diff --git a/docs/cli/commands.md b/docs/cli/commands.md
index beeecb88..9d45257b 100644
--- a/docs/cli/commands.md
+++ b/docs/cli/commands.md
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ When a custom command attempts to execute a shell command, Gemini CLI will now p
 
 1.  **Inject Commands:** Use the `!{...}` syntax.
 2.  **Argument Substitution:** If `{{args}}` is present inside the block, it is automatically shell-escaped (see [Context-Aware Injection](#1-context-aware-injection-with-args) above).
-3.  **Robust Parsing:** The parser correctly handles complex shell commands that include nested braces, such as JSON payloads.
+3.  **Robust Parsing:** The parser correctly handles complex shell commands that include nested braces, such as JSON payloads. **Note:** The content inside `!{...}` must have balanced braces (`{` and `}`). If you need to execute a command containing unbalanced braces, consider wrapping it in an external script file and calling the script within the `!{...}` block.
 4.  **Security Check and Confirmation:** The CLI performs a security check on the final, resolved command (after arguments are escaped and substituted). A dialog will appear showing the exact command(s) to be executed.
 5.  **Execution and Error Reporting:** The command is executed. If the command fails, the output injected into the prompt will include the error messages (stderr) followed by a status line, e.g., `[Shell command exited with code 1]`. This helps the model understand the context of the failure.
 
@@ -299,6 +299,41 @@ Please generate a Conventional Commit message based on the following git diff:
 
 When you run `/git:commit`, the CLI first executes `git diff --staged`, then replaces `!{git diff --staged}` with the output of that command before sending the final, complete prompt to the model.
 
+##### 4. Injecting File Content with `@{...}`
+
+You can directly embed the content of a file or a directory listing into your prompt using the `@{...}` syntax. This is useful for creating commands that operate on specific files.
+
+**How It Works:**
+
+- **File Injection**: `@{path/to/file.txt}` is replaced by the content of `file.txt`.
+- **Multimodal Support**: If the path points to a supported image (e.g., PNG, JPEG), PDF, audio, or video file, it will be correctly encoded and injected as multimodal input. Other binary files are handled gracefully and skipped.
+- **Directory Listing**: `@{path/to/dir}` is traversed and each file present within the directory and all subdirectories are inserted into the prompt. This respects `.gitignore` and `.geminiignore` if enabled.
+- **Workspace-Aware**: The command searches for the path in the current directory and any other workspace directories. Absolute paths are allowed if they are within the workspace.
+- **Processing Order**: File content injection with `@{...}` is processed _before_ shell commands (`!{...}`) and argument substitution (`{{args}}`).
+- **Parsing**: The parser requires the content inside `@{...}` (the path) to have balanced braces (`{` and `}`).
+
+**Example (`review.toml`):**
+
+This command injects the content of a _fixed_ best practices file (`docs/best-practices.md`) and uses the user's arguments to provide context for the review.
+
+```toml
+# In: <project>/.gemini/commands/review.toml
+# Invoked via: /review FileCommandLoader.ts
+
+description = "Reviews the provided context using a best practice guide."
+prompt = """
+You are an expert code reviewer.
+
+Your task is to review {{args}}.
+
+Use the following best practices when providing your review:
+
+@{docs/best-practices.md}
+"""
+```
+
+When you run `/review FileCommandLoader.ts`, the `@{docs/best-practices.md}` placeholder is replaced by the content of that file, and `{{args}}` is replaced by the text you provided, before the final prompt is sent to the model.
+
 ---
 
 #### Example: A "Pure Function" Refactoring Command
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.test.ts
index 0b65f6c7..37093a36 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { createMockCommandContext } from '../test-utils/mockCommandContext.js';
 import {
   SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
   SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
+  type PromptPipelineContent,
 } from './prompt-processors/types.js';
 import {
   ConfirmationRequiredError,
@@ -21,8 +22,15 @@ import {
 } from './prompt-processors/shellProcessor.js';
 import { DefaultArgumentProcessor } from './prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.js';
 import type { CommandContext } from '../ui/commands/types.js';
+import { AtFileProcessor } from './prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.js';
 
 const mockShellProcess = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+const mockAtFileProcess = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+vi.mock('./prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.js', () => ({
+  AtFileProcessor: vi.fn().mockImplementation(() => ({
+    process: mockAtFileProcess,
+  })),
+}));
 vi.mock('./prompt-processors/shellProcessor.js', () => ({
   ShellProcessor: vi.fn().mockImplementation(() => ({
     process: mockShellProcess,
@@ -68,15 +76,28 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
     mockShellProcess.mockImplementation(
-      (prompt: string, context: CommandContext) => {
+      (prompt: PromptPipelineContent, context: CommandContext) => {
         const userArgsRaw = context?.invocation?.args || '';
-        const processedPrompt = prompt.replaceAll(
+        // This is a simplified mock. A real implementation would need to iterate
+        // through all parts and process only the text parts.
+        const firstTextPart = prompt.find(
+          (p) => typeof p === 'string' || 'text' in p,
+        );
+        let textContent = '';
+        if (typeof firstTextPart === 'string') {
+          textContent = firstTextPart;
+        } else if (firstTextPart && 'text' in firstTextPart) {
+          textContent = firstTextPart.text ?? '';
+        }
+
+        const processedText = textContent.replaceAll(
           SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
           userArgsRaw,
         );
-        return Promise.resolve(processedPrompt);
+        return Promise.resolve([{ text: processedText }]);
       },
     );
+    mockAtFileProcess.mockImplementation(async (prompt: string) => prompt);
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -110,7 +131,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       '',
     );
     if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-      expect(result.content).toBe('This is a test prompt');
+      expect(result.content).toEqual([{ text: 'This is a test prompt' }]);
     } else {
       assert.fail('Incorrect action type');
     }
@@ -203,7 +224,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
     const mockConfig = {
       getProjectRoot: vi.fn(() => '/path/to/project'),
       getExtensions: vi.fn(() => []),
-    } as Config;
+    } as unknown as Config;
     const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
     const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
     expect(commands).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -246,7 +267,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
     const mockConfig = {
       getProjectRoot: vi.fn(() => process.cwd()),
       getExtensions: vi.fn(() => []),
-    } as Config;
+    } as unknown as Config;
     const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
     const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
 
@@ -262,7 +283,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       '',
     );
     if (userResult?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-      expect(userResult.content).toBe('User prompt');
+      expect(userResult.content).toEqual([{ text: 'User prompt' }]);
     } else {
       assert.fail('Incorrect action type for user command');
     }
@@ -277,7 +298,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       '',
     );
     if (projectResult?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-      expect(projectResult.content).toBe('Project prompt');
+      expect(projectResult.content).toEqual([{ text: 'Project prompt' }]);
     } else {
       assert.fail('Incorrect action type for project command');
     }
@@ -446,6 +467,54 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       expect(ShellProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
       expect(DefaultArgumentProcessor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
+
+    it('instantiates AtFileProcessor and DefaultArgumentProcessor if @{} is present', async () => {
+      const userCommandsDir = Storage.getUserCommandsDir();
+      mock({
+        [userCommandsDir]: {
+          'at-file.toml': `prompt = "Context: @{./my-file.txt}"`,
+        },
+      });
+
+      const loader = new FileCommandLoader(null as unknown as Config);
+      await loader.loadCommands(signal);
+
+      expect(AtFileProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(ShellProcessor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(DefaultArgumentProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    it('instantiates ShellProcessor and AtFileProcessor if !{} and @{} are present', async () => {
+      const userCommandsDir = Storage.getUserCommandsDir();
+      mock({
+        [userCommandsDir]: {
+          'shell-and-at.toml': `prompt = "Run !{cmd} with @{file.txt}"`,
+        },
+      });
+
+      const loader = new FileCommandLoader(null as unknown as Config);
+      await loader.loadCommands(signal);
+
+      expect(ShellProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(AtFileProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(DefaultArgumentProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1); // because no {{args}}
+    });
+
+    it('instantiates only ShellProcessor and AtFileProcessor if {{args}} and @{} are present', async () => {
+      const userCommandsDir = Storage.getUserCommandsDir();
+      mock({
+        [userCommandsDir]: {
+          'args-and-at.toml': `prompt = "Run {{args}} with @{file.txt}"`,
+        },
+      });
+
+      const loader = new FileCommandLoader(null as unknown as Config);
+      await loader.loadCommands(signal);
+
+      expect(ShellProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(AtFileProcessor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(DefaultArgumentProcessor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('Extension Command Loading', () => {
@@ -487,7 +556,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
             path: extensionDir,
           },
         ]),
-      } as Config;
+      } as unknown as Config;
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
 
@@ -538,7 +607,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
             path: extensionDir,
           },
         ]),
-      } as Config;
+      } as unknown as Config;
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
 
@@ -559,7 +628,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       );
       expect(result0?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
       if (result0?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result0.content).toBe('User deploy command');
+        expect(result0.content).toEqual([{ text: 'User deploy command' }]);
       }
 
       expect(commands[1].name).toBe('deploy');
@@ -576,7 +645,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       );
       expect(result1?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
       if (result1?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result1.content).toBe('Project deploy command');
+        expect(result1.content).toEqual([{ text: 'Project deploy command' }]);
       }
 
       expect(commands[2].name).toBe('deploy');
@@ -594,7 +663,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       );
       expect(result2?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
       if (result2?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result2.content).toBe('Extension deploy command');
+        expect(result2.content).toEqual([{ text: 'Extension deploy command' }]);
       }
     });
 
@@ -645,7 +714,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
             path: extensionDir2,
           },
         ]),
-      } as Config;
+      } as unknown as Config;
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
 
@@ -681,7 +750,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
             path: extensionDir,
           },
         ]),
-      } as Config;
+      } as unknown as Config;
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
       expect(commands).toHaveLength(0);
@@ -713,7 +782,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
         getExtensions: vi.fn(() => [
           { name: 'a', version: '1.0.0', isActive: true, path: extensionDir },
         ]),
-      } as Config;
+      } as unknown as Config;
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(mockConfig);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
 
