Gemini CLI review

Q: How do I install Gemini CLI?

Run npx @google/gemini-cli. It needs Node.js >=20. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Gemini CLI is an open-source AI agent from Google that brings Gemini models into your terminal for coding and automation tasks.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 22, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

Gemini CLI is an open-source terminal agent that gives direct access to Gemini models. It is for developers who want to query and edit codebases, automate workflows, and extend the agent with MCP servers. For unpaid tier and Google One users, Antigravity CLI replaced Gemini CLI on June 18th, 2026.

108.7kGitHub stars
+500new stars, week of Oct 25
~445kdownloads a week, −4% vs 4-week avg
#73in Coding agents this week

Gemini CLI at a glance

Category: Coding agents
Maintained by: google-gemini (organization, @google-gemini on GitHub)
License: Apache 2.0
Language: TypeScript, JavaScript, Python
Repository: github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
Website: geminicli.com
npm package: @google/gemini-cli 0.65.0
Latest release: v0.65.0 on GitHub, Oct 20, 2026
First published: Apr 17, 2025

What Gemini CLI does

Gemini CLI queries and edits large codebases and helps debug issues using natural language.
Gemini CLI generates new apps from PDFs, images, or sketches using multimodal capabilities.
Gemini CLI automates operational tasks such as querying pull requests or handling complex rebases.
Gemini CLI connects to MCP servers configured in ~/.gemini/settings.json to add custom tools.
Gemini CLI runs non-interactively in scripts, with plain text, JSON, or streaming JSON output.
Gemini CLI includes built-in tools for file system operations, shell commands, and web fetch and search.
Gemini CLI supports GEMINI.md context files, checkpointing to save and resume conversations, and custom commands.

How it works

Gemini CLI is a Node.js command-line program installed as the gemini binary. You run it in a project directory and work through an interactive prompt, or pass -p for headless scripting. It authenticates with a Google account, a Gemini API key, or Vertex AI. It connects to MCP servers, offers a VS Code companion, and supports sandboxing and trusted folders.

How to install and start using Gemini CLI

Run instantly with npx

npx @google/gemini-cli

With npm

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

With Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install gemini-cli

Requirements

Node.js version 20 or later.
A Google account sign-in, a Gemini API key, or Vertex AI credentials.
A Google Cloud Project set via GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT when using a paid Code Assist License from your organization.

First steps

Gemini CLI starts in the current directory when you run the gemini command.
Gemini CLI can use a Gemini API key: set GEMINI_API_KEY with a key from Google AI Studio, then run gemini.
Gemini CLI can include more directories in context with gemini --include-directories ../lib,../docs.
Gemini CLI answers a one-off prompt with gemini -p "Explain the architecture of this codebase".

Who Gemini CLI is for

Developers who want a Gemini-powered coding agent in the terminal.
Teams automating workflows with scripted, non-interactive runs and JSON output.
Enterprise teams already on Google Cloud using Vertex AI.
Developers extending an agent with MCP servers and custom extensions.

Limitations to know

Gemini CLI was replaced by Antigravity CLI for unpaid tier and Google One users on June 18th, 2026.
Gemini CLI is not optimized for the latest Gemini models, including Gemini 4 Argon, and Google points to Antigravity instead.
Gemini CLI preview and nightly releases are not fully vetted and may contain regressions.

Is Gemini CLI growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Gemini CLI ranked #208 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #73 in Coding agents, with a momentum score of 43 out of 100. Its main package had about 445k downloads that week, −4% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for Gemini CLI
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	209
Aug 16, 2026	186
Aug 23, 2026	219
Aug 30, 2026	176
Sep 6, 2026	187
Sep 13, 2026	223
Sep 20, 2026	166
Sep 27, 2026	174
Oct 4, 2026	165
Oct 11, 2026	251
Oct 18, 2026	924
Oct 25, 2026	500

