Gemini CLI v0.66 is fixes only, with the keybindings.json keys array now working

#gemini #updates #keybindingsjson #bugfixes

Originally published at https://aicoding-guide.com.

Gemini CLI v0.66.0 adds no features. All 26 entries under "What's Changed" are fixes, refactors or release chores.

One of them is the kind worth knowing about, though: a setting the documentation already describes was not actually working. The keys array in keybindings.json works as of this release.

Key point
What this article covers

How to write the keys array, and what to check when a binding does nothing

Settings placeholders now resolved after .env files load

~/.gitconfig preserved in shell and git environments

The keys array in keybindings.json now works

The fix is PR #29773. Key bindings live in your home gemini directory, typically ~/.gemini/keybindings.json. It is a JSON array in a schema close to VS Code's, with a command and either a key or a keys array per entry.

[
  {
    "command": "edit.clear",
    "key": "cmd+l"
  },
  {
    "command": "-app.toggleYolo",
    "key": "ctrl+y"
  },
  {
    "command": "-input.newline",
    "keys": ["alt+enter", "ctrl+enter", "shift+enter", "ctrl+j"]
  },
  {
    "command": "input.newline",
    "keys": ["enter", "shift+enter"]
  }
]

Form	What it means
`-` prefixed on `command`	Unbinds the key, defaults included
A `keys` array	Binds or unbinds several keys in one entry; the first key is the primary shortcut shown in the UI
Modifiers	`ctrl`, `shift`, `alt` (`opt` / `option`), `cmd` (`meta`)

When a binding never fires, suspect the terminal
The documentation notes that terminals often translate complex combinations into special characters, losing the modifier information on the way. Its example is shift+5 arriving as %, where "you must bind to the literal character % as bindings to shift+5 will never fire." To see exactly what is sent, enable Debug Keystroke Logging and press f12 to open the debug log console.

Matching is explicit: a binding for ctrl+f fires on ctrl+f only, not ctrl+shift+f or alt+ctrl+f. And because the same key can be bound to different commands in different contexts, adding a binding does not unbind the key from anything else. To remove the old one, add a separate - prefixed entry.

Fixes around .env and the git environment

Three fixes concern the order configuration is loaded in.

PR	What changed
#29750	Settings placeholders are resolved after `.env` files load
#29832	The user-level `~/.gitconfig` is preserved in shell and git environments
#29760	Interactive credential and SSH prompts are disabled in `getSafeGitEnv`

The first matters if your settings file references a value defined in .env. Resolving before the load leaves the reference empty.

A related documented setting is advanced.ignoreLocalEnv (default false), which controls whether generic .env files in the project directory are ignored — the lever to reach for when a project's .env should not be read at all.

The third matters for unattended runs. When git asks for a credential or an SSH passphrase interactively, nobody is there to answer and the run hangs. Disabling those prompts makes it fail instead.

MCP and authentication fixes

MCP OAuth supports private network endpoints (PR #29844), on an opt-in basis — relevant when the MCP server lives inside your network
False positives in isAuthenticationError are prevented (PR #29835), where non-authentication failures were classified as authentication errors
Update verification tightened (PR #29757): the active binary is checked after an update, so a PATH-shadowed older binary is no longer reported as a successful update

For MCP configuration generally, see Setting up MCP servers in Gemini CLI.

The rest, and a Gemini 4 banner

The visible addition is a banner saying Gemini CLI is not optimized for Gemini 4 (PR #29774).

On rendering: synchronized output with isolated spinner rendering, debug console height calculation and flickering, right-hand border bleed in scrollable tool containers, preserved terminal scrollback during viewport refreshes, and rounding before unit selection in formatDuration.

Also: openDiff now formats and quotes Windows diff command arguments, SKILL.md frontmatter parsing handles single-line descriptions, slash-command conflict dedupe resets when conflicts reappear, and the bootstrap parent forwards termination signals to its child process.

For the previous release, see Gemini CLI v0.65 enforces read-only settings in untrusted folders.

Summary

v0.66.0 adds no features; all 26 "What's Changed" entries are fixes, refactors or release chores
The keys array in keybindings.json works now; unbind by prefixing command with -
When a binding never fires, check what the terminal sends with Debug Keystroke Logging and f12
Settings placeholders are resolved after .env files load
~/.gitconfig is preserved, and git's interactive prompts are disabled

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