fix: replace macOS-incompatible ls -I with cross-platform find command #56
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The ls -lR -I flag is not supported on macOS/BSD systems, causing setup to scan node_modules and hit token limits. Replace with cross-platform find command that works on all systems. Also added __pycache__ to the exclusion list. Fixes gemini-cli-extensions#11
sherzat3
requested changes
Jan 7, 2026
| 1. **Respect Ignore Files:** Before scanning any files, you MUST check for the existence of `.geminiignore` and `.gitignore` files. If either or both exist, you MUST use their combined patterns to exclude files and directories from your analysis. The patterns in `.geminiignore` should take precedence over `.gitignore` if there are conflicts. This is the primary mechanism for avoiding token-heavy, irrelevant files like `node_modules`. | ||
| 2. **Efficiently List Relevant Files:** To list the files for analysis, you MUST use a command that respects the ignore files. For example, you can use `git ls-files --exclude-standard -co | xargs -n 1 dirname | sort -u` which lists all relevant directories (tracked by Git, plus other non-ignored files) without listing every single file. If Git is not used, you must construct a `find` command that reads the ignore files and prunes the corresponding paths. | ||
| 3. **Fallback to Manual Ignores:** ONLY if neither `.geminiignore` nor `.gitignore` exist, you should fall back to manually ignoring common directories. Example command: `ls -lR -I 'node_modules' -I '.m2' -I 'build' -I 'dist' -I 'bin' -I 'target' -I '.git' -I '.idea' -I '.vscode'`. | ||
| 3. **Fallback to Manual Ignores:** ONLY if neither `.geminiignore` nor `.gitignore` exist, you should fall back to manually ignoring common directories. Example command: `find . -type d \\( -name 'node_modules' -o -name '.m2' -o -name 'build' -o -name 'dist' -o -name 'bin' -o -name 'target' -o -name '.git' -o -name '.idea' -o -name '.vscode' -o -name '__pycache__' \\) -prune -o -type f -print | head -200`. |
Collaborator
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Actually, you should be able to take advantage of shell command templates: !{find . -type ... head -200}
See Gemini CLI docs for more details: https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/custom-commands/#3-executing-shell-commands-with
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Summary
Fix macOS/BSD compatibility in setup command.
Problem
The
ls -lR -I 'node_modules'command fails on macOS/BSD because the-Iflag is not supported. This causesnode_modulesto be scanned, leading to API token limit errors.Solution
Replace with cross-platform
findcommand that works on all systems.Also added
__pycache__to exclusion list.Fixes #11