gemini-cli/README.md

# Gemini CLI

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![Gemini CLI Screenshot](./docs/assets/gemini-screenshot.png)

Gemini CLI is an open-source AI agent that brings the power of Gemini directly into your terminal. It provides lightweight access to Gemini, giving you the most direct path from your prompt to our model.

## 🚀 Why Gemini CLI?

- **🎯 Free tier**: 60 requests/min and 1,000 requests/day with personal Google account
- **🧠 Powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro**: Access to 1M token context window
- **🔧 Built-in tools**: Google Search grounding, file operations, shell commands, web fetching
- **🔌 Extensible**: MCP (Model Context Protocol) support for custom integrations
- **💻 Terminal-first**: Designed for developers who live in the command line
- **🛡️ Open source**: Apache 2.0 licensed

## 📦 Installation

### Quick Install

#### Run instantly with npx

```bash
# Using npx (no installation required)
npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
```

#### Install globally with npm

```bash
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
```

#### Install globally with Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

```bash
brew install gemini-cli
```

#### System Requirements

- Node.js version 20 or higher
- macOS, Linux, or Windows

## 📋 Key Features

With Gemini CLI you can:

- **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](https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/vertex-ai-creative-studio/tree/main/experiments/mcp-genmedia)
  - Run non-interactively in scripts for workflow automation
- **Advanced Capabilities**
  - Ground your queries with built-in [Google Search](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/grounding) for real-time information
  - Conversation checkpointing to save and resume complex sessions
  - Custom context files (GEMINI.md) to tailor behavior for your projects

- **🔗 GitHub Integration**
  - Use the Gemini CLI GitHub Action for automated PR reviews
  - Automated issue triage and on-demand AI assistance directly in your repositories
  - Seamless integration with your GitHub workflows

## 🔐 Authentication Options

Choose the authentication method that best fits your needs:

### Option 1: OAuth login (Using your Google Account)

**✨ Best for:** Individual developers as well as anyone who has a Gemini Code Assist License. (see [quota limits and terms of service](https://cloud.google.com/gemini/docs/quotas) for details)

**Benefits:**

- **Free tier**: 60 requests/min and 1,000 requests/day
- **Gemini 2.5 Pro** with 1M token context window
- **No API key management** - just sign in with your Google account
- **Automatic updates** to latest models

#### Start Gemini CLI, then choose OAuth and follow the browser authentication flow when prompted

```bash
gemini
```

#### If you are using a paid Code Assist License from your organization, remember to set the Google Cloud Project

```bash
# Set your Google Cloud Project
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT="YOUR_PROJECT_NAME"
gemini
```

### Option 2: Gemini API Key

**✨ Best for:** Developers who need specific model control or paid tier access

**Benefits:**

- **Free tier**: 100 requests/day with Gemini 2.5 Pro
- **Model selection**: Choose specific Gemini models
- **Usage-based billing**: Upgrade for higher limits when needed

```bash
# Get your key from https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
gemini
```

### Option 3: Vertex AI

**✨ Best for:** Enterprise teams and production workloads

**Benefits:**

- **Enterprise features**: Advanced security and compliance
- **Scalable**: Higher rate limits with billing account
- **Integration**: Works with existing Google Cloud infrastructure

```bash
# Get your key from Google Cloud Console
export GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
export GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=true
gemini
```

For Google Workspace accounts and other authentication methods, see the [authentication guide](./docs/cli/authentication.md).

