DESIGN.MD & AI

How to use DESIGN.md with Gemini CLI

Save DESIGN.md in your project and add @./DESIGN.md to GEMINI.md. Gemini CLI then sends your design tokens and rules with every prompt.

Sitepeel2 min readOctober 24, 2026

Tool used in this guide: Design MD generator

“Load DESIGN.md into Gemini’s memory.” GEMINI.md imports @./DESIGN.md, and Gemini CLI’s /memory show lists DESIGN.md as loaded. — GEMINI.md imports DESIGN.md into Gemini CLI’s memory.

In short

Gemini CLI sends GEMINI.md files with every prompt; DESIGN.md gets in through an @ import
Imported files can import others, up to five levels deep by default
/memory show prints exactly what the model receives
Prefer AGENTS.md? Add it to context.fileName in settings.json

Add DESIGN.md to the project

Generate it from a site with Sitepeel, review it and save it next to GEMINI.md.

Import it in GEMINI.md

Add a line with @./DESIGN.md, outside any code block, plus a few must-follow rules.

Reload and check

Run /memory reload, then /memory show to confirm the DESIGN.md tokens appear in the context.

Ask for one screen

Name the page, its content and its main action. Ask Gemini to list the tokens it used.

Review the result

Compare the page with DESIGN.md at phone and desktop widths. Add a Do or Don’t when mistakes repeat.

Sample GEMINI.md with a DESIGN.md import

Gemini CLI reads GEMINI.md from your home folder, your workspace and its parent folders, joins them and sends them with each prompt. The @ line pulls DESIGN.md into that context.

Tip@ imports inside code blocks or inline code are ignored. Put the line on its own, as plain text.

GEMINI.md

# Project context

## UI design
@./DESIGN.md

- Use the tokens above for every color, font, spacing and radius.
- Reuse existing components before creating new ones.
- If DESIGN.md has no rule for a case, ask before inventing one.

Design MD generator in the Sitepeel interface — Design MD generator in actionExplore the tool

How GEMINI.md files and imports load

Global: ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md applies to all your projects
Project: GEMINI.md files in your workspace folders and their parent folders
Just in time: when a tool opens a folder, GEMINI.md files there load too
Imports take relative (@./, @../) or absolute paths
Nested imports stop at five levels by default; circular imports are blocked
The footer shows how many context files are loaded

Check and reload the context

Gemini CLI memory commands
Command	What it does
/memory show	Prints the full, combined context sent to the model
/memory list	Lists the GEMINI.md files in use
/memory reload	Re-reads all GEMINI.md files after you edit them (also /memory refresh)
@DESIGN.md in a prompt	Adds the file’s contents to that one prompt

Gemini still ignores the design? Check these five things

Use AGENTS.md instead of GEMINI.md

GEMINI.md is only the default name. If your repository already has AGENTS.md for Codex or Cursor, set context.fileName in settings.json to a list that includes AGENTS.md and GEMINI.md. Gemini CLI then loads both.

Sample AGENTS.md section for DESIGN.md

A few useful answers.

Can GEMINI.md import other files?

Yes. Write @ followed by a path, such as @./DESIGN.md or @../shared/style.md. Relative and absolute paths work, imported files can import others, and nesting stops at five levels by default.

How do I see what context Gemini CLI loaded?

Run /memory show to print the combined context sent to the model, or /memory list to see which GEMINI.md files are in use.

Can Gemini CLI read AGENTS.md?

Yes, if you add it to context.fileName in settings.json, for example as a list with AGENTS.md and GEMINI.md. By default it looks for GEMINI.md.

Do I need to restart Gemini CLI after editing DESIGN.md?

No. Run /memory reload (or /memory refresh) to re-read your GEMINI.md files, then /memory show to check the result.

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