Gemini Cli marks the third major release in waves of AI-powered terminal agents. It started with Claude Code in February and continued. Openai’s CLI-based codex April. Now, in June, Google entered the arena with Gemini Cli. This has given us all three major AI labs – Humanity, Openai and Google – a unique perspective on what is emerging as the next big thing. “Terminal Agent”– A command-line tool that allows you to intelligently read, write and execute file or shell commands on your behalf.
Introducing Gemini CLI, an open source AI agent that brings the power of Gemini directly to the terminal. It provides lightweight access to Gemini and provides the most direct path from the prompt to the model. While it’s good at coding, we’ll build a Gemini CLI and do more. – Gemini Cli Launch Blog
Let’s explore!
The Gemini CLI launches the screen.
What is Gemini CLI?
Gemini CLI is Open Source AI Agent This brings the power of Gemini directly to your device. It provides lightweight access to Gemini and provides the most direct path from the prompt to the model. Gemini Kuri can do more while it’s good at coding. It is a versatile, local utility that can be used for a wide range of tasks, from content generation and problem solving to deep research and task management.
The Gemini CLI is now available for developers to preview from today. Currently, you can use it freely through a free Gemini Code Assist license that can be obtained through your personal Google account.
You can use the Gemini CLI.
- Query and edit large codebases inside and outside the Gemini 1M token context window.
- Generate new apps from PDFs or sketches using Gemini’s multimodal features.
- Automate operational tasks such as pull request queries and complex rebase processing.
- Connect new features such as media generation and image, VEO, Lyria, and more using tools and MCP servers
- Ground your queries with Gemini’s built-in Google search tool.
How to get started?
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
- You now have the gemini cli installed.
geminiInstructions:
gemini
Or install it:
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
gemini
- Choose a color theme
- When prompted, sign in to your personal Google account.
Now you’re ready to use the Gemini CLI!
Advanced usage or capacity increase
If you need to use a specific model or if you want higher request capacity, you can use an API key.
- Generate keys from Google AI Studio.
- Set it as an environment variable in the terminal. Replace
YOUR_API_KEYWith the generated key.
export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
For other authentication methods, including Google Workspace accounts, please see certification guide.
Unparalleled free layer restrictions for individual use
To use GeminiCLI’s free charging, you can get it for free by logging in with your personal Google account Gemini Code Assist license. Used by Gemini Cli Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro Reasoning Modelcurrently supports 1 million token context windows (amount of information that the AI model can understand). To ensure that limits are rarely achieved during this preview, Gemini CLI offers the largest allowance in the industry. We offer 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day for free.
Bring AI power to the terminal
Now in preview, GeminiCli places advanced AI directly on your command line. It helps you understand the code, edit files, run commands, and troubleshoot issues through simple natural language prompts. Gemini Cli changes the way you work in the terminal, making your workflow faster, smarter and more efficient, whether you write new code or debug tricky issues.
What really makes the Gemini Cli so powerful is the included set of tools. These tools allow you:
- Enhance your prompts using Google SearchProvides AI access to real-time web content for better informational responses
- Expand its functionality Using Model Context Protocol (MCP) Or via the built-in extension
- Customize the response method By adjusting prompts and procedures to suit your unique tasks and workflows
- Automate repetitive tasks No need to manually enter it by calling geminiCli directly from the script
Final Thoughts
Gemini CLI is not just another AI tool This is a serious upgrade to how developers work. With deep code understanding, smart command execution, real-time web access, and generous free use restrictions, bringing the full power of Google’s Gemini model to your device.
Gemini CLI allows you to move faster, stay focused and gain more friction, whether you’re debugging, automating, or building a Zemini CLI from scratch.
