Retire Gemini CLI workspace config and correct Antigravity paths

Context

The Fleet onboarding audit for #15048 exposed a stale harness boundary. Neo still tracks .gemini/settings.template.json, but that file began as a Gemini CLI workspace MCP configuration in October 2025. Google transitioned consumer Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI and stopped serving Google AI Pro/Ultra/free consumer requests on 2026-06-18 (Google's announcement); enterprise/API-key access remains a separate supported path.

A read-only audit of installed Antigravity 2.2.1 found the current Desktop authority at ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json. The old ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json is a compatibility symlink, ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json is stale pre-migration state, and --user-data-dir isolates Electron UI data—not the language-server/config root. Google's current Antigravity codelab independently names ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json (MCP section).

The Problem

Active repository substrate still teaches or enforces the retired Gemini CLI workspace shape:

• .gemini/settings.template.json contains MCP server definitions and names GEMINI.md;
• .gitignore and .npmignore explicitly re-include that template;
• AGENTS_STARTUP.md tells both Gemini CLI and Antigravity to load context through the retired template;
• check-identity-facts.mjs requires it as a machine-facing identity surface;
• StdioIdentityResolver.mjs says Gemini identity arrives through .gemini/settings.json;
• the debugging-antigravity skill treats workspace .gemini/settings.json and an old global path as the Antigravity configuration model;
• active tooling docs mix Gemini CLI and Antigravity paths.

This is not harmless archaeology. It already caused a new Fleet ticket to prescribe the wrong Antigravity bootstrap until the operator corrected it. A future maintainer can repeat the same mistake because the stale file and skill present themselves as current authority.

The Architectural Reality

• The .gemini/ directory itself remains valid for Antigravity concepts/artifacts; only the workspace settings template is retired.
• Antigravity Desktop's current global MCP authority is version/product-specific. The installed 2.2.1 bundle uses a home-relative Gemini root and config/mcp_config.json; --user-data-dir does not relocate it.
• Antigravity CLI and Desktop may expose different config paths. Active docs must name the product/version boundary or point to a resolver/probe; one historical path cannot be declared universal.
• Historical blog posts, release notes, and archived examples may retain “Gemini CLI” as history. Active instructions/config/diagnostics may not present it as Neo's current consumer harness.
• #15048 owns per-resident Antigravity config-root isolation. This ticket removes stale substrate; it does not invent the Fleet adapter.

The Fix

1. Delete .gemini/settings.template.json and its .gitignore re-include rule.
2. Remove the template from check-identity-facts.mjs; preserve the real current Antigravity fact surfaces instead of replacing it with another machine-local file.
3. Correct StdioIdentityResolver.mjs documentation so Antigravity identity is attributed to its MCP process environment/global config, not a Gemini workspace settings file.
4. Rewrite the active debugging-antigravity skill around Antigravity 2.x evidence:
   • current global MCP authority;
   • --user-data-dir isolates UI state only;
   • compatibility/stale path distinctions;
   • no unproven workspace-settings or twin-language-server claim.
5. Correct AGENTS_STARTUP.md to the current Antigravity context-loading contract, independent of the retired template.
6. Refresh .gemini/concepts/worktree-bootstrap.md: it currently names the removed ai/scripts/bootstrapWorktree.mjs path, parent-directory symlinking, and obsolete --install / --build-all flags. Preserve the concept only with the current granular bootstrap contract.
7. Sweep active tooling documentation and examples. Separate current Antigravity Desktop/CLI guidance from historical/enterprise Gemini CLI; remove instructions that tell current users to edit .gemini/settings.json.
8. Add a retired-primitive guard covering active config/skill/tooling surfaces so the workspace MCP path cannot silently return.

Contract Ledger

Decision Record impact

aligned-with ADR 0018's machine-facing fact-coherence discipline and ADR 0020's external-harness reality. No ADR amendment is required.

Acceptance Criteria

• .gemini/settings.template.json plus its .gitignore and .npmignore exceptions are removed.
• No active setup/diagnostic code expects or generates workspace .gemini/settings.json for Antigravity.
• AGENTS_STARTUP.md names the current Antigravity context-loading mechanism without the retired template.
• .gemini/concepts/worktree-bootstrap.md matches the current ai/scripts/migrations/bootstrapWorktree.mjs granular-link contract and supported flags, or is removed if Antigravity 2.x no longer consumes it.
• check-identity-facts.mjs no longer treats the retired template as a current fact surface.
• StdioIdentityResolver.mjs describes the current Antigravity identity/config boundary.
• The debugging-antigravity skill contains only re-proven Antigravity 2.x claims and names --user-data-dir as UI-profile-only.
• Active tooling docs distinguish Antigravity Desktop, Antigravity CLI, and historical/enterprise Gemini CLI; current consumer instructions contain no .gemini/settings.json path.
• A mechanical guard fails when an active config/skill/tooling file reintroduces Antigravity workspace settings as MCP authority, while ignoring historical blogs/releases.
• Existing Antigravity wake/artifact/concepts surfaces remain intact.
• Focused diagnostics/retired-primitive/skill-manifest checks and git diff --check pass.

Out of Scope

Deleting the entire .gemini/ directory · rewriting historical blog/release archaeology · enterprise Gemini CLI support · implementing the per-resident Antigravity Fleet adapter (#15048) · changing Antigravity itself.

Avoided Traps

• Do not replace one hardcoded stale Antigravity path with another universal claim.
• Do not delete Antigravity concepts/artifact ingestion with the workspace template.
• Do not preserve incorrect active docs merely because Gemini CLI still exists for enterprise/API-key users.
• Do not carry the unverified twin-language-server explanation forward without a current reproducer.

Related

Fleet bootstrap #15048 · Fleet launch coverage #14972 · prior Antigravity hardening #10195 · identity fact coherence #12244.

Origin Session ID: de713f27-0e82-4960-b4c6-f281e0c36449

Retrieval Hint: query_raw_memories("Gemini CLI retired workspace settings Antigravity 2.2.1 config mcp_config")