Gemini Code Assist June–August 2024 Update: Agent Mode, Multi-File Edits & 1.5 Pro Models Now GA

Google has shipped eight weeks of rapid-fire updates to Gemini Code Assist between June 12 and August 15, 2024. If you code in VS Code or JetBrains IDEs and haven't updated lately, you're missing agent mode with persistence, multi-file editing, Gemini 1.5 Pro/Flash GA, and a long tail of quality-of-life improvements that turn the assistant from a chatbot into a true pair-programmer.

Below is a developer-first recap of every change, why it matters, and how to start using it today.

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TL;DR – What's New (Copy-Paste Cheatsheet)

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Deep Dive – Features That Actually Change Your Flow

1. Agent Mode (June 25) – From Chat to Autopilot

What it is
Toggle "Agent" in the chat input and Gemini becomes a planning, editing, testing loop. It:

• Drafts a step-by-step plan for complex tasks (e.g., "add OAuth2 to Express API")
• Lets you edit/approve/deny each step before any file is touched
• Remembers state across IDE restarts—no more lost context after a crash
• Edits multiple files atomically (routes, controllers, tests, docs) and shows a unified diff

Pro tip
Enable Settings → Gemini Code Assist → Agent → Auto-approve safe actions to skip trivial confirmations (e.g., adding imports) while still gating destructive changes.

2. Gemini 1.5 Pro & Flash GA (July 1) – Smarter Suggestions

Both models are now production defaults:

• 1.5 Pro: Better at long-context reasoning, math, and science problems—ideal for refactoring legacy monoliths
• 1.5 Flash: Lower latency, great for inline completions and quick chat Q&A

3. Checkpoints & Rollbacks (June 18 → GA July 17)

Every code suggestion creates an automatic git-style checkpoint. If the AI breaks your build, right-click the chat message → Revert to Checkpoint—no more git stash gymnastics.

4. Inline Diff View (July 28 VS Code, Aug 1 JetBrains)

Edits appear directly in the editor gutter (green/red highlights). Accept/reject hunks without opening the chat panel—perfect for code reviews on the fly.

5. Cloud Console Repository Indexing (Aug 12)

Teams can now:

• Index private repos in Google Cloud Console
• Grant granular access (per-repo or per-group)
• Share context across the entire team so Gemini understands your codebase, not just open-source examples

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Quick-Start Checklist (5 Minutes)

1. Update the extension in VS Code or JetBrains IDEs
2. Enable local indexing: Settings → Gemini Code Assist → Index Local Codebase
3. Switch to Agent mode for your next feature branch
4. Create a Cloud Console index if you work in a mono-repo
5. Set release channel to "Stable" to stay on GA features only

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Real-World Example – Migrating Express → Fastify

1. Prompt agent: "Migrate this Express 4 app to Fastify 4, keep all route handlers and middleware."
2. Review the 7-step plan (update deps, swap imports, refactor middleware, etc.)
3. Approve steps 1-3, deny step 4 (custom logger), let agent run
4. Use inline diff to accept Fastify route syntax changes, reject logger edits
5. Rollback once when tests fail, then iterate—all without leaving the IDE

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What's Next?

Google's public roadmap hints at MCP (Model Context Protocol) support, deeper test-runner integration, and fine-grained cost controls for teams. We'll keep this post updated as features land.

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Resources

• Official changelog
• Agent mode docs
• Cloud Console setup guide

Last updated: 2024-08-20