@@ -737,7 +806,9 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
         '',
       );
       if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result.content).toBe('Nested command from extension a');
+        expect(result.content).toEqual([
+          { text: 'Nested command from extension a' },
+        ]);
       } else {
         assert.fail('Incorrect action type');
       }
@@ -771,7 +842,9 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       );
       expect(result?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
       if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result.content).toBe('The user wants to: do something cool');
+        expect(result.content).toEqual([
+          { text: 'The user wants to: do something cool' },
+        ]);
       }
     });
   });
@@ -805,7 +878,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
         const expectedContent =
           'This is the instruction.\n\n/model_led 1.2.0 added "a feature"';
-        expect(result.content).toBe(expectedContent);
+        expect(result.content).toEqual([{ text: expectedContent }]);
       }
     });
   });
@@ -859,7 +932,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
           'shell.toml': `prompt = "Run !{echo 'hello'}"`,
         },
       });
-      mockShellProcess.mockResolvedValue('Run hello');
+      mockShellProcess.mockResolvedValue([{ text: 'Run hello' }]);
 
       const loader = new FileCommandLoader(null as unknown as Config);
       const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
@@ -875,7 +948,7 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
 
       expect(result?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
       if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result.content).toBe('Run hello');
+        expect(result.content).toEqual([{ text: 'Run hello' }]);
       }
     });
 
@@ -938,23 +1011,36 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
         ),
       ).rejects.toThrow('Something else went wrong');
     });
-    it('assembles the processor pipeline in the correct order (Shell -> Default)', async () => {
+    it('assembles the processor pipeline in the correct order (AtFile -> Shell -> Default)', async () => {
       const userCommandsDir = Storage.getUserCommandsDir();
       mock({
         [userCommandsDir]: {
-          // This prompt uses !{} but NOT {{args}}, so both processors should be active.
+          // This prompt uses !{}, @{}, but NOT {{args}}, so all processors should be active.
           'pipeline.toml': `
-              prompt = "Shell says: ${SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER}echo foo}."
+              prompt = "Shell says: !{echo foo}. File says: @{./bar.txt}"
             `,
         },
+        './bar.txt': 'bar content',
       });
 
       const defaultProcessMock = vi
         .fn()
-        .mockImplementation((p) => Promise.resolve(`${p}-default-processed`));
+        .mockImplementation((p: PromptPipelineContent) =>
+          Promise.resolve([
+            { text: `${(p[0] as { text: string }).text}-default-processed` },
+          ]),
+        );
 
-      mockShellProcess.mockImplementation((p) =>
-        Promise.resolve(`${p}-shell-processed`),
+      mockShellProcess.mockImplementation((p: PromptPipelineContent) =>
+        Promise.resolve([
+          { text: `${(p[0] as { text: string }).text}-shell-processed` },
+        ]),
+      );
+
+      mockAtFileProcess.mockImplementation((p: PromptPipelineContent) =>
+        Promise.resolve([
+          { text: `${(p[0] as { text: string }).text}-at-file-processed` },
+        ]),
       );
 
       vi.mocked(DefaultArgumentProcessor).mockImplementation(
@@ -972,35 +1058,115 @@ describe('FileCommandLoader', () => {
       const result = await command!.action!(
         createMockCommandContext({
           invocation: {
-            raw: '/pipeline bar',
+            raw: '/pipeline baz',
             name: 'pipeline',
-            args: 'bar',
+            args: 'baz',
           },
         }),
-        'bar',
+        'baz',
       );
 
+      expect(mockAtFileProcess.mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
+        mockShellProcess.mock.invocationCallOrder[0],
+      );
       expect(mockShellProcess.mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
         defaultProcessMock.mock.invocationCallOrder[0],
       );
 
       // Verify the flow of the prompt through the processors
-      // 1. Shell processor runs first
-      expect(mockShellProcess).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        expect.stringContaining(SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER),
+      // 1. AtFile processor runs first
+      expect(mockAtFileProcess).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        [{ text: expect.stringContaining('@{./bar.txt}') }],
         expect.any(Object),
       );
-      // 2. Default processor runs second
+      // 2. Shell processor runs second
+      expect(mockShellProcess).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        [{ text: expect.stringContaining('-at-file-processed') }],
+        expect.any(Object),
+      );
+      // 3. Default processor runs third
       expect(defaultProcessMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        expect.stringContaining('-shell-processed'),
+        [{ text: expect.stringContaining('-shell-processed') }],
         expect.any(Object),
       );
 
       if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
-        expect(result.content).toContain('-shell-processed-default-processed');
+        const contentAsArray = Array.isArray(result.content)
+          ? result.content
+          : [result.content];
+        expect(contentAsArray.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+        const firstPart = contentAsArray[0];
+
+        if (typeof firstPart === 'object' && firstPart && 'text' in firstPart) {
+          expect(firstPart.text).toContain(
+            '-at-file-processed-shell-processed-default-processed',
+          );
+        } else {
+          assert.fail(
+            'First part of content is not a text part or is a string',
+          );
+        }
       } else {
         assert.fail('Incorrect action type');
       }
     });
   });
+
+  describe('@-file Processor Integration', () => {
+    it('correctly processes a command with @{file}', async () => {
+      const userCommandsDir = Storage.getUserCommandsDir();
+      mock({
+        [userCommandsDir]: {
+          'at-file.toml':
+            'prompt = "Context from file: @{./test.txt}"\ndescription = "@-file test"',
+        },
+        './test.txt': 'file content',
+      });
+
+      mockAtFileProcess.mockImplementation(
+        async (prompt: PromptPipelineContent) => {
+          // A simplified mock of AtFileProcessor's behavior
+          const textContent = (prompt[0] as { text: string }).text;
+          if (textContent.includes('@{./test.txt}')) {
+            return [
+              {
+                text: textContent.replace('@{./test.txt}', 'file content'),
+              },
+            ];
+          }
+          return prompt;
+        },
+      );
+
+      // Prevent default processor from interfering
+      vi.mocked(DefaultArgumentProcessor).mockImplementation(
+        () =>
+          ({
+            process: (p: PromptPipelineContent) => Promise.resolve(p),
+          }) as unknown as DefaultArgumentProcessor,
+      );
+
+      const loader = new FileCommandLoader(null as unknown as Config);
+      const commands = await loader.loadCommands(signal);
+      const command = commands.find((c) => c.name === 'at-file');
+      expect(command).toBeDefined();
+
+      const result = await command!.action?.(
+        createMockCommandContext({
+          invocation: {
+            raw: '/at-file',
+            name: 'at-file',
+            args: '',
+          },
+        }),
+        '',
+      );
+      expect(result?.type).toBe('submit_prompt');
+      if (result?.type === 'submit_prompt') {
+        expect(result.content).toEqual([
+          { text: 'Context from file: file content' },
+        ]);
+      }
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.ts
index 294d35f9..8b06d0e7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/FileCommandLoader.ts
@@ -19,15 +19,20 @@ import type {
 } from '../ui/commands/types.js';
 import { CommandKind } from '../ui/commands/types.js';
 import { DefaultArgumentProcessor } from './prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.js';
-import type { IPromptProcessor } from './prompt-processors/types.js';
+import type {
+  IPromptProcessor,
+  PromptPipelineContent,
+} from './prompt-processors/types.js';
 import {
   SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
   SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
+  AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
 } from './prompt-processors/types.js';
 import {
   ConfirmationRequiredError,
   ShellProcessor,
 } from './prompt-processors/shellProcessor.js';
+import { AtFileProcessor } from './prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.js';
 
 interface CommandDirectory {
   path: string;
@@ -224,16 +229,25 @@ export class FileCommandLoader implements ICommandLoader {
     const usesShellInjection = validDef.prompt.includes(
       SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
     );
+    const usesAtFileInjection = validDef.prompt.includes(
+      AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
+    );
 
-    // Interpolation (Shell Execution and Argument Injection)
-    // If the prompt uses either shell injection OR argument placeholders,
-    // we must use the ShellProcessor.
+    // 1. @-File Injection (Security First).
+    // This runs first to ensure we're not executing shell commands that
+    // could dynamically generate malicious @-paths.
+    if (usesAtFileInjection) {
+      processors.push(new AtFileProcessor(baseCommandName));
+    }
+
+    // 2. Argument and Shell Injection.
+    // This runs after file content has been safely injected.
     if (usesShellInjection || usesArgs) {
       processors.push(new ShellProcessor(baseCommandName));
     }
 
-    // Default Argument Handling
-    // If NO explicit argument injection ({{args}}) was used, we append the raw invocation.
+    // 3. Default Argument Handling.
+    // Appends the raw invocation if no explicit {{args}} are used.
     if (!usesArgs) {
       processors.push(new DefaultArgumentProcessor());
     }
@@ -253,19 +267,24 @@ export class FileCommandLoader implements ICommandLoader {
           );
           return {
             type: 'submit_prompt',
-            content: validDef.prompt, // Fallback to unprocessed prompt
+            content: [{ text: validDef.prompt }], // Fallback to unprocessed prompt
           };
         }
 
         try {
-          let processedPrompt = validDef.prompt;
+          let processedContent: PromptPipelineContent = [
+            { text: validDef.prompt },
+          ];
           for (const processor of processors) {
-            processedPrompt = await processor.process(processedPrompt, context);
+            processedContent = await processor.process(
+              processedContent,
+              context,
+            );
           }
 
           return {
             type: 'submit_prompt',
-            content: processedPrompt,
+            content: processedContent,
           };
         } catch (e) {
           // Check if it's our specific error type
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.test.ts
index 1a4c0c6b..80bde128 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ describe('Argument Processors', () => {
     const processor = new DefaultArgumentProcessor();
 
     it('should append the full command if args are provided', async () => {
-      const prompt = 'Parse the command.';
+      const prompt = [{ text: 'Parse the command.' }];
       const context = createMockCommandContext({
         invocation: {
           raw: '/mycommand arg1 "arg two"',
@@ -22,11 +22,13 @@ describe('Argument Processors', () => {
         },
       });
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-      expect(result).toBe('Parse the command.\n\n/mycommand arg1 "arg two"');
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'Parse the command.\n\n/mycommand arg1 "arg two"' },
+      ]);
     });
 
     it('should NOT append the full command if no args are provided', async () => {
-      const prompt = 'Parse the command.';
+      const prompt = [{ text: 'Parse the command.' }];
       const context = createMockCommandContext({
         invocation: {
           raw: '/mycommand',
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ describe('Argument Processors', () => {
         },
       });
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-      expect(result).toBe('Parse the command.');
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'Parse the command.' }]);
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.ts
index 6fa9b47b..b5e5b38a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/argumentProcessor.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
-import type { IPromptProcessor } from './types.js';
+import { appendToLastTextPart } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
+import type { IPromptProcessor, PromptPipelineContent } from './types.js';
 import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
 
