docs: add vi shortcuts and clarify MCP sandbox setup

[chrisjcthomas]

Summary

• Add a SQLite MCP quick start example to the README
• Clarify that BUILD_SANDBOX applies when running Gemini CLI from source, while npm installs use the prebuilt sandbox image
• Document vi mode shortcuts in the keyboard shortcuts reference

Follow-ups

• Remaining docs scope is tracked in docs: add vi mode shortcuts and clarify MCP/custom sandbox setup #23825
• The non-docs fixes were split into fix(cli): harden prompt trimming and improve version detection #23828 for separate review

Testing

• Ran npx prettier --write README.md docs/cli/sandbox.md docs/reference/configuration.md docs/reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello, 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 focuses on enhancing the user experience of the Gemini CLI by improving documentation clarity and robustness. It addresses several issues ranging from making tool references more accessible and correcting CLI usage examples, to preventing application crashes due to unexpected input types and providing more informative display of configuration settings. These changes collectively aim to make the CLI more intuitive and stable for users.

Highlights

• Documentation Readability: The monolithic tools table was restructured into category-specific tables with a dedicated "Parameters" column, significantly improving scan-ability and preventing horizontal overflow.
• Headless Mode Syntax Correction: The automation.md tutorial was updated to correctly show that the -p/--prompt flag is required for headless mode, rather than positional arguments.
• CLI Hardening against Crashes: Added String() coercion to trim() calls in AppContainer.tsx and InputPrompt.tsx to prevent TypeError crashes when non-string values are passed as prompts.
• Improved Settings Object Display: getDisplayValue in settingsUtils.ts was updated to use JSON.stringify() for object and array values, replacing the unhelpful [Object object] display with actual content.
• Vi Mode Shortcuts Documentation: Comprehensive documentation for Vi Mode shortcuts, including mode switching, navigation, and editing commands, was added to keyboard-shortcuts.md.

Changelog

• docs/cli/sandbox.md
  • Clarified the requirements for building custom sandboxes from a Dockerfile.
• docs/cli/tutorials/automation.md
  • Corrected examples for using headless mode with the --prompt flag.
• docs/reference/configuration.md
  • Added a note regarding the BUILD_SANDBOX feature's availability when the CLI is installed via npm.
• docs/reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md
  • Introduced detailed documentation for Vi Mode shortcuts.
• docs/reference/tools.md
  • Refactored the tools reference into multiple, categorized tables for improved readability.
• packages/cli/src/ui/AppContainer.tsx
  • Implemented string coercion before trimming user input to prevent runtime errors.
• packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx
  • Implemented string coercion before trimming user input to prevent runtime errors.
• packages/cli/src/utils/settingsUtils.ts
  • Updated the display logic for settings to correctly show object and array values using JSON.stringify.

Activity

• All changes were pushed to the fix/tools-docs-readability branch.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces a set of valuable improvements to both documentation and code stability. The documentation changes, such as restructuring the tools reference and correcting headless mode examples, significantly enhance readability and user understanding. On the code side, the hardening of string trimming operations is a crucial fix to prevent potential runtime crashes from non-string inputs, and the update to display settings now correctly serializes objects and arrays, providing much more useful output to users. All changes are well-implemented and improve the overall quality of the CLI.

[jkcinouye]

Docs LGTM - note left.

[jkcinouye]

@chrisjcthomas The docs changes LGTM, but in general, we want to split our PRs up when the docs are (mostly) unrelated to the code. If you want to split out the code changes from the documentation in this PR, I can approve your docs changes, and then help guide your code PR through. :)

[g-samroberts]

Hi, looks like the docs issues linked in this PR are already fixed by other PRs submitted by contributor assigned to the issues. Before creating future PRs, please make sure the issue is labeled as help-wanted and unassigned, and assign to yourself with the /assign comment.

There might still be helpful docs updates in here, but this PR will likely remain stuck if you don't separate out from the code changes. You'll likely need to create a new issue for the docs changes too.

[chrisjcthomas]

I split the non-docs changes out into #23828 and narrowed this PR to the docs-only updates that are still applicable. I also opened #23825 for the remaining docs follow-up so this PR can stay focused.

[chrisjcthomas]

@jkcinouye this PR is now narrowed to the docs-only changes, and the remaining docs follow-up is tracked in #23825. If you have a chance, I’d appreciate a review on the current scope.

[chrisjcthomas]

@jkcinouye @g-samroberts quick status update tying this set together: this PR is now narrowed to the docs-only changes, the split code follow-up is #23828, the remaining docs follow-up is tracked in #23825, and #21683 has had its stale Gemini threads resolved plus its description cleaned up. If any additional narrowing would help review, I’m happy to do that too.