# 🐛 Bug Report: Gemini CLI Paste Handling Fails Across Different Terminal Types

[Divyanshu-20]

🐛 Bug Report: Gemini CLI Paste Handling Fails Across Different Terminal Types

📋 Summary

Gemini CLI has inconsistent paste handling behavior across different terminal types within the same host application, causing input corruption and infinite response loops.

🖥️ Environment

• Host Application: Cursor IDE
• OS: Windows with WSL
• Gemini CLI Version: [current version]
• Tested Terminals: WSL, Bash, PowerShell

✅ What Works

• WSL terminal in Cursor: Paste operations work perfectly
• Gemini CLI responses: Normal, properly terminated responses
• Multi-line input: Handled correctly

❌ What's Broken

PowerShell Terminal (in Cursor)

Input: [pasted multi-line text]
Output: "-i-i-i-i-i" (corrupted characters)

Bash Terminal (in Cursor)

Input: [pasted multi-line text]  
Output: "ruriruri.ri.ri.ri" (corrupted characters)

Response Loop Issue

When paste fails, asking about the issue triggers infinite response loops:

• Same explanation repeated 50+ times
• Terminal becomes unresponsive
• Requires force restart

🔄 Reproduction Steps

1. Open Cursor IDE
2. Launch PowerShell or Bash terminal (not WSL)
3. Start Gemini CLI
4. Paste any multi-line text
5. Observe input corruption
6. Ask about paste issues → infinite response loop

🎯 Expected Behavior

Paste operations should work consistently across all terminal types, just like other CLI tools (Claude Code, npm, git, etc.) that handle paste properly in all these same terminals.

💡 Analysis

• Same host application (Cursor)
• Same machine/OS
• Same Gemini CLI binary
• Only difference: Terminal type

This suggests Gemini CLI has terminal compatibility issues rather than general paste problems.

🔧 Workaround

Currently, users must:

1. Only use WSL terminals with Gemini CLI
2. Avoid Bash/PowerShell terminals entirely
3. Use file-based input as suggested in responses

📊 Impact

• High: Makes Gemini CLI unusable in standard terminals
• User Experience: Forces users to specific terminal types
• Adoption: Limits tool usability compared to competitors

🙏 Request

Please implement consistent paste handling across terminal types. Other CLI tools handle this seamlessly - users shouldn't need to switch terminals just for Gemini CLI to work properly.

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Note: This issue occurs within the same application environment, indicating a terminal compatibility problem rather than system-level paste issues.

[DaKoTaGeorgia]

Paste killing me :(

[Manamama]

Interim tip: use Unix (even as a shell) and its excellent terminator.

[bdmorgan]

This issue was reported last month. I'm going to close the discussion now but please open a new issue if this is indeed still a problem.