refactor(core): centralize path validation and allow temp dir access for tools

[NTaylorMullen]

Summary

This PR centralizes path validation logic within the Config class and refactors 9 file system tools to use these new helpers. This change consistently allows tools to access the project's temporary directory (~/.gemini/tmp/<project_hash>) while maintaining strict workspace boundary enforcement.

Details

• Centralized Logic: Implemented isPathAllowed and getValidationErrorForPath in Config to encapsulate workspace and project temp directory boundary checks.
• Tool Refactoring: Updated ls, glob, grep, ripGrep, read-file, write-file, read-many-files, edit, and shell to utilize centralized validation, reducing code duplication and ensuring consistent security.
• Security & Integrity: Maintained explicit existence and directory/file type checks for tools where appropriate (e.g., grep, ripGrep).
• Test Coverage: Updated all associated tool tests (292 tests total) with updated mocks and assertions to reflect the new validation patterns.

Related Issues

Fixes #17164

How to Validate

Run the full tool test suite in the core package:

npm test -w @google/gemini-cli-core -- src/tools/ls.test.ts src/tools/glob.test.ts src/tools/write-file.test.ts src/tools/grep.test.ts src/tools/ripGrep.test.ts src/tools/read-file.test.ts src/tools/read-many-files.test.ts src/tools/edit.test.ts src/tools/shell.test.ts --run

All 292 tests should pass.

Pre-Merge Checklist

• Updated relevant documentation and README (if needed)
• Added/updated tests (if needed)
• Noted breaking changes (if any)
• Validated on required platforms/methods:
  • MacOS
    • npm run
    • npx
    • Docker
    • Podman
    • Seatbelt

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @NTaylorMullen, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly enhances the security and maintainability of file system operations by centralizing path validation logic. By moving these critical checks into a dedicated Config class, the system ensures that all tools adhere to a unified security policy, preventing unintended access to files outside the project's workspace or its designated temporary directory. This refactoring streamlines the codebase, making it easier to manage and audit file access permissions.

Highlights

• Centralized Path Validation: Introduced isPathAllowed and getValidationErrorForPath methods within the Config class to centralize logic for determining if a given absolute path is permissible for file system operations. This includes checks against both the defined workspace directories and the project's temporary directory.
• Refactored File System Tools: Updated nine core file system tools (ls, glob, grep, ripGrep, read-file, write-file, read-many-files, edit, and shell) to leverage the new centralized path validation helpers. This significantly reduces code duplication and ensures consistent security enforcement across all tools.
• Enhanced Security and Consistency: The refactoring ensures that all affected tools consistently allow access to the project's temporary directory (~/.gemini/tmp/<project_hash>) while strictly maintaining workspace boundary enforcement, preventing unauthorized file access outside designated areas. Specific tools like grep and ripGrep retain explicit existence and directory/file type checks.
• Updated Test Coverage: The pull request includes comprehensive updates to the associated test suite, with 292 tests modified to reflect the new validation patterns and expected error messages, ensuring the robustness of the changes.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces a centralized path validation mechanism by adding isPathAllowed and getValidationErrorForPath methods to the Config class. These methods check if a given absolute path is within the workspace context or the project's temporary directory. The change refactors path validation logic across several tools (EditTool, GlobTool, GrepTool, LSTool, ReadFileTool, ReadManyFilesTool, RipGrepTool, ShellTool, WriteFileTool), replacing individual, often duplicated, checks with calls to the new Config methods. Corresponding test files have been updated to reflect these changes, including adjustments to mock configurations and expected error messages. A review comment highlights a potential path traversal vulnerability in the isPathAllowed method related to symbolic links in the project's temporary directory, suggesting the use of fs.realpathSync for full path resolution before validation. Other review comments recommend using the new getValidationErrorForPath helper consistently and ensuring concise, user-facing error messages.

[github-actions]

Size Change: +3.87 kB (+0.02%)

Total Size: 23.5 MB

Filename	Size	Change
./bundle/gemini.js	23.5 MB	+3.87 kB (+0.02%)

ℹ️ View Unchanged

Filename	Size
./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-closed.sb	1.03 kB
./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-open.sb	890 B
./bundle/sandbox-macos-permissive-proxied.sb	1.31 kB
./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-closed.sb	3.29 kB
./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-open.sb	3.36 kB
./bundle/sandbox-macos-restrictive-proxied.sb	3.56 kB

_{compressed-size-action}

[NTaylorMullen]

/gemini review

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request effectively centralizes path validation logic into the Config class, which is a great refactoring for consistency and maintainability. The changes across the various tools to adopt these new helpers are well-executed.

My review focuses on a few critical areas related to file system operations. I've identified instances where synchronous file system calls are used, which can block the event loop and impact performance. This is against the repository's guidelines. Specifically:

• The new isPathAllowed method in Config uses fs.realpathSync.
• The grep tool's execute method uses fs.statSync within an async function.
• The ripGrep tool uses fs.statSync for validation.

While I understand that synchronous validation methods might constrain some of these choices, using asynchronous operations is crucial for performance. I've provided specific comments with suggestions where applicable. Addressing these points will improve the performance and robustness of the application.