## 🚀 Getting Started

### Basic Usage

#### Start in current directory

```bash
gemini
```

#### Include multiple directories

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

#### Use specific model

```bash
gemini -m gemini-2.5-flash
```

#### Non-interactive mode for scripts

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

### Quick Examples

#### Start a new project

````bash
cd new-project/
gemini
> Write me a Discord bot that answers questions using a FAQ.md file I will provide

#### Analyze existing code
```bash
git clone https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
cd gemini-cli
gemini
> Give me a summary of all of the changes that went in yesterday
````

## 🔗 GitHub Integration

Integrate Gemini CLI directly into your GitHub workflows with the [**Gemini CLI GitHub Action**](https://github.com/google-github-actions/run-gemini-cli). Key features include:

- **Pull Request Reviews**: Automatically review pull requests when they're opened.
- **Issue Triage**: Automatically triage and label GitHub issues.
- **On-demand Collaboration**: Mention `@gemini-cli` in issues and pull requests for assistance and task delegation.
- **Custom Workflows**: Set up your own scheduled tasks and event-driven automations.

## 📚 Documentation

### Getting Started

- [**Quickstart Guide**](./docs/cli/index.md) - Get up and running quickly
- [**Authentication Setup**](./docs/cli/authentication.md) - Detailed auth configuration
- [**Configuration Guide**](./docs/cli/configuration.md) - Settings and customization
- [**Keyboard Shortcuts**](./docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md) - Productivity tips

### Core Features

- [**Commands Reference**](./docs/cli/commands.md) - All slash commands (`/help`, `/chat`, `/mcp`, etc.)
- [**Checkpointing**](./docs/checkpointing.md) - Save and resume conversations
- [**Memory Management**](./docs/tools/memory.md) - Using GEMINI.md context files
- [**Token Caching**](./docs/cli/token-caching.md) - Optimize token usage

### Tools & Extensions

- [**Built-in Tools Overview**](./docs/tools/index.md)
  - [File System Operations](./docs/tools/file-system.md)
  - [Shell Commands](./docs/tools/shell.md)
  - [Web Fetch & Search](./docs/tools/web-fetch.md)
  - [Multi-file Operations](./docs/tools/multi-file.md)
- [**MCP Server Integration**](./docs/tools/mcp-server.md) - Extend with custom tools
- [**Custom Extensions**](./docs/extension.md) - Build your own commands

### Advanced Topics

- [**Architecture Overview**](./docs/architecture.md) - How Gemini CLI works
- [**IDE Integration**](./docs/extension.md) - VS Code companion
- [**Sandboxing & Security**](./docs/sandbox.md) - Safe execution environments
- [**Enterprise Deployment**](./docs/deployment.md) - Docker, system-wide config
- [**Telemetry & Monitoring**](./docs/telemetry.md) - Usage tracking
- [**Tools API Development**](./docs/core/tools-api.md) - Create custom tools

### Configuration & Customization

- [**Settings Reference**](./docs/cli/configuration.md) - All configuration options
- [**Theme Customization**](./docs/cli/themes.md) - Visual customization
- [**.gemini Directory**](./docs/gemini-ignore.md) - Project-specific settings
- [**Environment Variables**](./docs/cli/configuration.md#environment-variables)

### Troubleshooting & Support

- [**Troubleshooting Guide**](./docs/troubleshooting.md) - Common issues and solutions
- [**FAQ**](./docs/troubleshooting.md#frequently-asked-questions) - Quick answers
- Use `/bug` command to report issues directly from the CLI

### Using MCP Servers

Configure MCP servers in `~/.gemini/settings.json` to extend Gemini CLI with custom tools:

```text
> @github List my open pull requests
> @slack Send a summary of today's commits to #dev channel
> @database Run a query to find inactive users
```

See the [MCP Server Integration guide](./docs/tools/mcp-server.md) for setup instructions.

## 🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Gemini CLI is fully open source (Apache 2.0), and we encourage the community to:

- Report bugs and suggest features
- Improve documentation
- Submit code improvements
- Share your MCP servers and extensions

See our [Contributing Guide](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for development setup, coding standards, and how to submit pull requests.

Check our [Official Roadmap](https://github.com/orgs/google-gemini/projects/11/) for planned features and priorities.

## 📖 Resources

- **[Official Roadmap](./ROADMAP.md)** - See what's coming next
- **[NPM Package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@google/gemini-cli)** - Package registry
- **[GitHub Issues](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/issues)** - Report bugs or request features
- **[Security Advisories](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/security/advisories)** - Security updates

### Uninstall

See the [Uninstall Guide](docs/Uninstall.md) for removal instructions.

## 📄 Legal

- **License**: [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE)
- **Terms of Service**: [Terms & Privacy](./docs/tos-privacy.md)
- **Security**: [Security Policy](SECURITY.md)

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