 /**
@@ -14,9 +15,12 @@ import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
  * This processor is only used if the prompt does NOT contain {{args}}.
  */
 export class DefaultArgumentProcessor implements IPromptProcessor {
-  async process(prompt: string, context: CommandContext): Promise<string> {
-    if (context.invocation!.args) {
-      return `${prompt}\n\n${context.invocation!.raw}`;
+  async process(
+    prompt: PromptPipelineContent,
+    context: CommandContext,
+  ): Promise<PromptPipelineContent> {
+    if (context.invocation?.args) {
+      return appendToLastTextPart(prompt, context.invocation.raw);
     }
     return prompt;
   }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3f492481
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { createMockCommandContext } from '../../test-utils/mockCommandContext.js';
+import { type CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
+import { AtFileProcessor } from './atFileProcessor.js';
+import { MessageType } from '../../ui/types.js';
+import type { Config } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
+import type { PartUnion } from '@google/genai';
+
+// Mock the core dependency
+const mockReadPathFromWorkspace = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+vi.mock('@google/gemini-cli-core', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const original = await importOriginal<object>();
+  return {
+    ...original,
+    readPathFromWorkspace: mockReadPathFromWorkspace,
+  };
+});
+
+describe('AtFileProcessor', () => {
+  let context: CommandContext;
+  let mockConfig: Config;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+
+    mockConfig = {
+      // The processor only passes the config through, so we don't need a full mock.
+    } as unknown as Config;
+
+    context = createMockCommandContext({
+      services: {
+        config: mockConfig,
+      },
+    });
+
+    // Default mock success behavior: return content wrapped in a text part.
+    mockReadPathFromWorkspace.mockImplementation(
+      async (path: string): Promise<PartUnion[]> => [
+        { text: `content of ${path}` },
+      ],
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should not change the prompt if no @{ trigger is present', async () => {
+    const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+    const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'This is a simple prompt.' }];
+    const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+    expect(result).toEqual(prompt);
+    expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('should not change the prompt if config service is missing', async () => {
+    const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+    const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'Analyze @{file.txt}' }];
+    const contextWithoutConfig = createMockCommandContext({
+      services: {
+        config: null,
+      },
+    });
+    const result = await processor.process(prompt, contextWithoutConfig);
+    expect(result).toEqual(prompt);
+    expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  describe('Parsing Logic', () => {
+    it('should replace a single valid @{path/to/file.txt} placeholder', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: 'Analyze this file: @{path/to/file.txt}' },
+      ];
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'path/to/file.txt',
+        mockConfig,
+      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'Analyze this file: ' },
+        { text: 'content of path/to/file.txt' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should replace multiple different @{...} placeholders', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: 'Compare @{file1.js} with @{file2.js}' },
+      ];
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'file1.js',
+        mockConfig,
+      );
+      expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'file2.js',
+        mockConfig,
+      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'Compare ' },
+        { text: 'content of file1.js' },
+        { text: ' with ' },
+        { text: 'content of file2.js' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should handle placeholders at the beginning, middle, and end', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: '@{start.txt} in the @{middle.txt} and @{end.txt}' },
+      ];
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'content of start.txt' },
+        { text: ' in the ' },
+        { text: 'content of middle.txt' },
+        { text: ' and ' },
+        { text: 'content of end.txt' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should correctly parse paths that contain balanced braces', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: 'Analyze @{path/with/{braces}/file.txt}' },
+      ];
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(mockReadPathFromWorkspace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'path/with/{braces}/file.txt',
+        mockConfig,
+      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'Analyze ' },
+        { text: 'content of path/with/{braces}/file.txt' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should throw an error if the prompt contains an unclosed trigger', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'Hello @{world' }];
+      // The new parser throws an error for unclosed injections.
+      await expect(processor.process(prompt, context)).rejects.toThrow(
+        /Unclosed injection/,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Integration and Error Handling', () => {
+    it('should leave the placeholder unmodified if readPathFromWorkspace throws', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: 'Analyze @{not-found.txt} and @{good-file.txt}' },
+      ];
+      mockReadPathFromWorkspace.mockImplementation(async (path: string) => {
+        if (path === 'not-found.txt') {
+          throw new Error('File not found');
+        }
+        return [{ text: `content of ${path}` }];
+      });
+
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'Analyze ' },
+        { text: '@{not-found.txt}' }, // Placeholder is preserved as a text part
+        { text: ' and ' },
+        { text: 'content of good-file.txt' },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('UI Feedback', () => {
+    it('should call ui.addItem with an ERROR on failure', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'Analyze @{bad-file.txt}' }];
+      mockReadPathFromWorkspace.mockRejectedValue(new Error('Access denied'));
+
+      await processor.process(prompt, context);
+
+      expect(context.ui.addItem).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(context.ui.addItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        {
+          type: MessageType.ERROR,
+          text: "Failed to inject content for '@{bad-file.txt}': Access denied",
+        },
+        expect.any(Number),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should call ui.addItem with a WARNING if the file was ignored', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'Analyze @{ignored.txt}' }];
+      // Simulate an ignored file by returning an empty array.
+      mockReadPathFromWorkspace.mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
+
+      // The placeholder should be removed, resulting in only the prefix.
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'Analyze ' }]);
+
+      expect(context.ui.addItem).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(context.ui.addItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        {
+          type: MessageType.INFO,
+          text: "File '@{ignored.txt}' was ignored by .gitignore or .geminiignore and was not included in the prompt.",
+        },
+        expect.any(Number),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should NOT call ui.addItem on success', async () => {
+      const processor = new AtFileProcessor();
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'Analyze @{good-file.txt}' }];
+      await processor.process(prompt, context);
+      expect(context.ui.addItem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bff19fb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/atFileProcessor.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import {
+  flatMapTextParts,
+  readPathFromWorkspace,
+} from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
+import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
+import { MessageType } from '../../ui/types.js';
+import {
+  AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
+  type IPromptProcessor,
+  type PromptPipelineContent,
+} from './types.js';
+import { extractInjections } from './injectionParser.js';
+
+export class AtFileProcessor implements IPromptProcessor {
+  constructor(private readonly commandName?: string) {}
+
+  async process(
+    input: PromptPipelineContent,
+    context: CommandContext,
+  ): Promise<PromptPipelineContent> {
+    const config = context.services.config;
+    if (!config) {
+      return input;
+    }
+
+    return flatMapTextParts(input, async (text) => {
+      if (!text.includes(AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER)) {
+        return [{ text }];
+      }
+
+      const injections = extractInjections(
+        text,
+        AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
+        this.commandName,
+      );
+      if (injections.length === 0) {
+        return [{ text }];
+      }
+
+      const output: PromptPipelineContent = [];
+      let lastIndex = 0;
+
+      for (const injection of injections) {
+        const prefix = text.substring(lastIndex, injection.startIndex);
+        if (prefix) {
+          output.push({ text: prefix });
+        }
+
+        const pathStr = injection.content;
+        try {
+          const fileContentParts = await readPathFromWorkspace(pathStr, config);
+          if (fileContentParts.length === 0) {
+            const uiMessage = `File '@{${pathStr}}' was ignored by .gitignore or .geminiignore and was not included in the prompt.`;
+            context.ui.addItem(
+              { type: MessageType.INFO, text: uiMessage },
+              Date.now(),
+            );
+          }
+          output.push(...fileContentParts);
+        } catch (error) {
+          const message =
+            error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+          const uiMessage = `Failed to inject content for '@{${pathStr}}': ${message}`;
+
+          console.error(
+            `[AtFileProcessor] ${uiMessage}. Leaving placeholder in prompt.`,
+          );
+          context.ui.addItem(
+            { type: MessageType.ERROR, text: uiMessage },
+            Date.now(),
+          );
+
+          const placeholder = text.substring(
+            injection.startIndex,
+            injection.endIndex,
+          );
+          output.push({ text: placeholder });
+        }
+        lastIndex = injection.endIndex;
+      }
+
+      const suffix = text.substring(lastIndex);
+      if (suffix) {
+        output.push({ text: suffix });
+      }
+
+      return output;
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5ce0f8f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { extractInjections } from './injectionParser.js';
+
+describe('extractInjections', () => {
+  const SHELL_TRIGGER = '!{';
+  const AT_FILE_TRIGGER = '@{';
+
+  describe('Basic Functionality', () => {
+    it('should return an empty array if no trigger is present', () => {
+      const prompt = 'This is a simple prompt without injections.';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should extract a single, simple injection', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Run this command: !{ls -la}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: 'ls -la',
+          startIndex: 18,
+          endIndex: 27,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should extract multiple injections', () => {
+      const prompt = 'First: !{cmd1}, Second: !{cmd2}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(result[0]).toEqual({
+        content: 'cmd1',
+        startIndex: 7,
+        endIndex: 14,
+      });
+      expect(result[1]).toEqual({
+        content: 'cmd2',
+        startIndex: 24,
+        endIndex: 31,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle different triggers (e.g., @{)', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Read this file: @{path/to/file.txt}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, AT_FILE_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: 'path/to/file.txt',
+          startIndex: 16,
+          endIndex: 35,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Positioning and Edge Cases', () => {
+    it('should handle injections at the start and end of the prompt', () => {
+      const prompt = '!{start} middle text !{end}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(result[0]).toEqual({
+        content: 'start',
+        startIndex: 0,
+        endIndex: 8,
+      });
+      expect(result[1]).toEqual({
+        content: 'end',
+        startIndex: 21,
+        endIndex: 27,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle adjacent injections', () => {
+      const prompt = '!{A}!{B}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(result[0]).toEqual({ content: 'A', startIndex: 0, endIndex: 4 });
+      expect(result[1]).toEqual({ content: 'B', startIndex: 4, endIndex: 8 });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle empty injections', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Empty: !{}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: '',
+          startIndex: 7,
+          endIndex: 10,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should trim whitespace within the content', () => {
+      const prompt = '!{  \n command with space  \t }';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: 'command with space',
+          startIndex: 0,
+          endIndex: 29,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should ignore similar patterns that are not the exact trigger', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Not a trigger: !(cmd) or {cmd} or ! {cmd}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should ignore extra closing braces before the trigger', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Ignore this } then !{run}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: 'run',
+          startIndex: 19,
+          endIndex: 25,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should stop parsing at the first balanced closing brace (non-greedy)', () => {
+      // This tests that the parser doesn't greedily consume extra closing braces
+      const prompt = 'Run !{ls -l}} extra braces';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          content: 'ls -l',
+          startIndex: 4,
+          endIndex: 12,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Nested Braces (Balanced)', () => {
+    it('should correctly parse content with simple nested braces (e.g., JSON)', () => {
+      const prompt = `Send JSON: !{curl -d '{"key": "value"}'}`;
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].content).toBe(`curl -d '{"key": "value"}'`);
+    });
+
+    it('should correctly parse content with shell constructs (e.g., awk)', () => {
+      const prompt = `Process text: !{awk '{print $1}' file.txt}`;
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].content).toBe(`awk '{print $1}' file.txt`);
+    });
+
+    it('should correctly parse multiple levels of nesting', () => {
+      const prompt = `!{level1 {level2 {level3}} suffix}`;
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].content).toBe(`level1 {level2 {level3}} suffix`);
+      expect(result[0].endIndex).toBe(prompt.length);
+    });
+
+    it('should correctly parse paths containing balanced braces', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Analyze @{path/with/{braces}/file.txt}';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, AT_FILE_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].content).toBe('path/with/{braces}/file.txt');
+    });
+
+    it('should correctly handle an injection containing the trigger itself', () => {
+      // This works because the parser counts braces, it doesn't look for the trigger again until the current one is closed.
+      const prompt = '!{echo "The trigger is !{ confusing }"}';
+      const expectedContent = 'echo "The trigger is !{ confusing }"';
+      const result = extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER);
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].content).toBe(expectedContent);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Error Handling (Unbalanced/Unclosed)', () => {
+    it('should throw an error for a simple unclosed injection', () => {
+      const prompt = 'This prompt has !{an unclosed trigger';
+      expect(() => extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER)).toThrow(
+        /Invalid syntax: Unclosed injection starting at index 16 \('!{'\)/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should throw an error if the prompt ends inside a nested block', () => {
+      const prompt = 'This fails: !{outer {inner';
+      expect(() => extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER)).toThrow(
+        /Invalid syntax: Unclosed injection starting at index 12 \('!{'\)/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should include the context name in the error message if provided', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Failing !{command';
+      const contextName = 'test-command';
+      expect(() =>
+        extractInjections(prompt, SHELL_TRIGGER, contextName),
+      ).toThrow(
+        /Invalid syntax in command 'test-command': Unclosed injection starting at index 8/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should throw if content contains unbalanced braces (e.g., missing closing)', () => {
+      // This is functionally the same as an unclosed injection from the parser's perspective.
+      const prompt = 'Analyze @{path/with/braces{example.txt}';
+      expect(() => extractInjections(prompt, AT_FILE_TRIGGER)).toThrow(
+        /Invalid syntax: Unclosed injection starting at index 8 \('@{'\)/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should clearly state that unbalanced braces in content are not supported in the error', () => {
+      const prompt = 'Analyze @{path/with/braces{example.txt}';
+      expect(() => extractInjections(prompt, AT_FILE_TRIGGER)).toThrow(
+        /Paths or commands with unbalanced braces are not supported directly/,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52d3226d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/injectionParser.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Represents a single detected injection site in a prompt string.
+ */
+export interface Injection {
+  /** The content extracted from within the braces (e.g., the command or path), trimmed. */
+  content: string;
+  /** The starting index of the injection (inclusive, points to the start of the trigger). */
+  startIndex: number;
+  /** The ending index of the injection (exclusive, points after the closing '}'). */
+  endIndex: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Iteratively parses a prompt string to extract injections (e.g., !{...} or @{...}),
+ * correctly handling nested braces within the content.
+ *
+ * This parser relies on simple brace counting and does not support escaping.
+ *
+ * @param prompt The prompt string to parse.
+ * @param trigger The opening trigger sequence (e.g., '!{', '@{').
+ * @param contextName Optional context name (e.g., command name) for error messages.
+ * @returns An array of extracted Injection objects.
+ * @throws Error if an unclosed injection is found.
+ */
+export function extractInjections(
+  prompt: string,
+  trigger: string,
+  contextName?: string,
+): Injection[] {
+  const injections: Injection[] = [];
+  let index = 0;
+
+  while (index < prompt.length) {
+    const startIndex = prompt.indexOf(trigger, index);
+
+    if (startIndex === -1) {
+      break;
+    }
+
+    let currentIndex = startIndex + trigger.length;
+    let braceCount = 1;
+    let foundEnd = false;
+
+    while (currentIndex < prompt.length) {
+      const char = prompt[currentIndex];
+
+      if (char === '{') {
+        braceCount++;
+      } else if (char === '}') {
+        braceCount--;
+        if (braceCount === 0) {
+          const injectionContent = prompt.substring(
+            startIndex + trigger.length,
+            currentIndex,
+          );
+          const endIndex = currentIndex + 1;
+
+          injections.push({
+            content: injectionContent.trim(),
+            startIndex,
+            endIndex,
+          });
+
+          index = endIndex;
+          foundEnd = true;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      currentIndex++;
+    }
+
+    // Check if the inner loop finished without finding the closing brace.
+    if (!foundEnd) {
+      const contextInfo = contextName ? ` in command '${contextName}'` : '';
+      // Enforce strict parsing (Comment 1) and clarify limitations (Comment 2).
+      throw new Error(
+        `Invalid syntax${contextInfo}: Unclosed injection starting at index ${startIndex} ('${trigger}'). Ensure braces are balanced. Paths or commands with unbalanced braces are not supported directly.`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  return injections;
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.test.ts
index 5e33a8a5..3b2418e1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.test.ts
@@ -12,10 +12,11 @@ import type { Config } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import { ApprovalMode } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import os from 'node:os';
 import { quote } from 'shell-quote';
+import { createPartFromText } from '@google/genai';
+import type { PromptPipelineContent } from './types.js';
 
