Gemini CLI PR adds AST-aware ast_search tool for precise symbol navigation in agent workflows
dylanyunlon · ghdev · 2026-09-18
PR #29396 on google-gemini/gemini-cli adds an AST-aware astsearch tool so the agent can navigate code by symbol instead of guessing line ranges or reading whole files.
- astAnalysisService: a zero-dependency regex-heuristic parser supporting TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust and Java, using brace counting (indentation for Python) to find exact symbol bounds; designed as a fallback when ast-grep isn't installed.
- astsearch tool with three scopes: symbol returns exact start/end lines plus signature for any named class/function/interface; outline returns a compressed structural skeleton of a file in one call; map produces a repo-wide overview of top-level symbols.
- Integrations: the codebaseinvestigator subagent gets the tool and is prompted to read outlines before full files; readfile truncation messages now point to astsearch; the research-phase prompt recommends map/outline for initial discovery.
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