Gemini Session Management

MANDATORY: Invoke gemini-cli-docs First

STOP - Before providing ANY response about Gemini sessions:

1. INVOKE gemini-cli-docs skill
2. QUERY for the specific session topic
3. BASE responses EXCLUSIVELY on official documentation loaded

Overview

Meta-skill for managing Gemini CLI sessions. Sessions preserve conversation history and can be resumed, searched, and configured with retention policies.

When to Use This Skill

Keywords: session, resume, /resume, session browser, retention, maxAge, maxCount, --list-sessions, --delete-session

Use this skill when:

• Resuming a previous session
• Configuring session retention
• Browsing past sessions
• Managing session storage
• Understanding session limits

Session Resume

Resume Last Session

gemini --resume
# or
gemini -r

Resume via Browser

In an active session:

/resume

Opens interactive session browser to search and select.

Session Retention

Configure automatic cleanup in settings.json:

{
  "general": {
    "sessionRetention": {
      "maxAge": "7d",
      "maxCount": 100,
      "minRetention": "1d"
    }
  }
}

| Setting | Description | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | maxAge | Maximum session age | "7d", "24h" | | maxCount | Maximum sessions to keep | 100, 50 | | minRetention | Minimum time before deletion | "1d", "12h" |

Session Limits

Configure turn limits:

{
  "general": {
    "maxSessionTurns": 100
  }
}

Session Storage

Sessions are stored in:

~/.gemini/tmp/<project_hash>/

Command Line Options

| Option | Description | | --- | --- | | --resume, -r | Resume last session | | --list-sessions | List available sessions | | --delete-session <id> | Delete specific session |

Keyword Registry (Delegates to gemini-cli-docs)

| Topic | Query Keywords | | --- | --- | | Resume | --resume flag, resume session, /resume command | | Browser | session browser, search sessions, /resume interactive | | Retention | sessionRetention, maxAge maxCount, session cleanup | | Limits | maxSessionTurns, session limits, turn limits | | Storage | session storage, ~/.gemini/tmp, session location | | Management | --list-sessions, --delete-session, session management |

Quick Decision Tree

What do you want to do?

1. Resume last session -> gemini --resume or gemini -r
2. Browse past sessions -> /resume in active session
3. Configure retention -> Edit sessionRetention in settings.json
4. List all sessions -> gemini --list-sessions
5. Delete session -> gemini --delete-session <id>
6. Set turn limits -> Configure maxSessionTurns

Best Practices

1. Regular cleanup: Configure retention to avoid disk bloat
2. Name sessions: Use descriptive prompts for easy browsing
3. Resume for context: Continue complex conversations
4. Delete sensitive: Remove sessions with sensitive data

Verification Checkpoint

• [ ] Did I invoke gemini-cli-docs skill?
• [ ] Did official documentation load?
• [ ] Is my response based EXCLUSIVELY on official docs?

Test Scenarios

Scenario 1: Resume Session

Query: "How do I resume my last Gemini CLI session?" Expected Behavior:

• Skill activates on "resume" or "session"
• Provides gemini --resume command Success Criteria: User receives resume command and /resume browser option

Scenario 2: Configure Retention

Query: "How do I limit Gemini session storage?" Expected Behavior:

• Skill activates on "retention" or "session storage"
• Delegates to gemini-cli-docs for sessionRetention settings Success Criteria: User receives settings.json configuration with maxAge/maxCount

Scenario 3: Delete Session

Query: "How do I delete old Gemini sessions?" Expected Behavior:

• Skill activates on "delete session" or "session management"
• Provides --delete-session command Success Criteria: User receives deletion workflow and list-sessions option

References

Query gemini-cli-docs for official documentation on:

• "session management"
• "session resume"
• "sessionRetention"

Version History

• v1.1.0 (2025-12-01): Added Test Scenarios section
• v1.0.0 (2025-11-25): Initial release