Gemini CLI

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"

Bug Investigation

gemini logs analyze error.log | gemini debug "Find root cause"

Project Setup

gemini init && gemini project structure | gemini optimize "Suggest improvements"