Google is rolling out something for software developers who live in their terminal windows: a Gemini AI CLI tool.
Many developers have a special relationship with their terminals, and Google clearly recognises this with the decision to embed Gemini’s capabilities into this environment.
“The terminal’s efficiency, ubiquity, and portability make it the go-to utility for getting work done,” Google explained. “And as developers’ reliance on the terminal endures, so does the demand for integrated AI assistance.”
Gemini CLI creates a direct pathway from your prompts to Google’s sophisticated AI models. While it’s brilliant at handling coding tasks (as you’d expect), Google has built it to be versatile for tasks such as generating content, solving problems, and conducting research.
The integration with Google’s existing Gemini Code Assist means developers on free, Standard, or Enterprise plans can enjoy AI-powered coding capabilities both in VS Code and within their beloved terminal environment. It’s a smart bit of cross-platform thinking that doesn’t force developers to choose between tools.
There’s quite a bit of generosity with Google’s free offering here. Anyone can access Gemini 2.5 Pro with its enormous one-million token context window just by logging in with a personal Google account to grab a free Gemini Code Assist licence.
The usage limits are impressive for a free service: 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 requests daily. Google calls it “the industry’s largest allowance” and is clearly throwing down the gauntlet to competitors.
For those working in professional environments who need multiple AI agents running simultaneously or require specific model access, there are options to use Google AI Studio or Vertex AI keys with usage-based billing. Alternatively, Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licences are available.
What impressed me while looking into Gemini CLI is how much functionality Google has packed into it. Beyond text generation, the Gemini terminal tool handles code understanding, file manipulation, command execution, and troubleshooting, all through natural language interactions.
One particularly useful feature is the ability to ground prompts with Google Search. This lets you pull in web pages and real-time information to provide context to the model which can be practical for staying current while coding.
The tool supports the Model Context Protocol and various extensions, making it very flexible. You can tailor prompts and instructions for specific workflows, and even automate tasks by running Gemini CLI non-interactively within your scripts.
Google has made Gemini CLI fully open-source under the Apache 2.0 licence. This transparency allows developers to peek under the bonnet, understand how everything works, and verify security aspects for themselves.
They’re actively courting community contributions too, encouraging developers to report bugs, suggest features, improve security, and submit code improvements through GitHub.
The extensibility of Gemini CLI builds on emerging standards like MCP, system prompts via GEMINI.md, and customisable settings. Developers are fussy about their environments, and rightly so. We all have our particular ways of working, and tools need to respect that.
Gemini CLI shares its core technology with Google’s Gemini Code Assist. Within VS Code, users can employ “agent mode” by typing prompts into the chat window to enable Code Assist to tackle complex tasks like writing tests, fixing bugs, or migrating codebases. This agent functionality creates multi-step plans and can recover automatically when things go pear-shaped.
Beyond the obvious coding assistance, Gemini CLI could help with tasks such as drafting documentation, analysing logs, automating repetitive tasks, and troubleshooting environment issues—all through natural language in the terminal.
As AI continues transforming how we write code, Google’s approach of embedding these capabilities into the terminal is sure to be welcomed. Rather than forcing developers to adopt new interfaces or platforms, they’re enhancing the tools we already rely on daily.
(Image credit: Google)
See also: Huawei Cloud rolls out Pangu Models 5.5 to cover more industries
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