 // Helper function to determine the expected escaped string based on the current OS,
-// mirroring the logic in the actual `escapeShellArg` implementation. This makes
-// our tests robust and platform-agnostic.
+// mirroring the logic in the actual `escapeShellArg` implementation.
 function getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(arg: string): string {
   if (os.platform() === 'win32') {
     const comSpec = (process.env['ComSpec'] || 'cmd.exe').toLowerCase();
@@ -32,6 +33,11 @@ function getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(arg: string): string {
   }
 }
 
+// Helper to create PromptPipelineContent
+function createPromptPipelineContent(text: string): PromptPipelineContent {
+  return [createPartFromText(text)];
+}
+
 const mockCheckCommandPermissions = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const mockShellExecute = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 
@@ -93,7 +99,7 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should throw an error if config is missing', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = '!{ls}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent('!{ls}');
     const contextWithoutConfig = createMockCommandContext({
       services: {
         config: null,
@@ -107,15 +113,19 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should not change the prompt if no shell injections are present', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'This is a simple prompt with no injections.';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'This is a simple prompt with no injections.',
+    );
     const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-    expect(result).toBe(prompt);
+    expect(result).toEqual(prompt);
     expect(mockShellExecute).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it('should process a single valid shell injection if allowed', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'The current status is: !{git status}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'The current status is: !{git status}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: true,
       disallowedCommands: [],
@@ -138,12 +148,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
       expect.any(Object),
       false,
     );
-    expect(result).toBe('The current status is: On branch main');
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'The current status is: On branch main' }]);
   });
 
   it('should process multiple valid shell injections if all are allowed', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = '!{git status} in !{pwd}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      '!{git status} in !{pwd}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: true,
       disallowedCommands: [],
@@ -164,12 +176,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
     expect(mockCheckCommandPermissions).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(mockShellExecute).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    expect(result).toBe('On branch main in /usr/home');
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'On branch main in /usr/home' }]);
   });
 
   it('should throw ConfirmationRequiredError if a command is not allowed in default mode', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: false,
       disallowedCommands: ['rm -rf /'],
@@ -182,7 +196,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should NOT throw ConfirmationRequiredError if a command is not allowed but approval mode is YOLO', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: false,
       disallowedCommands: ['rm -rf /'],
@@ -203,12 +219,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
       expect.any(Object),
       false,
     );
-    expect(result).toBe('Do something dangerous: deleted');
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'Do something dangerous: deleted' }]);
   });
 
   it('should still throw an error for a hard-denied command even in YOLO mode', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Do something forbidden: !{reboot}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Do something forbidden: !{reboot}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: false,
       disallowedCommands: ['reboot'],
@@ -228,7 +246,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should throw ConfirmationRequiredError with the correct command', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Do something dangerous: !{rm -rf /}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
       allAllowed: false,
       disallowedCommands: ['rm -rf /'],
@@ -250,7 +270,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should throw ConfirmationRequiredError with multiple commands if multiple are disallowed', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = '!{cmd1} and !{cmd2}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      '!{cmd1} and !{cmd2}',
+    );
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockImplementation((cmd) => {
       if (cmd === 'cmd1') {
         return { allAllowed: false, disallowedCommands: ['cmd1'] };
@@ -275,7 +297,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should not execute any commands if at least one requires confirmation', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'First: !{echo "hello"}, Second: !{rm -rf /}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'First: !{echo "hello"}, Second: !{rm -rf /}',
+    );
 
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockImplementation((cmd) => {
       if (cmd.includes('rm')) {
@@ -294,7 +318,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should only request confirmation for disallowed commands in a mixed prompt', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Allowed: !{ls -l}, Disallowed: !{rm -rf /}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Allowed: !{ls -l}, Disallowed: !{rm -rf /}',
+    );
 
     mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockImplementation((cmd) => ({
       allAllowed: !cmd.includes('rm'),
@@ -314,7 +340,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should execute all commands if they are on the session allowlist', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Run !{cmd1} and !{cmd2}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Run !{cmd1} and !{cmd2}',
+    );
 
     // Add commands to the session allowlist
     context.session.sessionShellAllowlist = new Set(['cmd1', 'cmd2']);
@@ -346,12 +374,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
       context.session.sessionShellAllowlist,
     );
     expect(mockShellExecute).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    expect(result).toBe('Run output1 and output2');
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'Run output1 and output2' }]);
   });
 
   it('should trim whitespace from the command inside the injection before interpolation', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'Files: !{  ls {{args}} -l  }';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+      'Files: !{  ls {{args}} -l  }',
+    );
 
     const rawArgs = context.invocation!.args;
 
