Gemini CLI
Also known as: Google Gemini CLI, gemini
Gemini CLI is Google's open-source (Apache-2.0) AI agent that brings Gemini models directly into your terminal. It has built-in tools for file operations, shell commands, web fetch, and Google Search grounding, supports MCP servers and GEMINI.md context files, and uses Gemini 3 models with a 1M token context window. It integrates with VS Code-compatible editors through the Gemini CLI Companion extension and with JetBrains IDEs and Zed through the ACP Agent Registry.
Agent Information
- Provider
- Supported IDEs
- Terminal / CLI, VSCode (Companion extension), JetBrains (ACP), Zed (ACP)
Feature Support Matrix
| Feature | Support Level | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | ||
| Automatic Context Awareness | ✅ Full Support | With the IDE companion extension, the CLI automatically gains workspace context: the 10 most recently accessed files, th... |
| Filesystem Access | ✅ Full Support | Built-in tools include file system operations and shell commands. |
| MCP Server Support | ✅ Full Support | Supports MCP servers for custom integrations, configured in ~/.gemini/settings.json. |
| Editor Integration | ||
| Broad IDE Integration | ✅ Full Support | Integrates with VS Code, Antigravity, and other VS Code-compatible editors through the Gemini CLI Companion extension, a... |
| Model Support | ||
| Latest Claude Model Support | ❓ Unknown | Not documented: the full official documentation (https://www.geminicli.com/llms.txt) was searched on 2026-09-30 without ... |
| Context Window Management | ✅ Full Support | Uses Gemini 3 models with a 1M token context window. |
| Debugging | ||
| Console Error Integration | ❓ Unknown | Not documented: the full official documentation (https://www.geminicli.com/llms.txt) was searched on 2026-09-30 without ... |
| Interactive Element Selection | ❓ Unknown | Not documented: the full official documentation (https://www.geminicli.com/llms.txt) was searched on 2026-09-30 without ... |
| Live Web Preview | ⚠️ Partial | An experimental browser agent (disabled by default, requires Chrome 144+) can navigate pages, click buttons, and extract... |
| Configuration | ||
| Dedicated Instruction File | ✅ Full Support | GEMINI.md context files tailor the agent behavior for your projects. |
| Fine-Grained Instruction Control | ⚠️ Partial | GEMINI.md files in subdirectories are loaded just in time when tools access those directories (directory scoping). File-... |
| Supports Scoped Instructions | ✅ Full Support | Context is hierarchical: a global ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md, workspace GEMINI.md files, and just-in-time directory-level files... |
| Planning | ||
| Planner Strategy | ✅ Full Support | Plan Mode is a read-only environment to research, design, and agree on a plan before code is modified. It is enabled by ... |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, within quotas: signing in with a Google account gives 60 requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day, and a Gemini API key gives 1,000 requests per day. Paid usage-based billing and Vertex AI options offer higher limits.
Run it without installing via npx @google/gemini-cli, or install it globally with npm install -g @google/gemini-cli. It is also available via Homebrew, MacPorts, and Anaconda.
GEMINI.md files provide instructional context. Gemini CLI loads a global ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md, GEMINI.md files in your workspace directories and their parents, and, just in time, GEMINI.md files in directories that tools access. Use /memory show to see the loaded context.