Developers can now run Google’s Gemini AI from their local command line
Google has officially released Gemini CLI , an open-source command-line tool that brings the power of its advanced AI models directly into the developer’s terminal. While Google isn’t the first player to bring AI into the command line — with competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic offering similar tools — it might just be the most generous when it comes to usage limits for free users.
🔑 Free Tier Offers Generous Access
One of the standout features of Gemini CLI is the free access tier , which gives developers a surprisingly high quota to work with:
- Up to 60 model requests per minute
- A total of 1,000 model requests per day
This access is linked to your personal Google account and connects directly to Gemini 2.5 Pro , one of Google’s most powerful models. With its 1 million token context window , developers have ample space to experiment, build, and automate without hitting paywalls or rate limits.
For individual developers or small teams, this level of access could be more than enough for daily tasks like code editing, documentation summarization, or even building simple AI-powered workflows.
💼 For Professional Use: Paid Options & Custom Plans
If you’re a professional developer working on large-scale automation, running multiple AI agents, or need access to specific models beyond the default, Google offers flexible paid options:
- Use an API key from Google AI Studio or Vertex AI for pay-as-you-go billing.
- Upgrade to Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses for enhanced capabilities and higher quotas.
These plans are ideal for teams and organizations that require consistent performance, dedicated support, and deeper integration with enterprise development tools.
🛠️ What Can You Do With Gemini CLI?
The Gemini CLI is built to be both powerful and extensible. Here’s what you can do right out of the box:
🔍 Ground Prompts with Real-Time Web Search
Use the built-in Google Search tool to fetch up-to-date information and include external context in your prompts — all within the CLI.
🔌 Extend Capabilities with Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Integrate additional tools and services through MCP (Model Context Protocol), including media generation via Imagen, Veo, or Lyria.
🎯 Customize Prompts for Your Workflow
Create custom instructions tailored to your team’s needs, making Gemini behave like a personalized assistant for your projects.
🤖 Automate Tasks in Scripts
Run Gemini CLI non-interactively inside your scripts for automated workflows — perfect for CI/CD pipelines, batch processing, and more.
🧰 Easy Setup for Modern Developers
Getting started with Gemini CLI is straightforward if you’re already set up for web development. The only requirement is Node.js version 18 or higher .
You can run the tool directly using npx:
npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
Or install it globally for easier access:
🧩 Integration with Google Code Assist
Gemini CLI shares core technology with Google Code Assist , the company’s IDE plugin for tools like VS Code . This means developers get a consistent experience whether they’re working in their favorite editor or deep in the terminal.
Both the free tier and paid subscriptions benefit from this unified approach, allowing seamless transitions between environments while maintaining powerful AI assistance.
📁 Example Use Cases
Here are a few real-world examples of how developers are already using Gemini CLI:
- Generate a Discord bot that answers questions using a provided FAQ file.
- Summarize recent changes in a Git repository.
- Implement a draft solution for a GitHub issue.
- Migrate a codebase to a newer language version with a structured plan.
- Create slide decks from git history.
- Build a full-screen dashboard showing active GitHub issues.
- Batch convert images to PNG and rename them based on EXIF dates.
- Organize PDF invoices by month of expenditure.
📚 Want to Learn More?
You can dive deeper into the project by checking out the official GitHub repository , where you’ll find comprehensive documentation, troubleshooting guides, and inspiration for popular tasks.
Whether you’re a solo developer looking to boost productivity or part of a team needing scalable AI integration, Gemini CLI offers a powerful new way to interact with AI — right from your terminal.