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Gemini CLI loads both GEMINI.md and gemini.md on case-insensitive filesystems, duplicating context #19904

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#19915
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Gemini CLI loads both GEMINI.md and gemini.md on case-insensitive filesystems, duplicating context#19904
#19915
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SunzzxNixxx19
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area/coreIssues related to User Interface, OS Support, Core Functionalityhelp wantedWe will accept PRs from all issues marked as "help wanted". Thanks for your support!priority/p2Important but can be addressed in a future release.type/bug

Description

@vektorich
vektorich
opened on Feb 22, 2026

What happened?

On a case-insensitive filesystem (macOS/Darwin), the Gemini CLI appears to be searching for both GEMINI.md and gemini.md during context initialization. Because the filesystem is case-insensitive, both paths resolve to the exact same physical file.

As a result, the CLI loads the same instructional context twice into the model's prompt, wasting context window space.

Technical Evidence:
Running ls -lai in the root directory confirms that both names point to the same inode:

1 65116059 -rw-r--r-- 1 user group 10933 16 Feb 15:59 gemini.md
2 65116059 -rw-r--r-- 1 user group 10933 16 Feb 15:59 GEMINI.md
Attempting to ignore the duplicate via .geminiignore (adding gemini.md) did not resolve the issue.

What did you expect to happen?

The loader should deduplicate files based on their device/inode ID to avoid this redundancy on case-insensitive systems.

Client information

  • CLI Version: 0.29.5
  • Git Commit: 2ef872e
  • Session ID: e1271f57-9a91-4673-a40e-cc2da331b334
  • Operating System: darwin v22.17.0
  • **Sandbox E

Login information

No response

Anything else we need to know?

No response

Activity

  1. gemini-cli
    added
    status/need-triageIssues that need to be triaged by the triage automation.
    area/coreIssues related to User Interface, OS Support, Core Functionality
    on Feb 22, 2026

  2. Nixxx19 commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @Nixxx19
    Nixxx19
    on Feb 22, 2026
    Contributor

    mhm, interesting, will look at this

  3. Sunzzx commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @Sunzzx
    Sunzzx
    on Feb 22, 2026

    /assign

  4. gemini-cli
    assigned
    Sunzzx
    on Feb 22, 2026

  5. gemini-cli commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @gemini-cli
    gemini-clibot
    on Feb 22, 2026 – with gemini-cli
    Contributor

    👋 @Sunzzx, you've been assigned to this issue! Thank you for taking the time to contribute. Make sure to check out our contributing guidelines.

  6. yoganand560 commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @yoganand560
    yoganand560
    on Feb 22, 2026

    /assign

  7. gemini-cli commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @gemini-cli
    gemini-clibot
    on Feb 22, 2026 – with gemini-cli
    Contributor

    @yoganand560 Thanks for taking interest but this issue is already assigned. We'd still love to have you contribute. Check out our Help Wanted list for issues where we need some extra attention.

  8. Nixxx19 commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @Nixxx19
    Nixxx19
    on Feb 22, 2026
    Contributor

    hey @Sunzzx, i was already working on this and have nearly completed a PR. would it be okay if i continue and submit it? happy to collaborate if needed, thanks!

  9. Sunzzx commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @Sunzzx
    Sunzzx
    on Feb 22, 2026

    hey @Sunzzx, i was already working on this and have nearly completed a PR. would it be okay if i continue and submit it? happy to collaborate if needed, thanks!

    sure mate , you can go ahead with it , let me know if you face any issue in the process and need help , goodluck

  10. Nixxx19 commented on Feb 22, 2026

    @Nixxx19
    Nixxx19
    on Feb 22, 2026
    Contributor

    thank you so much @Sunzzx, @vektorich just created the PR #19915, with the fix, please do check It out and let if know if you have any suggestions, thank you again!

  11. jacob314
    added
    help wantedWe will accept PRs from all issues marked as "help wanted". Thanks for your support!
    priority/p2Important but can be addressed in a future release.
    type/bug
    and removed
    status/need-triageIssues that need to be triaged by the triage automation.
    on Feb 26, 2026

  12. Nixxx19 commented on Mar 4, 2026

    @Nixxx19
    Nixxx19
    on Mar 4, 2026
    Contributor

    @scidomino I spoke with @Sunzzx earlier and he was okay with me working on this issue. would it be possible to assign me to it so the PR #19915 can be reviewed? thanks!

  13. scidomino
    assigned
    Nixxx19
    on Mar 4, 2026
  14. github-merge-queue
    added a commit that references this issue on Mar 6, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    82316ef
  15. scidomino
    closed this as completedin #19915on Mar 6, 2026
  16. kunal-10-cloud
    added a commit that references this issue on Mar 12, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    1036b46
  17. liamhelmer
    added a commit that references this issue on Mar 12, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    4d68a23
  18. yashodipmore
    added a commit that references this issue on Mar 21, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    40b4a7c
  19. SUNDRAM07
    added a commit that references this issue on Mar 30, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    860f45a
  20. warrenzhu25
    added a commit that references this issue on Apr 9, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    a9224bc
  21. cocosheng-g
    added a commit that references this issue on May 6, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    ffe844c
  22. software-0ficial
    added a commit that references this issue on Jul 9, 2026

    fix(core): deduplicate GEMINI.md files by device/inode on case-insens…

    1c0dfc8
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