gemini-cli/docs/cli/index.md

# Gemini CLI

Within Gemini CLI, `packages/cli` is the frontend for users to send and receive prompts with the Gemini AI model and its associated tools. For a general overview of Gemini CLI, see the [main documentation page](../index.md).

## Basic features

- **[Commands](./commands.md):** A reference for all built-in slash commands (e.g., `/help`, `/chat`, `/tools`).
- **[Custom Commands](./custom-commands.md):** Create your own commands and shortcuts for frequently used prompts.
- **[Headless Mode](./headless.md):** Use Gemini CLI programmatically for scripting and automation.
- **[Themes](./themes.md):** Customizing the CLI's appearance with different themes.
- **[Keyboard Shortcuts](./keyboard-shortcuts.md):** A reference for all keyboard shortcuts to improve your workflow.
- **[Tutorials](./tutorials.md):** Step-by-step guides for common tasks.

## Advanced features

- **[Checkpointing](./checkpointing.md):** Automatically save and restore snapshots of your session and files.
- **[Enterprise Configuration](./enterprise.md):** Deploying and manage Gemini CLI in an enterprise environment.
- **[Sandboxing](./sandbox.md):** Isolate tool execution in a secure, containerized environment.
- **[Telemetry](./telemetry.md):** Configure observability to monitor usage and performance.
- **[Token Caching](./token-caching.md):** Optimize API costs by caching tokens.
- **[Trusted Folders](./trusted-folders.md):** A security feature to control which projects can use the full capabilities of the CLI.
- **[Ignoring Files (.geminiignore)](./gemini-ignore.md):** Exclude specific files and directories from being accessed by tools.
- **[Context Files (GEMINI.md)](./gemini-md.md):** Provide persistent, hierarchical context to the model.

## Non-interactive mode

Gemini CLI can be run in a non-interactive mode, which is useful for scripting and automation. In this mode, you pipe input to the CLI, it executes the command, and then it exits.

The following example pipes a command to Gemini CLI from your terminal:

```bash
echo "What is fine tuning?" | gemini
```

You can also use the `--prompt` or `-p` flag:

```bash
gemini -p "What is fine tuning?"
```

For comprehensive documentation on headless usage, scripting, automation, and advanced examples, see the **[Headless Mode](./headless.md)** guide.