Introducing Gemini CLI: Your Open-Source AI Agent
On June 25, 2025, Google announced the launch of Gemini CLI, an open-source AI agent designed to revolutionize developers' terminal experience. Gemini CLI seamlessly integrates Gemini into developers' terminals, providing unmatched access and efficiency for individuals.
For developers, the command line interface (CLI) is more than just a tool—it's home. The terminal's efficiency, ubiquity, and portability make it the go-to utility for getting work done. With developers' reliance on the terminal enduring, the demand for integrated AI assistance continues to grow.
The Power of Gemini CLI
Gemini CLI offers lightweight access to Gemini, bridging the gap between your prompt and their model. While Gemini CLI excels at coding tasks, its capabilities extend far beyond. It serves as a versatile utility for tasks such as content generation, problem-solving, deep research, and task management.
Google has also integrated Gemini CLI with Gemini Code Assist, their AI coding assistant. This integration ensures that developers across all plans—free, Standard, and Enterprise Code Assist—can enjoy prompt-driven, AI-first coding in both VS Code and Gemini CLI.
Usage and Licensing
Developers can access Gemini CLI free-of-charge by logging in with a personal Google account to receive a free Gemini Code Assist license. The free license grants access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and its extensive 1 million token context window.
Professional developers requiring multiple agents simultaneously or specific models can opt for a Google AI Studio or Vertex AI key for usage-based billing. Alternatively, they can obtain a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license.
Features and Capabilities
In preview mode, Gemini CLI offers powerful AI capabilities ranging from code understanding and file manipulation to command execution and dynamic troubleshooting. It significantly enhances the command line experience, enabling seamless code writing, issue debugging, and workflow streamlining through natural language.
Key features of Gemini CLI include:
- Enhanced code understanding
- File manipulation
- Command execution
- Dynamic troubleshooting
Community Collaboration
As an open-source (Apache 2.0) project, developers can inspect Gemini CLI's code, understand its workings, and verify security implications. Google welcomes contributions from the global developer community through bug reporting, feature suggestions, security enhancements, and code improvements in the GitHub repository.
Gemini CLI is designed to be extensible, leveraging emerging standards like MCP, system prompts (via GEMINI.md), and settings for personal and team configurations. The terminal is a personal space, and Gemini CLI empowers developers to customize it to their preferences.
Gemini Code Assist Integration
Gemini Code Assist, Google's AI coding assistant, now shares technology with Gemini CLI. In VS Code, developers can leverage Code Assist's agent mode to enhance code writing, error fixing, feature building, and code migration.
Gemini Code Assist's agent mode, a multi-step, collaborative reasoning agent, is available at no extra cost for all plans through the Insiders channel. The free tier of Gemini Code Assist offers the highest usage limit in the market today.
Get Started with Gemini CLI
Upgrade your terminal experience today with Gemini CLI. Install Gemini CLI with just an email address and unleash the power of Gemini in your terminal. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your coding workflow and efficiency.
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