@@ -385,7 +415,8 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
   it('should handle an empty command inside the injection gracefully (skips execution)', async () => {
     const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-    const prompt = 'This is weird: !{}';
+    const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+      createPromptPipelineContent('This is weird: !{}');
 
     const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
 
@@ -393,77 +424,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
     expect(mockShellExecute).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
     // It replaces !{} with an empty string.
-    expect(result).toBe('This is weird: ');
-  });
-
-  describe('Robust Parsing (Balanced Braces)', () => {
-    it('should correctly parse commands containing nested braces (e.g., awk)', async () => {
-      const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const command = "awk '{print $1}' file.txt";
-      const prompt = `Output: !{${command}}`;
-      mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
-        result: Promise.resolve({ ...SUCCESS_RESULT, output: 'result' }),
-      });
-
-      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-
-      expect(mockCheckCommandPermissions).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        command,
-        expect.any(Object),
-        context.session.sessionShellAllowlist,
-      );
-      expect(mockShellExecute).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        command,
-        expect.any(String),
-        expect.any(Function),
-        expect.any(Object),
-        false,
-      );
-      expect(result).toBe('Output: result');
-    });
-
-    it('should handle deeply nested braces correctly', async () => {
-      const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const command = "echo '{{a},{b}}'";
-      const prompt = `!{${command}}`;
-      mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
-        result: Promise.resolve({ ...SUCCESS_RESULT, output: '{{a},{b}}' }),
-      });
-
-      const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-      expect(mockShellExecute).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        command,
-        expect.any(String),
-        expect.any(Function),
-        expect.any(Object),
-        false,
-      );
-      expect(result).toBe('{{a},{b}}');
-    });
-
-    it('should throw an error for unclosed shell injections', async () => {
-      const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'This prompt is broken: !{ls -l';
-
-      await expect(processor.process(prompt, context)).rejects.toThrow(
-        /Unclosed shell injection/,
-      );
-    });
-
-    it('should throw an error for unclosed nested braces', async () => {
-      const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'Broken: !{echo {a}';
-
-      await expect(processor.process(prompt, context)).rejects.toThrow(
-        /Unclosed shell injection/,
-      );
-    });
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'This is weird: ' }]);
   });
 
   describe('Error Reporting', () => {
     it('should append exit code and command name on failure', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{cmd}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{cmd}');
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({
           ...SUCCESS_RESULT,
@@ -475,14 +443,17 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
 
-      expect(result).toBe(
-        "some error output\n[Shell command 'cmd' exited with code 1]",
-      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          text: "some error output\n[Shell command 'cmd' exited with code 1]",
+        },
+      ]);
     });
 
     it('should append signal info and command name if terminated by signal', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{cmd}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{cmd}');
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({
           ...SUCCESS_RESULT,
@@ -495,14 +466,17 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
 
-      expect(result).toBe(
-        "output\n[Shell command 'cmd' terminated by signal SIGTERM]",
-      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          text: "output\n[Shell command 'cmd' terminated by signal SIGTERM]",
+        },
+      ]);
     });
 
     it('should throw a detailed error if the shell fails to spawn', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{bad-command}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{bad-command}');
       const spawnError = new Error('spawn EACCES');
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({
@@ -522,7 +496,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
     it('should report abort status with command name if aborted', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{long-running-command}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        '!{long-running-command}',
+      );
       const spawnError = new Error('Aborted');
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({
@@ -536,9 +512,11 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
       });
 
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
-      expect(result).toBe(
-        "partial output\n[Shell command 'long-running-command' aborted]",
-      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        {
+          text: "partial output\n[Shell command 'long-running-command' aborted]",
+        },
+      ]);
     });
   });
 
@@ -552,29 +530,35 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
     it('should perform raw replacement if no shell injections are present (optimization path)', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'The user said: {{args}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        'The user said: {{args}}',
+      );
 
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`The user said: ${rawArgs}`);
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: `The user said: ${rawArgs}` }]);
       expect(mockShellExecute).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
     it('should perform raw replacement outside !{} blocks', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'Outside: {{args}}. Inside: !{echo "hello"}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        'Outside: {{args}}. Inside: !{echo "hello"}',
+      );
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({ ...SUCCESS_RESULT, output: 'hello' }),
       });
 
       const result = await processor.process(prompt, context);
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`Outside: ${rawArgs}. Inside: hello`);
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: `Outside: ${rawArgs}. Inside: hello` }]);
     });
 
     it('should perform escaped replacement inside !{} blocks', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'Command: !{grep {{args}} file.txt}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        'Command: !{grep {{args}} file.txt}',
+      );
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({ ...SUCCESS_RESULT, output: 'match found' }),
       });
@@ -592,12 +576,14 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
         false,
       );
 
-      expect(result).toBe('Command: match found');
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'Command: match found' }]);
     });
 
     it('should handle both raw (outside) and escaped (inside) injection simultaneously', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = 'User "({{args}})" requested search: !{search {{args}}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        'User "({{args}})" requested search: !{search {{args}}}',
+      );
       mockShellExecute.mockReturnValue({
         result: Promise.resolve({ ...SUCCESS_RESULT, output: 'results' }),
       });
@@ -614,12 +600,15 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
         false,
       );
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`User "(${rawArgs})" requested search: results`);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: `User "(${rawArgs})" requested search: results` },
+      ]);
     });
 
     it('should perform security checks on the final, resolved (escaped) command', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{rm {{args}}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{rm {{args}}}');
 
       const expectedEscapedArgs = getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(rawArgs);
       const expectedResolvedCommand = `rm ${expectedEscapedArgs}`;
@@ -642,7 +631,8 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
 
     it('should report the resolved command if a hard denial occurs', async () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
-      const prompt = '!{rm {{args}}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{rm {{args}}}');
       const expectedEscapedArgs = getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(rawArgs);
       const expectedResolvedCommand = `rm ${expectedEscapedArgs}`;
       mockCheckCommandPermissions.mockReturnValue({
@@ -662,7 +652,9 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
       const multilineArgs = 'first line\nsecond line';
       context.invocation!.args = multilineArgs;
-      const prompt = 'Commit message: !{git commit -m {{args}}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent = createPromptPipelineContent(
+        'Commit message: !{git commit -m {{args}}}',
+      );
 
       const expectedEscapedArgs =
         getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(multilineArgs);
@@ -691,7 +683,8 @@ describe('ShellProcessor', () => {
     ])('should safely escape args containing $name', async ({ input }) => {
       const processor = new ShellProcessor('test-command');
       context.invocation!.args = input;
-      const prompt = '!{echo {{args}}}';
+      const prompt: PromptPipelineContent =
+        createPromptPipelineContent('!{echo {{args}}}');
 
       const expectedEscapedArgs = getExpectedEscapedArgForPlatform(input);
       const expectedCommand = `echo ${expectedEscapedArgs}`;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.ts
index cfa72292..d45e8f8a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/shellProcessor.ts
@@ -10,14 +10,16 @@ import {
   escapeShellArg,
   getShellConfiguration,
   ShellExecutionService,
+  flatMapTextParts,
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 
 import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
-import type { IPromptProcessor } from './types.js';
+import type { IPromptProcessor, PromptPipelineContent } from './types.js';
 import {
   SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
   SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
 } from './types.js';
+import { extractInjections, type Injection } from './injectionParser.js';
 
 export class ConfirmationRequiredError extends Error {
   constructor(
@@ -30,15 +32,10 @@ export class ConfirmationRequiredError extends Error {
 }
 
 /**
- * Represents a single detected shell injection site in the prompt.
+ * Represents a single detected shell injection site in the prompt,
+ * after resolution of arguments. Extends the base Injection interface.
  */
-interface ShellInjection {
-  /** The shell command extracted from within !{...}, trimmed. */
-  command: string;
-  /** The starting index of the injection (inclusive, points to '!'). */
-  startIndex: number;
-  /** The ending index of the injection (exclusive, points after '}'). */
-  endIndex: number;
+interface ResolvedShellInjection extends Injection {
   /** The command after {{args}} has been escaped and substituted. */
   resolvedCommand?: string;
 }
@@ -56,11 +53,25 @@ interface ShellInjection {
 export class ShellProcessor implements IPromptProcessor {
   constructor(private readonly commandName: string) {}
 
-  async process(prompt: string, context: CommandContext): Promise<string> {
+  async process(
+    prompt: PromptPipelineContent,
+    context: CommandContext,
+  ): Promise<PromptPipelineContent> {
+    return flatMapTextParts(prompt, (text) =>
+      this.processString(text, context),
+    );
+  }
+
+  private async processString(
+    prompt: string,
+    context: CommandContext,
+  ): Promise<PromptPipelineContent> {
     const userArgsRaw = context.invocation?.args || '';
 
     if (!prompt.includes(SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER)) {
-      return prompt.replaceAll(SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER, userArgsRaw);
+      return [
+        { text: prompt.replaceAll(SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER, userArgsRaw) },
+      ];
     }
 
     const config = context.services.config;
@@ -71,26 +82,37 @@ export class ShellProcessor implements IPromptProcessor {
     }
     const { sessionShellAllowlist } = context.session;
 
-    const injections = this.extractInjections(prompt);
+    const injections = extractInjections(
+      prompt,
+      SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER,
+      this.commandName,
+    );
+
     // If extractInjections found no closed blocks (and didn't throw), treat as raw.
     if (injections.length === 0) {
-      return prompt.replaceAll(SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER, userArgsRaw);
+      return [
+        { text: prompt.replaceAll(SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER, userArgsRaw) },
+      ];
     }
 
     const { shell } = getShellConfiguration();
     const userArgsEscaped = escapeShellArg(userArgsRaw, shell);
 
-    const resolvedInjections = injections.map((injection) => {
-      if (injection.command === '') {
-        return injection;
-      }
-      // Replace {{args}} inside the command string with the escaped version.
-      const resolvedCommand = injection.command.replaceAll(
-        SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
-        userArgsEscaped,
-      );
-      return { ...injection, resolvedCommand };
-    });
+    const resolvedInjections: ResolvedShellInjection[] = injections.map(
+      (injection) => {
+        const command = injection.content;
+
+        if (command === '') {
+          return { ...injection, resolvedCommand: undefined };
+        }
+
+        const resolvedCommand = command.replaceAll(
+          SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER,
+          userArgsEscaped,
+        );
+        return { ...injection, resolvedCommand };
+      },
+    );
 
     const commandsToConfirm = new Set<string>();
     for (const injection of resolvedInjections) {
@@ -180,69 +202,6 @@ export class ShellProcessor implements IPromptProcessor {
       userArgsRaw,
     );
 
