google-gemini · LyalinDotCom · Feb 11, 2026
@@ -160,6 +160,8 @@ const baseMockUiState = {
     proQuotaRequest: null,
     validationRequest: null,
   },
+  hintMode: false,
+  hintBuffer: '',
 };
 
 export const mockAppState: AppState = {
@@ -209,6 +211,10 @@ const mockUIActions: UIActions = {
   setActiveBackgroundShellPid: vi.fn(),
   setIsBackgroundShellListOpen: vi.fn(),
   setAuthContext: vi.fn(),
+  onHintInput: vi.fn(),
+  onHintBackspace: vi.fn(),
+  onHintClear: vi.fn(),
+  onHintSubmit: vi.fn(),
   handleRestart: vi.fn(),
   handleNewAgentsSelect: vi.fn(),
 };

@@ -94,7 +94,11 @@ import { basename } from 'node:path';
 import { computeTerminalTitle } from '../utils/windowTitle.js';
 import { useTextBuffer } from './components/shared/text-buffer.js';
 import { useLogger } from './hooks/useLogger.js';
-import { useGeminiStream } from './hooks/useGeminiStream.js';
+import {
+  buildUserSteeringHintPrompt,
+  generateSteeringAckMessage,
+  useGeminiStream,
+} from './hooks/useGeminiStream.js';
 import { type BackgroundShell } from './hooks/shellCommandProcessor.js';
 import { useVim } from './hooks/vim.js';
 import { type LoadableSettingScope, SettingScope } from '../config/settings.js';
@@ -963,6 +967,18 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
     }
   }, [pendingRestorePrompt, inputHistory, historyManager.history]);
 
+  const consumePendingHints = useCallback(() => {
+    const userHints = config.consumeUserHints();
+    if (userHints.length === 0) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return userHints.join('\n');
+  }, [config]);
+  const getUserHint = useCallback(
+    () => consumePendingHints(),
+    [consumePendingHints],
+  );
+
   const {
     streamingState,
     submitQuery,
@@ -1001,6 +1017,7 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
     terminalWidth,
     terminalHeight,
     embeddedShellFocused,
+    getUserHint,
   );
 
   toggleBackgroundShellRef.current = toggleBackgroundShell;
@@ -1103,10 +1120,38 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
     ],
   );
 
+  const handleHintSubmit = useCallback(
+    (hint: string) => {
+      const trimmed = hint.trim();
+      if (!trimmed) {
+        return;
+      }
+      config.addUserHint(trimmed);
+      // Render hints as regular user input so they look like normal commands.
+      historyManager.addItem({
+        type: MessageType.USER,
+        text: trimmed,
+      });
+    },
+    [config, historyManager],
+  );
+
   const handleFinalSubmit = useCallback(
     async (submittedValue: string) => {
       const isSlash = isSlashCommand(submittedValue.trim());
       const isIdle = streamingState === StreamingState.Idle;
+      const isAgentRunning =
+        streamingState === StreamingState.Responding ||
+        isToolExecuting([
+          ...pendingSlashCommandHistoryItems,
+          ...pendingGeminiHistoryItems,
+        ]);
+
+      if (isAgentRunning && !isSlash) {
+        handleHintSubmit(submittedValue);
+        addInput(submittedValue);
+        return;
+      }
 
       if (isSlash || (isIdle && isMcpReady)) {
         if (!isSlash) {
@@ -1148,7 +1193,10 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
       isMcpReady,
       streamingState,
       messageQueue.length,
+      pendingSlashCommandHistoryItems,
+      pendingGeminiHistoryItems,
       config,
+      handleHintSubmit,
     ],
   );
 
@@ -1814,6 +1862,43 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
     [pendingSlashCommandHistoryItems, pendingGeminiHistoryItems],
   );
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (
+      !isConfigInitialized ||
+      streamingState !== StreamingState.Idle ||
+      !isMcpReady
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const pendingHint = consumePendingHints();
+    if (!pendingHint) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const geminiClient = config.getGeminiClient();
+    void generateSteeringAckMessage(geminiClient, pendingHint).then(
+      (ackText) => {
+        historyManager.addItem({
+          type: 'info',
+          icon: '· ',
+          color: 'gray',
+          marginBottom: 1,
+          text: ackText,
+        } as Omit<HistoryItem, 'id'>);
+      },
+    );
+    void submitQuery([{ text: buildUserSteeringHintPrompt(pendingHint) }]);
+  }, [
+    config,
+    consumePendingHints,
+    historyManager,
+    isConfigInitialized,
+    isMcpReady,
+    streamingState,
+    submitQuery,
+  ]);
+
   const allToolCalls = useMemo(
     () =>
       pendingHistoryItems
@@ -1975,6 +2060,8 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
       isBackgroundShellListOpen,
       adminSettingsChanged,
       newAgents,
+      hintMode: false,
+      hintBuffer: '',
     }),
     [
       isThemeDialogOpen,
@@ -2137,6 +2224,10 @@ Logging in with Google... Restarting Gemini CLI to continue.
       setActiveBackgroundShellPid,
       setIsBackgroundShellListOpen,
       setAuthContext,
+      onHintInput: () => {},
+      onHintBackspace: () => {},
+      onHintClear: () => {},
+      onHintSubmit: () => {},
       handleRestart: async () => {
         if (process.send) {
           const remoteSettings = config.getRemoteAdminSettings();

