@@ -67,7 +85,7 @@ export const MainContent = () => {
         />
       )),
     [
-      uiState.history,
+      filteredHistory,
       mainAreaWidth,
       staticAreaMaxItemHeight,
       uiState.slashCommands,
@@ -116,10 +134,10 @@ export const MainContent = () => {
   const virtualizedData = useMemo(
     () => [
       { type: 'header' as const },
-      ...uiState.history.map((item) => ({ type: 'history' as const, item })),
+      ...filteredHistory.map((item) => ({ type: 'history' as const, item })),
       { type: 'pending' as const },
     ],
-    [uiState.history],
+    [filteredHistory],
   );
 
   const renderItem = useCallback(

packages/cli/src/ui/components/ShowMoreLines.tsx

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export const ShowMoreLines = ({ constrainHeight }: ShowMoreLinesProps) => {
   }
 
   return (
-    <Box>
+    <Box paddingX={1}>
       <Text color={theme.text.secondary} wrap="truncate">
         Press ctrl-o to show more lines
       </Text>