-    return processedPrompt;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Iteratively parses the prompt string to extract shell injections (!{...}),
-   * correctly handling nested braces within the command.
-   *
-   * @param prompt The prompt string to parse.
-   * @returns An array of extracted ShellInjection objects.
-   * @throws Error if an unclosed injection (`!{`) is found.
-   */
-  private extractInjections(prompt: string): ShellInjection[] {
-    const injections: ShellInjection[] = [];
-    let index = 0;
-
-    while (index < prompt.length) {
-      const startIndex = prompt.indexOf(SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER, index);
-
-      if (startIndex === -1) {
-        break;
-      }
-
-      let currentIndex = startIndex + SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER.length;
-      let braceCount = 1;
-      let foundEnd = false;
-
-      while (currentIndex < prompt.length) {
-        const char = prompt[currentIndex];
-
-        // We count literal braces. This parser does not interpret shell quoting/escaping.
-        if (char === '{') {
-          braceCount++;
-        } else if (char === '}') {
-          braceCount--;
-          if (braceCount === 0) {
-            const commandContent = prompt.substring(
-              startIndex + SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER.length,
-              currentIndex,
-            );
-            const endIndex = currentIndex + 1;
-
-            injections.push({
-              command: commandContent.trim(),
-              startIndex,
-              endIndex,
-            });
-
-            index = endIndex;
-            foundEnd = true;
-            break;
-          }
-        }
-        currentIndex++;
-      }
-
-      // Check if the inner loop finished without finding the closing brace.
-      if (!foundEnd) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Invalid syntax in command '${this.commandName}': Unclosed shell injection starting at index ${startIndex} ('!{'). Ensure braces are balanced.`,
-        );
-      }
-    }
-
-    return injections;
+    return [{ text: processedPrompt }];
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/types.ts
index 94c2e717..c6876574 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/types.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/prompt-processors/types.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@
  */
 
 import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
+import type { PartUnion } from '@google/genai';
+
+/**
+ * Defines the input/output type for prompt processors.
+ */
+export type PromptPipelineContent = PartUnion[];
 
 /**
  * Defines the interface for a prompt processor, a module that can transform
@@ -13,12 +19,8 @@ import type { CommandContext } from '../../ui/commands/types.js';
  */
 export interface IPromptProcessor {
   /**
-   * Processes a prompt string, applying a specific transformation as part of a pipeline.
-   *
-   * Each processor in a command's pipeline receives the output of the previous
-   * processor. This method provides the full command context, allowing for
-   * complex transformations that may require access to invocation details,
-   * application services, or UI state.
+   * Processes a prompt input (which may contain text and multi-modal parts),
+   * applying a specific transformation as part of a pipeline.
    *
    * @param prompt The current state of the prompt string. This may have been
    *   modified by previous processors in the pipeline.
@@ -28,7 +30,10 @@ export interface IPromptProcessor {
    * @returns A promise that resolves to the transformed prompt string, which
    *   will be passed to the next processor or, if it's the last one, sent to the model.
    */
-  process(prompt: string, context: CommandContext): Promise<string>;
+  process(
+    prompt: PromptPipelineContent,
+    context: CommandContext,
+  ): Promise<PromptPipelineContent>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -42,3 +47,8 @@ export const SHORTHAND_ARGS_PLACEHOLDER = '{{args}}';
  * The trigger string for shell command injection in custom commands.
  */
 export const SHELL_INJECTION_TRIGGER = '!{';
+
+/**
+ * The trigger string for at file injection in custom commands.
+ */
+export const AT_FILE_INJECTION_TRIGGER = '@{';
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/types.ts
index d701419e..32f52a12 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/types.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/types.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import { type ReactNode } from 'react';
-import type { Content } from '@google/genai';
+import type { Content, PartListUnion } from '@google/genai';
 import type { HistoryItemWithoutId, HistoryItem } from '../types.js';
 import type { Config, GitService, Logger } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import type { LoadedSettings } from '../../config/settings.js';
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ export interface LoadHistoryActionReturn {
  */
 export interface SubmitPromptActionReturn {
   type: 'submit_prompt';
-  content: string;
+  content: PartListUnion;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/slashCommandProcessor.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/slashCommandProcessor.test.ts
index 7099e2e6..b19cd21d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/slashCommandProcessor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/slashCommandProcessor.test.ts
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ describe('useSlashCommandProcessor', () => {
           description: 'A command from a file',
           action: async () => ({
             type: 'submit_prompt',
-            content: 'The actual prompt from the TOML file.',
+            content: [{ text: 'The actual prompt from the TOML file.' }],
           }),
         },
         CommandKind.FILE,
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ describe('useSlashCommandProcessor', () => {
 
       expect(actionResult).toEqual({
         type: 'submit_prompt',
-        content: 'The actual prompt from the TOML file.',
+        content: [{ text: 'The actual prompt from the TOML file.' }],
       });
 
       expect(mockAddItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ describe('useSlashCommandProcessor', () => {
           description: 'A command from mcp',
           action: async () => ({
             type: 'submit_prompt',
-            content: 'The actual prompt from the mcp command.',
+            content: [{ text: 'The actual prompt from the mcp command.' }],
           }),
         },
         CommandKind.MCP_PROMPT,
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ describe('useSlashCommandProcessor', () => {
 
       expect(actionResult).toEqual({
         type: 'submit_prompt',
-        content: 'The actual prompt from the mcp command.',
+        content: [{ text: 'The actual prompt from the mcp command.' }],
       });
 
       expect(mockAddItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
index d453bec9..5461b521 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import type {
   ToolCallConfirmationDetails,
   ToolResultDisplay,
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
+import type { PartListUnion } from '@google/genai';
 
 // Only defining the state enum needed by the UI
 export enum StreamingState {
@@ -239,7 +240,7 @@ export interface ConsoleMessageItem {
  */
 export interface SubmitPromptResult {
   type: 'submit_prompt';
-  content: string;
+  content: PartListUnion;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/core/index.ts b/packages/core/index.ts
index 4b273417..447560d4 100644
--- a/packages/core/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/index.ts
@@ -18,3 +18,4 @@ export {
   IdeConnectionType,
 } from './src/telemetry/types.js';
 export { makeFakeConfig } from './src/test-utils/config.js';
+export * from './src/utils/pathReader.js';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/core/client.ts b/packages/core/src/core/client.ts
index 7778da6b..7f2abd69 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/core/client.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/core/client.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { Turn, GeminiEventType } from './turn.js';
 import type { Config } from '../config/config.js';
 import type { UserTierId } from '../code_assist/types.js';
 import { getCoreSystemPrompt, getCompressionPrompt } from './prompts.js';
-import { getResponseText } from '../utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.js';
+import { getResponseText } from '../utils/partUtils.js';
 import { checkNextSpeaker } from '../utils/nextSpeakerChecker.js';
 import { reportError } from '../utils/errorReporting.js';
 import { GeminiChat } from './geminiChat.js';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/core/turn.ts b/packages/core/src/core/turn.ts
index 24db4940..ab46ee00 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/core/turn.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/core/turn.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import type {
   ToolResultDisplay,
 } from '../tools/tools.js';
 import type { ToolErrorType } from '../tools/tool-error.js';
-import { getResponseText } from '../utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.js';
+import { getResponseText } from '../utils/partUtils.js';
 import { reportError } from '../utils/errorReporting.js';
 import {
   getErrorMessage,
diff --git a/packages/core/src/index.ts b/packages/core/src/index.ts
index c8a2dda1..be437ec1 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/index.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ export * from './utils/formatters.js';
 export * from './utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.js';
 export * from './utils/filesearch/fileSearch.js';
 export * from './utils/errorParsing.js';
+export * from './utils/workspaceContext.js';
 export * from './utils/ignorePatterns.js';
+export * from './utils/partUtils.js';
 
 // Export services
 export * from './services/fileDiscoveryService.js';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tools/web-fetch.ts b/packages/core/src/tools/web-fetch.ts
index f4d83410..586ce362 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tools/web-fetch.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tools/web-fetch.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { ToolErrorType } from './tool-error.js';
 import { getErrorMessage } from '../utils/errors.js';
 import type { Config } from '../config/config.js';
 import { ApprovalMode } from '../config/config.js';
-import { getResponseText } from '../utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.js';
+import { getResponseText } from '../utils/partUtils.js';
 import { fetchWithTimeout, isPrivateIp } from '../utils/fetch.js';
 import { convert } from 'html-to-text';
 import { ProxyAgent, setGlobalDispatcher } from 'undici';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tools/web-search.ts b/packages/core/src/tools/web-search.ts
index 24bc40bf..b5f57e4b 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tools/web-search.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tools/web-search.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { ToolErrorType } from './tool-error.js';
 
 import { getErrorMessage } from '../utils/errors.js';
 import type { Config } from '../config/config.js';
-import { getResponseText } from '../utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.js';
+import { getResponseText } from '../utils/partUtils.js';
 
 interface GroundingChunkWeb {
   uri?: string;
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.test.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.test.ts
index f081e38c..5f99fa8d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 import {
-  getResponseText,
   getResponseTextFromParts,
   getFunctionCalls,
   getFunctionCallsFromParts,
@@ -69,45 +68,6 @@ const minimalMockResponse = (
 });
 
 describe('generateContentResponseUtilities', () => {
-  describe('getResponseText', () => {
-    it('should return undefined for no candidates', () => {
-      expect(getResponseText(minimalMockResponse(undefined))).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-    it('should return undefined for empty candidates array', () => {
-      expect(getResponseText(minimalMockResponse([]))).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-    it('should return undefined for no parts', () => {
-      const response = mockResponse([]);
-      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-    it('should extract text from a single text part', () => {
-      const response = mockResponse([mockTextPart('Hello')]);
-      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBe('Hello');
-    });
-    it('should concatenate text from multiple text parts', () => {
-      const response = mockResponse([
-        mockTextPart('Hello '),
-        mockTextPart('World'),
-      ]);
-      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBe('Hello World');
-    });
-    it('should ignore function call parts', () => {
-      const response = mockResponse([
-        mockTextPart('Hello '),
-        mockFunctionCallPart('testFunc'),
-        mockTextPart('World'),
-      ]);
-      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBe('Hello World');
-    });
-    it('should return undefined if only function call parts exist', () => {
-      const response = mockResponse([
-        mockFunctionCallPart('testFunc'),
-        mockFunctionCallPart('anotherFunc'),
-      ]);
-      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-  });
-
   describe('getResponseTextFromParts', () => {
     it('should return undefined for no parts', () => {
       expect(getResponseTextFromParts([])).toBeUndefined();
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.ts
index 136b35ed..8d5bec9f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/generateContentResponseUtilities.ts
@@ -9,23 +9,7 @@ import type {
   Part,
   FunctionCall,
 } from '@google/genai';
-
-export function getResponseText(
-  response: GenerateContentResponse,
-): string | undefined {
-  const parts = response.candidates?.[0]?.content?.parts;
-  if (!parts) {
-    return undefined;
-  }
-  const textSegments = parts
-    .map((part) => part.text)
-    .filter((text): text is string => typeof text === 'string');
-
-  if (textSegments.length === 0) {
-    return undefined;
-  }
-  return textSegments.join('');
-}
+import { getResponseText } from './partUtils.js';
 
