Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI: Your Open-Source AI Agent in the Terminal

Gemini CLI is an open-source AI agent designed to bring the power of Gemini directly into your terminal. It offers a lightweight, command-line interface to Google's Gemini models, providing developers with a direct path from their prompts to the AI. This tool is Apache 2.0 licensed, making it free to use and modify.

What is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI is a command-line tool that allows developers to interact with Google's Gemini AI models directly from their terminal. It supports various functionalities, including code understanding and generation, debugging, automation, and integration with other tools and services. The primary goal is to provide developers with a seamless and efficient way to leverage AI in their development workflows.

How does Gemini CLI work?

Gemini CLI works by providing a command-line interface to interact with Google's Gemini AI models. It supports several key features:

• Access to Gemini Models: Provides access to Gemini 2.5 Pro with a 1M token context window.
• Built-in Tools: Integrates Google Search for grounding, file operations, shell commands, and web fetching.
• Extensibility: Supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) for custom integrations.

Key Features of Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI comes with a range of features designed to enhance your development workflow:

• Code Understanding & Generation:
  • Query and edit large codebases.
  • Generate new apps from PDFs, images, or sketches using multimodal capabilities.
  • Debug issues and troubleshoot with natural language.
• Automation & Integration:
  • Automate operational tasks like querying pull requests or handling complex rebases.
  • Use MCP servers to connect new capabilities, including media generation with Imagen, Veo, or Lyria.
  • Run non-interactively in scripts for workflow automation.
• Advanced Capabilities:
  • Ground your queries with built-in Google Search for real-time information.
  • Conversation checkpointing to save and resume complex sessions.
  • Custom context files (GEMINI.md) to tailor behavior for your projects.

How to use Gemini CLI?

1. Installation: You can install Gemini CLI using npm, npx, or Homebrew:

   # Using npx (no installation required)
   npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
   
   # Install globally with npm
   npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
   
   # Install globally with Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
   brew install gemini-cli
   

2. Authentication: Choose an authentication method:

   • Login with Google (OAuth): Suitable for individual developers and Google AI Pro/AI Ultra subscribers.

     gemini
     

   • Gemini API Key: For developers needing specific model control or paid tier access.

     export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
     

gemini ```

*   **Vertex AI**: For enterprise teams and production workloads.

    ```bash
    export GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

export GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=true gemini ```

3. Basic Usage:

   # Start in current directory
   

gemini

# Include multiple directories

gemini --include-directories ../lib,../docs

# Use specific model

gemini -m gemini-2.5-flash

# Get a simple text response

gemini -p "Explain the architecture of this codebase" ```

Why choose Gemini CLI?

• Free Tier: Enjoy 60 requests/min and 1,000 requests/day with a personal Google account.
• Powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro: Access the advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model with a 1M token context window.
• Terminal-First Design: Optimized for developers who prefer working in the command line.
• Open Source: Benefit from the transparency and community support of an Apache 2.0 licensed project.

Who is Gemini CLI for?

Gemini CLI is ideal for:

• Developers who want to integrate AI into their workflows.
• Teams looking to automate code-related tasks.
• Engineers who prefer a command-line interface for interacting with AI models.
• Enterprises needing scalable and secure AI solutions.

GitHub Integration

Gemini CLI provides seamless integration with GitHub:

• Pull Request Reviews: Automated code review with contextual feedback.
• Issue Triage: Automated labeling and prioritization of GitHub issues.
• On-demand Assistance: Mention @gemini-cli in issues and pull requests for help.
• Custom Workflows: Build automated workflows tailored to your team’s needs.

Best way to use Gemini CLI?

To get the most out of Gemini CLI, consider the following:

• Utilize the built-in tools like Google Search to ground your queries with real-time information.
• Take advantage of conversation checkpointing to save and resume complex sessions.
• Customize behavior using GEMINI.md context files to tailor Gemini CLI to your projects.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively leverage Gemini CLI to enhance your development workflows and automate various tasks related to coding and project management.

In conclusion, Gemini CLI offers a powerful and flexible way to integrate AI into your development environment. Its open-source nature, combined with its extensive feature set, makes it an invaluable tool for developers looking to leverage the power of Gemini models directly from their terminal.