gemini-cli - 💡(How to fix) Fix Proposed file changes not visible in external editor during approval workflow [1 participants]

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google-gemini/gemini-cli#26182Fetched 2026-04-30 06:44:48
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What happened?

When the agent requests a file modification (write_file or replace), the interactive approval prompt appears. When selecting Option 3: View in external editor and pressing Enter, the CLI fails to launch the configured editor or open the temporary diff. The prompt stays active or hangs, and no external process is spawned.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Use an agent to perform a task that modifies a file.
  2. When the tool execution prompt appears, choose the option to view in an external editor.
  3. Observe that nothing happens after pressing Enter.

What did you expect to happen?

The CLI should open the proposed changes in the system's default editor (or $EDITOR) using a temporary file or diff view, allowing the user to review before returning to the CLI to approve/deny.

Client information

  • CLI Version: 0.40.0
  • **Git C

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No response

Anything else we need to know?

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extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue may be resolved by checking the configuration of the external editor and the system's default editor setting.

Guidance

  • Verify that the $EDITOR environment variable is set to a valid editor executable.
  • Check the CLI configuration for any settings related to the external editor and ensure they are correctly configured.
  • Test the external editor launch by running the editor executable directly from the command line to ensure it works as expected.
  • If using a custom editor, try switching to the system's default editor to isolate the issue.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue does not imply a specific code-related fix.

Notes

The solution may depend on the specific operating system and editor being used, which is not specified in the issue.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Check and configure the external editor settings, as the issue seems to be related to the editor launch process rather than a version-specific bug.

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