Gemini CLI is Google's open-source AI agent that provides access to Gemini models directly in your terminal for coding, content creation, problem-solving, and workflow automation.
Installation & Setup
Command
Description
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
Install Gemini CLI globally
gemini auth login
Authenticate with Google account
gemini auth status
Check authentication status
gemini config set model gemini-1.5-pro
Set default model
gemini config list
Show current configuration
gemini --version
Display version information
gemini --help
Show help and available commands
Basic Usage
Command
Description
gemini "Hello, world!"
Simple text generation
gemini chat
Start interactive chat session
gemini -f input.txt
Process file input
gemini -o output.txt "Generate code"
Save output to file
gemini --model gemini-1.5-flash "Quick task"
Use specific model
gemini --stream "Long response"
Enable streaming output
File Operations
Command
Description
gemini read file.txt
Read and analyze file content
gemini write file.txt "Content to write"
Write content to file
gemini edit file.txt "Make these changes"
Edit existing file
gemini analyze *.py
Analyze multiple files
gemini diff file1.txt file2.txt
Compare two files
gemini summarize document.pdf
Summarize document content
Code Development
Command
Description
gemini code "Create a Python function"
Generate code
gemini debug script.py
Debug code issues
gemini test app.js
Generate test cases
gemini refactor old_code.py
Refactor existing code
gemini explain complex_function.py
Explain code functionality
gemini optimize slow_script.py
Optimize code performance
Project Management
Command
Description
gemini init
Initialize project with Gemini
gemini project analyze
Analyze entire project
gemini project docs
Generate project documentation
gemini project structure
Analyze project structure
gemini project dependencies
Analyze dependencies
gemini project security
Security analysis
Git Integration
Command
Description
gemini git commit
Generate commit messages
gemini git review
Review code changes
gemini git branch "feature description"
Suggest branch names
gemini git merge-conflicts
Help resolve merge conflicts
gemini git changelog
Generate changelog
gemini git pr-description
Generate PR descriptions
Built-in Tools
File System Tools
Command
Description
gemini ls
List directory contents with AI insights
gemini find "search criteria"
Intelligent file search
gemini tree
Display directory tree with analysis
gemini size
Analyze disk usage
gemini clean
Suggest cleanup actions
System Tools
Command
Description
gemini ps
Analyze running processes
gemini top
Monitor system resources
gemini logs
Analyze system logs
gemini network
Network diagnostics
gemini disk
Disk usage analysis
Content Creation
Command
Description
gemini blog "topic"
Generate blog post
gemini email "context"
Draft email content
gemini presentation "topic"
Create presentation outline
gemini report "data"
Generate report
gemini documentation "code"
Create documentation
gemini readme
Generate README file
Data Analysis
Command
Description
gemini csv analyze data.csv
Analyze CSV data
gemini json parse data.json
Parse and analyze JSON
gemini logs analyze access.log
Analyze log files
gemini sql "database query"
Generate SQL queries
gemini chart data.csv
Suggest data visualizations
Configuration
Command
Description
gemini config set temperature 0.7
Set model temperature
gemini config set max-tokens 2048
Set maximum tokens
gemini config set model gemini-1.5-pro
Set default model
gemini config set output-format json
Set output format
gemini config reset
Reset to default settings
gemini config export config.json
Export configuration
Advanced Features
Multi-modal Input
Command
Description
gemini image analyze photo.jpg
Analyze image content
gemini image describe screenshot.png
Describe image
gemini video analyze video.mp4
Analyze video content
gemini audio transcribe audio.wav
Transcribe audio
Batch Processing
Command
Description
gemini batch -f tasks.txt
Process multiple tasks
gemini parallel "task1" "task2" "task3"
Run tasks in parallel
gemini queue add "task"
Add task to queue
gemini queue process
Process queued tasks
Custom Tools
Command
Description
gemini tools list
List available tools
gemini tools install tool-name
Install custom tool
gemini tools create my-tool
Create custom tool
gemini tools config tool-name
Configure tool
Workflow Automation
Command
Description
gemini workflow create "name"
Create new workflow
gemini workflow run "name"
Execute workflow
gemini workflow list
List available workflows
gemini workflow edit "name"
Edit workflow
gemini schedule "0 9 * * *" "daily task"
Schedule recurring task
Integration Examples
Development Workflow
Command
Description
gemini dev setup
Setup development environment
gemini dev build
Build project with AI assistance
gemini dev deploy
Deploy with AI guidance
gemini dev monitor
Monitor application
DevOps Tasks
Command
Description
gemini docker optimize Dockerfile
Optimize Docker configuration
gemini k8s analyze deployment.yaml
Analyze Kubernetes configs
gemini terraform plan
Review Terraform plans
gemini ci-cd optimize .github/workflows/
Optimize CI/CD pipelines
Model Selection
Command
Description
gemini models list
List available models
gemini models info gemini-1.5-pro
Get model information
gemini --model gemini-1.5-flash "fast task"
Use Flash model for speed
gemini --model gemini-1.5-pro "complex task"
Use Pro model for complexity
Output Formats
Command
Description
gemini --format json "data request"
JSON output
gemini --format markdown "documentation"
Markdown output
gemini --format code "programming task"
Code-only output
gemini --format table "structured data"
Table format
Context Management
Command
Description
gemini context add file.txt
Add file to context
gemini context list
Show current context
gemini context clear
Clear context
gemini context save session.json
Save context session
gemini context load session.json
Load context session
Debugging and Troubleshooting
Command
Description
gemini --debug "command"
Enable debug mode
gemini --verbose "command"
Verbose output
gemini doctor
Diagnose installation issues
gemini logs show
Show application logs
gemini test connection
Test API connectivity
Environment Variables
Variable
Description
GEMINI_API_KEY
Set API key
GEMINI_MODEL
Default model
GEMINI_TEMPERATURE
Default temperature
GEMINI_MAX_TOKENS
Default max tokens
GEMINI_CONFIG_PATH
Custom config path
Best Practices
Use specific, clear prompts for better results
Leverage the 1 million token context for large codebases
Combine multiple tools for complex workflows
Save frequently used commands as aliases
Use streaming for long-running tasks
Regularly update to get latest features
Configure appropriate model based on task complexity
Use context management for multi-step tasks
Implement proper error handling in workflows
Monitor API usage and costs
Common Use Cases
Code Review
gemini git diff HEAD~1 | gemini review "Check for security issues and best practices"
Documentation Generation
gemini analyze src/ | gemini docs "Generate API documentation"