On Hacker News

It looks like the status/need-triage label was removed, 303 points and 82 comments (Jan 22, 2026)
Addressing Antigravity Bans and Reinstating Access, 254 points and 216 comments (Feb 28, 2026)
Gemini CLI: mitigating abuse and prioritizing traffic, 7 points and 0 comments (Mar 19, 2026)
Google Gemini bans OAuth with third parties blocking most OpenClaw users, 6 points and 1 comments (Mar 25, 2026)
MacOS14.8、15.7 update breaks TMPDIR environment variable, 5 points and 2 comments (Sep 19, 2025)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

Gemini CLI alternatives

Other AI coding agents on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

Coding agents ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	CindyCindy is an open-source AI agent app for desktop and mobile that combines Claude Code, Codex and Pi across your connected devices.	8.8k	–
#2	OpenMausBotOpenMausBot is an open-source desktop chat app where each contact is a local Claude, Codex, or Grok CLI agent with its own computer.	9.6k	–
#3	OrcaOrca is a desktop agent development environment for running Claude Code, Codex, and other CLI coding agents in parallel, each in its own…	111.7k	–
#4	OpenBotOpenBot is an open-source, self-hosted template for AI coworkers that each get their own browser, files and granted tools, with every…	9.1k	–
#5	Agent ReachAgent Reach is a Python CLI that lets AI agents search and read platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili and…	107.2k	–
#6	Skill RecorderSkill Recorder is a desktop app that records your on-screen work session and turns it into a reusable agent Skill or Automation.	5.6k	–

All AI coding agents, ranked

Recent Gemini CLI releases

v0.67.0-nightly.20261021.gd00859d6b (pre-release), Oct 21, 2026
v0.65.0, Oct 20, 2026
v0.66.0-preview.0 (pre-release), Oct 20, 2026
v0.66.0-nightly.20261020.g76e4d7c04 (pre-release), Oct 20, 2026
v0.66.0-nightly.20261019.ged96faedf (pre-release), Oct 19, 2026

Gemini CLI FAQ

Is Gemini CLI free and open source?

Yes. Gemini CLI's source code is on GitHub (google-gemini/gemini-cli) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free. Its website also links to a pricing page (https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/quota-and-pricing) for any paid plans.

How do I install Gemini CLI?

Run npx @google/gemini-cli. It needs Node.js >=20. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is Gemini CLI still maintained?

Yes. The google-gemini/gemini-cli repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, v0.65.0 on GitHub, came out on Oct 20, 2026.

How popular is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI has 108.7k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 500 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 282 a week. Its main package had about 445k downloads that week, −4% against its own 4-week average. That made it #73 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

Gemini CLI vs Claude Code: how do they compare?

Gemini CLI and Claude Code are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Gemini CLI has 108.7k GitHub stars and Claude Code has 154.1k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Gemini CLI's main package had 445k downloads and Claude Code's had 11.6M. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and handles git workflows through natural language. Claude Code review.

Gemini CLI vs OpenCode: how do they compare?

Gemini CLI and OpenCode are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Gemini CLI has 108.7k GitHub stars and OpenCode has 223.6k. OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that helps you write and run code in a terminal, desktop app, or IDE extension. OpenCode review.

What are the best alternatives to Gemini CLI?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

Is Gemini CLI replaced by Antigravity CLI?

Gemini CLI was replaced by Antigravity CLI for unpaid tier and Google One users on June 18th, 2026. The project is still released, and other authentication paths such as API keys and Vertex AI remain documented.

Is Gemini CLI still available?

Gemini CLI is still available on npm and GitHub, and the repository is not archived. Unpaid tier and Google One users were moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18th, 2026.

Is Gemini CLI good for coding with the latest Gemini models?

Gemini CLI is not optimized for the latest Gemini models, according to its README. Google recommends Antigravity CLI for the best coding experience with Gemini models, including Gemini 4 Argon.

How do I use Gemini CLI with VS Code?

Gemini CLI offers a VS Code companion through its IDE integration. The project documents setup in its IDE Integration guide on geminicli.com.

How do I use Gemini CLI in the terminal?

Gemini CLI runs by typing gemini in a project directory, which opens an interactive prompt. For scripts, use gemini -p with a prompt, and add --output-format json for structured output.

Sources

Gemini CLI README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/gemini-cli.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/gemini-cli/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].