 export function getResponseTextFromParts(parts: Part[]): string | undefined {
   if (!parts) {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.test.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.test.ts
index 5504f85c..d5301072 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.test.ts
@@ -5,8 +5,13 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
-import { partToString, getResponseText } from './partUtils.js';
-import type { GenerateContentResponse, Part } from '@google/genai';
+import {
+  partToString,
+  getResponseText,
+  flatMapTextParts,
+  appendToLastTextPart,
+} from './partUtils.js';
+import type { GenerateContentResponse, Part, PartUnion } from '@google/genai';
 
 const mockResponse = (
   parts?: Array<{ text?: string; functionCall?: unknown }>,
@@ -162,5 +167,135 @@ describe('partUtils', () => {
       const result = mockResponse([]);
       expect(getResponseText(result)).toBeNull();
     });
+
+    it('should return null if the first candidate has no content property', () => {
+      const response: GenerateContentResponse = {
+        candidates: [
+          {
+            index: 0,
+          },
+        ],
+        promptFeedback: { safetyRatings: [] },
+        text: undefined,
+        data: undefined,
+        functionCalls: undefined,
+        executableCode: undefined,
+        codeExecutionResult: undefined,
+      };
+      expect(getResponseText(response)).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('flatMapTextParts', () => {
+    // A simple async transform function that splits a string into character parts.
+    const splitCharsTransform = async (text: string): Promise<PartUnion[]> =>
+      text.split('').map((char) => ({ text: char }));
+
+    it('should return an empty array for empty input', async () => {
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts([], splitCharsTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should transform a simple string input', async () => {
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts('hi', splitCharsTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'h' }, { text: 'i' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should transform a single text part object', async () => {
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts(
+        { text: 'cat' },
+        splitCharsTransform,
+      );
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'c' }, { text: 'a' }, { text: 't' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should transform an array of text parts and flatten the result', async () => {
+      // A transform that duplicates the text to test the "flatMap" behavior.
+      const duplicateTransform = async (text: string): Promise<PartUnion[]> => [
+        { text: `${text}` },
+        { text: `${text}` },
+      ];
+      const parts = [{ text: 'a' }, { text: 'b' }];
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts(parts, duplicateTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'a' },
+        { text: 'a' },
+        { text: 'b' },
+        { text: 'b' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should pass through non-text parts unmodified', async () => {
+      const nonTextPart: Part = { functionCall: { name: 'do_stuff' } };
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts(nonTextPart, splitCharsTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([nonTextPart]);
+    });
+
+    it('should handle a mix of text and non-text parts in an array', async () => {
+      const nonTextPart: Part = {
+        inlineData: { mimeType: 'image/jpeg', data: '' },
+      };
+      const parts: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'go' }, nonTextPart, ' stop'];
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts(parts, splitCharsTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: 'g' },
+        { text: 'o' },
+        nonTextPart, // Should be passed through
+        { text: ' ' },
+        { text: 's' },
+        { text: 't' },
+        { text: 'o' },
+        { text: 'p' },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should handle a transform that returns an empty array', async () => {
+      const removeTransform = async (_text: string): Promise<PartUnion[]> => [];
+      const parts: PartUnion[] = [
+        { text: 'remove' },
+        { functionCall: { name: 'keep' } },
+      ];
+      const result = await flatMapTextParts(parts, removeTransform);
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ functionCall: { name: 'keep' } }]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('appendToLastTextPart', () => {
+    it('should append to an empty prompt', () => {
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, 'new text');
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'new text' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should append to a prompt with a string as the last part', () => {
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = ['first part'];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, 'new text');
+      expect(result).toEqual(['first part\n\nnew text']);
+    });
+
+    it('should append to a prompt with a text part object as the last part', () => {
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [{ text: 'first part' }];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, 'new text');
+      expect(result).toEqual([{ text: 'first part\n\nnew text' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should append a new text part if the last part is not a text part', () => {
+      const nonTextPart: Part = { functionCall: { name: 'do_stuff' } };
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = [nonTextPart];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, 'new text');
+      expect(result).toEqual([nonTextPart, { text: '\n\nnew text' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should not append anything if the text to append is empty', () => {
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = ['first part'];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, '');
+      expect(result).toEqual(['first part']);
+    });
+
+    it('should use a custom separator', () => {
+      const prompt: PartUnion[] = ['first part'];
+      const result = appendToLastTextPart(prompt, 'new text', '---');
+      expect(result).toEqual(['first part---new text']);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.ts
index ce42d3b0..f5195c11 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/partUtils.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import type {
   GenerateContentResponse,
   PartListUnion,
   Part,
+  PartUnion,
 } from '@google/genai';
 