@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
   const justifyContent = hideCWD && hideModelInfo ? 'center' : 'space-between';
   const displayVimMode = vimEnabled ? vimMode : undefined;
 
-  const showDebugProfiler = debugMode || isDevelopment;
+  const showDebugProfiler =
+    debugMode || (isDevelopment && settings.merged.general.devtools);
 
   return (
     <Box

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ describe('<Header />', () => {
       },
       background: {
         primary: '',
+        hintMode: '',
         diff: { added: '', removed: '' },
       },
       border: {

@@ -44,6 +44,18 @@ describe('<HistoryItemDisplay />', () => {
     expect(lastFrame()).toContain('Hello');
   });
 
+  it('renders HintMessage for "hint" type', () => {
+    const item: HistoryItem = {
+      ...baseItem,
+      type: 'hint',
+      text: 'Try using ripgrep first',
+    };
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(
+      <HistoryItemDisplay {...baseItem} item={item} />,
+    );
+    expect(lastFrame()).toContain('Try using ripgrep first');
+  });
+
   it('renders UserMessage for "user" type with slash command', () => {
     const item: HistoryItem = {
       ...baseItem,

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { ChatList } from './views/ChatList.js';
 import { HooksList } from './views/HooksList.js';
 import { ModelMessage } from './messages/ModelMessage.js';
 import { ThinkingMessage } from './messages/ThinkingMessage.js';
+import { HintMessage } from './messages/HintMessage.js';
 import { getInlineThinkingMode } from '../utils/inlineThinkingMode.js';
 import { useSettings } from '../contexts/SettingsContext.js';
 
@@ -71,6 +72,9 @@ export const HistoryItemDisplay: React.FC<HistoryItemDisplayProps> = ({
       {itemForDisplay.type === 'thinking' && inlineThinkingMode !== 'off' && (
         <ThinkingMessage thought={itemForDisplay.thought} />
       )}
+      {itemForDisplay.type === 'hint' && (
+        <HintMessage text={itemForDisplay.text} />
+      )}
       {itemForDisplay.type === 'user' && (
         <UserMessage text={itemForDisplay.text} width={terminalWidth} />
       )}
@@ -102,6 +106,7 @@ export const HistoryItemDisplay: React.FC<HistoryItemDisplayProps> = ({
           text={itemForDisplay.text}
           icon={itemForDisplay.icon}
           color={itemForDisplay.color}
+          marginBottom={itemForDisplay.marginBottom}
         />
       )}
       {itemForDisplay.type === 'warning' && (

@@ -13,19 +13,21 @@ interface InfoMessageProps {
   text: string;
   icon?: string;
   color?: string;
+  marginBottom?: number;
 }
 
 export const InfoMessage: React.FC<InfoMessageProps> = ({
   text,
   icon,
   color,
+  marginBottom,
 }) => {
   color ??= theme.status.warning;
   const prefix = icon ?? 'ℹ ';
   const prefixWidth = prefix.length;
 
   return (
-    <Box flexDirection="row" marginTop={1}>
+    <Box flexDirection="row" marginTop={1} marginBottom={marginBottom ?? 0}>
       <Box width={prefixWidth}>
         <Text color={color}>{prefix}</Text>
       </Box>

@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ export interface UIActions {
   setActiveBackgroundShellPid: (pid: number) => void;
   setIsBackgroundShellListOpen: (isOpen: boolean) => void;
   setAuthContext: (context: { requiresRestart?: boolean }) => void;
+  onHintInput: (char: string) => void;
+  onHintBackspace: () => void;
+  onHintClear: () => void;
+  onHintSubmit: (hint: string) => void;
   handleRestart: () => void;
   handleNewAgentsSelect: (choice: NewAgentsChoice) => Promise<void>;
 }

@@ -173,6 +173,8 @@ export interface UIState {
   isBackgroundShellListOpen: boolean;
   adminSettingsChanged: boolean;
   newAgents: AgentDefinition[] | null;
+  hintMode: boolean;
+  hintBuffer: string;
   transientMessage: {
     text: string;
     type: TransientMessageType;