What causes "The skill name must be provided." in google-gemini/gemini-cli?

List installed skills first (`gemini skills list`) then uninstall by exact name: `gemini skills uninstall my-skill`.

The skill name must be provided.

Error message

The skill name must be provided.

What it means

Thrown by the yargs `.check()` validator on the `gemini skills uninstall <name>` command when the positional `name` argument is missing or falsy. The check enforces `demandOption: true` on the positional; uninstall needs a concrete skill identifier to look up and remove.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/commands/skills/uninstall.ts:60

export const uninstallCommand: CommandModule = {
  command: 'uninstall <name> [--scope]',
  describe: 'Uninstalls an agent skill by name.',
  builder: (yargs) =>
    yargs
      .positional('name', {
        describe: 'The name of the skill to uninstall.',
        type: 'string',
        demandOption: true,
      })
      .option('scope', {
        describe:
          'The scope to uninstall the skill from. Defaults to "user" (global).',
        choices: ['user', 'workspace'],
        default: 'user',
      })
      .check((argv) => {
        if (!argv.name) {
          throw new Error('The skill name must be provided.');
        }
        return true;
      }),
  handler: async (argv) => {
    await handleUninstall({
      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion
      name: argv['name'] as string,
      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion
      scope: argv['scope'] as 'user' | 'workspace',
    });
    await exitCli();
  },
};

View on GitHub (pinned to 5024443c72)

Solutions

List installed skills first (`gemini skills list`) then uninstall by exact name: `gemini skills uninstall my-skill`.
Confirm the name is spelled exactly as installed (case-sensitive).
Pass a non-empty string when invoking the handler programmatically.

Example fix

// before
gemini skills uninstall
// after
gemini skills uninstall my-skill

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const name = typeof argv.name === 'string' ? argv.name.trim() : '';
if (!name) {
  console.error('Usage: gemini skills uninstall <name>');
  process.exit(2);
}

Type guard

function hasSkillName(argv: unknown): argv is { name: string } {
  return (
    typeof argv === 'object' && argv !== null &&
    typeof (argv as { name?: unknown }).name === 'string' &&
    (argv as { name: string }).name.trim().length > 0
  );
}

Prevention

Run `gemini skills list` first to confirm exact names.
Pass the exact stored name (case-sensitive).
Build the uninstall command from the list output rather than typing from memory.

When it happens

Trigger: Running `gemini skills uninstall` with no positional, an empty string, or programmatically invoking `uninstallCommand` without a name.

Common situations: Forgetting the skill name; copying an uninstall command but dropping the argument; referencing an unset shell variable; assuming a default such as the most recently installed skill.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of google-gemini/gemini-cli@5024443c72 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3f2b7d1c46cfa20f. Report an issue: GitHub.