 /**
@@ -87,3 +88,82 @@ export function getResponseText(
   }
   return null;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Asynchronously maps over a PartListUnion, applying a transformation function
+ * to the text content of each text-based part.
+ *
+ * @param parts The PartListUnion to process.
+ * @param transform A function that takes a string of text and returns a Promise
+ *   resolving to an array of new PartUnions.
+ * @returns A Promise that resolves to a new array of PartUnions with the
+ *   transformations applied.
+ */
+export async function flatMapTextParts(
+  parts: PartListUnion,
+  transform: (text: string) => Promise<PartUnion[]>,
+): Promise<PartUnion[]> {
+  const result: PartUnion[] = [];
+  const partArray = Array.isArray(parts)
+    ? parts
+    : typeof parts === 'string'
+      ? [{ text: parts }]
+      : [parts];
+
+  for (const part of partArray) {
+    let textToProcess: string | undefined;
+    if (typeof part === 'string') {
+      textToProcess = part;
+    } else if ('text' in part) {
+      textToProcess = part.text;
+    }
+
+    if (textToProcess !== undefined) {
+      const transformedParts = await transform(textToProcess);
+      result.push(...transformedParts);
+    } else {
+      // Pass through non-text parts unmodified.
+      result.push(part);
+    }
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Appends a string of text to the last text part of a prompt, or adds a new
+ * text part if the last part is not a text part.
+ *
+ * @param prompt The prompt to modify.
+ * @param textToAppend The text to append to the prompt.
+ * @param separator The separator to add between existing text and the new text.
+ * @returns The modified prompt.
+ */
+export function appendToLastTextPart(
+  prompt: PartUnion[],
+  textToAppend: string,
+  separator = '\n\n',
+): PartUnion[] {
+  if (!textToAppend) {
+    return prompt;
+  }
+
+  if (prompt.length === 0) {
+    return [{ text: textToAppend }];
+  }
+
+  const newPrompt = [...prompt];
+  const lastPart = newPrompt.at(-1);
+
+  if (typeof lastPart === 'string') {
+    newPrompt[newPrompt.length - 1] = `${lastPart}${separator}${textToAppend}`;
+  } else if (lastPart && 'text' in lastPart) {
+    newPrompt[newPrompt.length - 1] = {
+      ...lastPart,
+      text: `${lastPart.text}${separator}${textToAppend}`,
+    };
+  } else {
+    newPrompt.push({ text: `${separator}${textToAppend}` });
+  }
+
+  return newPrompt;
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.test.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..45229a67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,407 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+import mock from 'mock-fs';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+import { WorkspaceContext } from './workspaceContext.js';
+import { readPathFromWorkspace } from './pathReader.js';
+import type { Config } from '../config/config.js';
+import { StandardFileSystemService } from '../services/fileSystemService.js';
+import type { FileDiscoveryService } from '../services/fileDiscoveryService.js';
+
+// --- Helper for creating a mock Config object ---
+// We use the actual implementations of WorkspaceContext and FileSystemService
+// to test the integration against mock-fs.
+const createMockConfig = (
+  cwd: string,
+  otherDirs: string[] = [],
+  mockFileService?: FileDiscoveryService,
+): Config => {
+  const workspace = new WorkspaceContext(cwd, otherDirs);
+  const fileSystemService = new StandardFileSystemService();
+  return {
+    getWorkspaceContext: () => workspace,
+    // TargetDir is used by processSingleFileContent to generate relative paths in errors/output
+    getTargetDir: () => cwd,
+    getFileSystemService: () => fileSystemService,
+    getFileService: () => mockFileService,
+  } as unknown as Config;
+};
+
+describe('readPathFromWorkspace', () => {
+  const CWD = path.resolve('/test/cwd');
+  const OTHER_DIR = path.resolve('/test/other');
+  const OUTSIDE_DIR = path.resolve('/test/outside');
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    mock.restore();
+    vi.resetAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('should read a text file from the CWD', async () => {
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {
+        'file.txt': 'hello from cwd',
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('file.txt', config);
+    // Expect [string] for text content
+    expect(result).toEqual(['hello from cwd']);
+    expect(mockFileService.filterFiles).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('should read a file from a secondary workspace directory', async () => {
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {},
+      [OTHER_DIR]: {
+        'file.txt': 'hello from other dir',
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [OTHER_DIR], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('file.txt', config);
+    expect(result).toEqual(['hello from other dir']);
+  });
+
+  it('should prioritize CWD when file exists in both CWD and secondary dir', async () => {
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {
+        'file.txt': 'hello from cwd',
+      },
+      [OTHER_DIR]: {
+        'file.txt': 'hello from other dir',
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [OTHER_DIR], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('file.txt', config);
+    expect(result).toEqual(['hello from cwd']);
+  });
+
+  it('should read an image file and return it as inlineData (Part object)', async () => {
+    // Use a real PNG header for robustness
+    const imageData = Buffer.from([
+      0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47, 0x0d, 0x0a, 0x1a, 0x0a,
+    ]);
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {
+        'image.png': imageData,
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('image.png', config);
+    // Expect [Part] for image content
+    expect(result).toEqual([
+      {
+        inlineData: {
+          mimeType: 'image/png',
+          data: imageData.toString('base64'),
+        },
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('should read a generic binary file and return an info string', async () => {
+    // Data that is clearly binary (null bytes)
+    const binaryData = Buffer.from([0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03]);
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {
+        'data.bin': binaryData,
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('data.bin', config);
+    // Expect [string] containing the skip message from fileUtils
+    expect(result).toEqual(['Cannot display content of binary file: data.bin']);
+  });
+
+  it('should read a file from an absolute path if within workspace', async () => {
+    const absPath = path.join(OTHER_DIR, 'abs.txt');
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {},
+      [OTHER_DIR]: {
+        'abs.txt': 'absolute content',
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [OTHER_DIR], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace(absPath, config);
+    expect(result).toEqual(['absolute content']);
+  });
+
+  describe('Directory Expansion', () => {
+    it('should expand a directory and read the content of its files', async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'my-dir': {
+            'file1.txt': 'content of file 1',
+            'file2.md': 'content of file 2',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('my-dir', config);
+
+      // Convert to a single string for easier, order-independent checking
+      const resultText = result
+        .map((p) => {
+          if (typeof p === 'string') return p;
+          if (typeof p === 'object' && p && 'text' in p) return p.text;
+          // This part is important for handling binary/image data which isn't just text
+          if (typeof p === 'object' && p && 'inlineData' in p) return '';
+          return p;
+        })
+        .join('');
+
+      expect(resultText).toContain(
+        '--- Start of content for directory: my-dir ---',
+      );
+      expect(resultText).toContain('--- file1.txt ---');
+      expect(resultText).toContain('content of file 1');
+      expect(resultText).toContain('--- file2.md ---');
+      expect(resultText).toContain('content of file 2');
+      expect(resultText).toContain(
+        '--- End of content for directory: my-dir ---',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should recursively expand a directory and read all nested files', async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'my-dir': {
+            'file1.txt': 'content of file 1',
+            'sub-dir': {
+              'nested.txt': 'nested content',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('my-dir', config);
+
+      const resultText = result
+        .map((p) => {
+          if (typeof p === 'string') return p;
+          if (typeof p === 'object' && p && 'text' in p) return p.text;
+          return '';
+        })
+        .join('');
+
+      expect(resultText).toContain('content of file 1');
+      expect(resultText).toContain('nested content');
+      expect(resultText).toContain(
+        `--- ${path.join('sub-dir', 'nested.txt')} ---`,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should handle mixed content and include files from subdirectories', async () => {
+      const imageData = Buffer.from([
+        0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47, 0x0d, 0x0a, 0x1a, 0x0a,
+      ]);
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'mixed-dir': {
+            'info.txt': 'some text',
+            'photo.png': imageData,
+            'sub-dir': {
+              'nested.txt': 'this should be included',
+            },
+            'empty-sub-dir': {},
+          },
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('mixed-dir', config);
+
+      // Check for the text part
+      const textContent = result
+        .map((p) => {
+          if (typeof p === 'string') return p;
+          if (typeof p === 'object' && p && 'text' in p) return p.text;
+          return ''; // Ignore non-text parts for this assertion
+        })
+        .join('');
+      expect(textContent).toContain('some text');
+      expect(textContent).toContain('this should be included');
+
+      // Check for the image part
+      const imagePart = result.find(
+        (p) => typeof p === 'object' && 'inlineData' in p,
+      );
+      expect(imagePart).toEqual({
+        inlineData: {
+          mimeType: 'image/png',
+          data: imageData.toString('base64'),
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle an empty directory', async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'empty-dir': {},
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('empty-dir', config);
+      expect(result).toEqual([
+        { text: '--- Start of content for directory: empty-dir ---\n' },
+        { text: '--- End of content for directory: empty-dir ---' },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('File Ignoring', () => {
+    it('should return an empty array for an ignored file', async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'ignored.txt': 'ignored content',
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn(() => []), // Simulate the file being filtered out
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('ignored.txt', config);
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+      expect(mockFileService.filterFiles).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        ['ignored.txt'],
+        {
+          respectGitIgnore: true,
+          respectGeminiIgnore: true,
+        },
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should not read ignored files when expanding a directory', async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'my-dir': {
+            'not-ignored.txt': 'visible',
+            'ignored.log': 'invisible',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files: string[]) =>
+          files.filter((f) => !f.endsWith('ignored.log')),
+        ),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('my-dir', config);
+      const resultText = result
+        .map((p) => {
+          if (typeof p === 'string') return p;
+          if (typeof p === 'object' && p && 'text' in p) return p.text;
+          return '';
+        })
+        .join('');
+
+      expect(resultText).toContain('visible');
+      expect(resultText).not.toContain('invisible');
+      expect(mockFileService.filterFiles).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should throw an error for an absolute path outside the workspace', async () => {
+    const absPath = path.join(OUTSIDE_DIR, 'secret.txt');
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {},
+      [OUTSIDE_DIR]: {
+        'secret.txt': 'secrets',
+      },
+    });
+    // OUTSIDE_DIR is not added to the config's workspace
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD);
+    await expect(readPathFromWorkspace(absPath, config)).rejects.toThrow(
+      `Absolute path is outside of the allowed workspace: ${absPath}`,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should throw an error if a relative path is not found anywhere', async () => {
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {},
+      [OTHER_DIR]: {},
+    });
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [OTHER_DIR]);
+    await expect(
+      readPathFromWorkspace('not-found.txt', config),
+    ).rejects.toThrow('Path not found in workspace: not-found.txt');
+  });
+
+  // mock-fs permission simulation is unreliable on Windows.
+  it.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')(
+    'should return an error string if reading a file with no permissions',
+    async () => {
+      mock({
+        [CWD]: {
+          'unreadable.txt': mock.file({
+            content: 'you cannot read me',
+            mode: 0o222, // Write-only
+          }),
+        },
+      });
+      const mockFileService = {
+        filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+      } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+      const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+      // processSingleFileContent catches the error and returns an error string.
+      const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('unreadable.txt', config);
+      const textResult = result[0] as string;
+
+      // processSingleFileContent formats errors using the relative path from the target dir (CWD).
+      expect(textResult).toContain('Error reading file unreadable.txt');
+      expect(textResult).toMatch(/(EACCES|permission denied)/i);
+    },
+  );
+
+  it('should return an error string for files exceeding the size limit', async () => {
+    // Mock a file slightly larger than the 20MB limit defined in fileUtils.ts
+    const largeContent = 'a'.repeat(21 * 1024 * 1024); // 21MB
+    mock({
+      [CWD]: {
+        'large.txt': largeContent,
+      },
+    });
+    const mockFileService = {
+      filterFiles: vi.fn((files) => files),
+    } as unknown as FileDiscoveryService;
+    const config = createMockConfig(CWD, [], mockFileService);
+    const result = await readPathFromWorkspace('large.txt', config);
+    const textResult = result[0] as string;
+    // The error message comes directly from processSingleFileContent
+    expect(textResult).toBe('File size exceeds the 20MB limit.');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b177848
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/pathReader.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { promises as fs } from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { glob } from 'glob';
+import type { PartUnion } from '@google/genai';
+import { processSingleFileContent } from './fileUtils.js';
+import type { Config } from '../config/config.js';
+
+/**
+ * Reads the content of a file or recursively expands a directory from
+ * within the workspace, returning content suitable for LLM input.
+ *
+ * @param pathStr The path to read (can be absolute or relative).
+ * @param config The application configuration, providing workspace context and services.
+ * @returns A promise that resolves to an array of PartUnion (string | Part).
+ * @throws An error if the path is not found or is outside the workspace.
+ */
+export async function readPathFromWorkspace(
+  pathStr: string,
+  config: Config,
+): Promise<PartUnion[]> {
+  const workspace = config.getWorkspaceContext();
+  const fileService = config.getFileService();
+  let absolutePath: string | null = null;
+
+  if (path.isAbsolute(pathStr)) {
+    if (!workspace.isPathWithinWorkspace(pathStr)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Absolute path is outside of the allowed workspace: ${pathStr}`,
+      );
+    }
+    absolutePath = pathStr;
+  } else {
+    // Prioritized search for relative paths.
+    const searchDirs = workspace.getDirectories();
+    for (const dir of searchDirs) {
+      const potentialPath = path.resolve(dir, pathStr);
+      try {
+        await fs.access(potentialPath);
+        absolutePath = potentialPath;
+        break; // Found the first match.
+      } catch {
+        // Not found, continue to the next directory.
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!absolutePath) {
+    throw new Error(`Path not found in workspace: ${pathStr}`);
+  }
+
+  const stats = await fs.stat(absolutePath);
+  if (stats.isDirectory()) {
+    const allParts: PartUnion[] = [];
+    allParts.push({
+      text: `--- Start of content for directory: ${pathStr} ---\n`,
+    });
+
+    // Use glob to recursively find all files within the directory.
+    const files = await glob('**/*', {
+      cwd: absolutePath,
+      nodir: true, // We only want files
+      dot: true, // Include dotfiles
+      absolute: true,
+    });
+
+    const relativeFiles = files.map((p) =>
+      path.relative(config.getTargetDir(), p),
+    );
+    const filteredFiles = fileService.filterFiles(relativeFiles, {
+      respectGitIgnore: true,
+      respectGeminiIgnore: true,
+    });
+    const finalFiles = filteredFiles.map((p) =>
+      path.resolve(config.getTargetDir(), p),
+    );
+
+    for (const filePath of finalFiles) {
+      const relativePathForDisplay = path.relative(absolutePath, filePath);
+      allParts.push({ text: `--- ${relativePathForDisplay} ---\n` });
+      const result = await processSingleFileContent(
+        filePath,
+        config.getTargetDir(),
+        config.getFileSystemService(),
+      );
+      allParts.push(result.llmContent);
+      allParts.push({ text: '\n' }); // Add a newline for separation
+    }
+
+    allParts.push({ text: `--- End of content for directory: ${pathStr} ---` });
+    return allParts;
+  } else {
+    // It's a single file, check if it's ignored.
+    const relativePath = path.relative(config.getTargetDir(), absolutePath);
+    const filtered = fileService.filterFiles([relativePath], {
+      respectGitIgnore: true,
+      respectGeminiIgnore: true,
+    });
+
+    if (filtered.length === 0) {
+      // File is ignored, return empty array to silently skip.
+      return [];
+    }
+
+    // It's a single file, process it directly.
+    const result = await processSingleFileContent(
+      absolutePath,
+      config.getTargetDir(),
+      config.getFileSystemService(),
+    );
+    return [result.llmContent];
+  }
+}