Gemini CLI Failed: API proxy enabled but no API keys found in environment

[doughgle]

Log evidence

[WARN] API proxy enabled but no API keys found in environment
Failed to save project registry: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, rename '.../projects.json.tmp' -> '.../projects.json'
Please set an Auth method in your settings.json or specify one of the following environment variables before running: GEMINI_API_KEY, GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI, GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_GCA
[WARN] Command completed with exit code: 41
Process exiting with code: 41

Expected behaviour

• The Gemini CLI invocation starts and either completes or fails with a clear, documented authentication or filesystem error (distinct, stable exit codes).
• The CLI does not abort with an ENOENT during startup/initialization when invoked by the workflow.

Actual behaviour

• The Gemini CLI fails while attempting to write its projects registry (rename returns ENOENT), then reports no authentication configured, and the process exits with code 41.
• The run log reports the API proxy was enabled but no API keys were present in the environment.

Steps to reproduce (example failing workflow reference)

• Observe the failing run for the hn-daily-digest workflow on the main branch for repository doughgle/agentic-workflows-workshop. The run invokes the Gemini CLI and exhibits the failure shown above.

Metadata / identifiers

• Run ID: 23786740249
• Workflow: hn-daily-digest
• Status: completed (failure)
• Duration: 1.9m
• Event: workflow_dispatch
• Branch: main
• Run URL: https://github.com/doughgle/agentic-workflows-workshop/actions/runs/23786740249
• Engine ID: gemini (Google Gemini CLI)
• Model: auto
• CLI Version: v0.65.0

(Only the failing run and repository references are included; local workstation paths and secrets are omitted.)

[MH0386]

Same for me

Run details - gemini

• engine id: gemini
• engine name: Google Gemini CLI
• model: auto
• version: (none)
• agent version: (none)
• workflow name: Code Simplifier
• experimental: false
• supports tools allowlist: true
• run id: 23801398093
• run number: 15
• run attempt: 1
• repository: AlphaSphereDotAI/chattr
• ref: refs/heads/main
• sha: 3928728cdcf1c2b1764104669f28b0ad592ead74
• actor: MH0386
• event name: workflow_dispatch
• target repo: (none)
• staged: false
• allowed domains:
  • defaults
  • dotnet
  • node
  • python
  • rust
  • java
• firewall enabled: false
• awf version: (none)
• awmg version: (none)
• steps:
  • firewall: squid
• created at: 2026-03-31T14:02:26.189Z
• cli version: v0.65.0