Google has released Gemini CLI, a command-line interface powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro that brings AI assistance straight into your terminal. For developers used to jumping between Claude, OpenAI, and a browser tab, this offers something different. It’s local. It’s free. And it’s open source.

You install it, authenticate once, and start running prompts directly from your shell. No UI, no tab switching, and no copy-paste loops.

What Gemini CLI Actually Does

Gemini CLI connects to your local files, reads your project structure, and lets you run natural language prompts that generate code, explain systems, run commands, or even generate media.

You can use it to:

• Summarize or explain a directory
• Scaffold out app components
• Compare frameworks with live research
• Create CI/CD YAML files
• Deploy apps to Google Cloud
• Generate images or videos with Imagen and Veo

It holds up to 1 million tokens of context, which is far more than what GPT-4-turbo or Claude 3 Opus can handle in practice, especially across multi-file setups.

Why It Feels Different

Most devs have some form of AI co-pilot in place already. But Gemini CLI is built to live in your actual working environment. It isn’t a wrapper for an API. It becomes part of your toolchain.

It supports file-level memory, so it can refer to specific lines of code across your repo. It also handles multiple task types in a single prompt session. For example:

gemini "Based on this repo, scaffold a new auth route and generate tests"

This doesn’t just return code. It understands the project structure, fills in the right directories, and explains what it’s doing.

A Quick Comparison to Claude or OpenAI

If you’re already comfortable with GPT or Claude workflows, here’s what stands out:

That said, Claude is still strong on longform reasoning. OpenAI has better third-party integrations. But Gemini CLI is faster if you prefer to stay in your terminal.

Setup in Less Than a Minute

Install it with:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

The run:

gemini

Authenticate using your Google account and you’re in.

You can start with prompts like:

• “Generate a Flask API with auth middleware”
• “Explain the difference between Bun and Node”
• “Convert this directory into a Cloud Run deployable app”

Is It Secure?

Yes, within reason. Commands that touch your shell require manual approval before executing. You can also run everything in a sandboxed environment. And since it’s open source under Apache 2.0, you can inspect everything before using it in production.

Why This Is Worth Trying

If you’re a developer who already uses AI tools daily, Gemini CLI adds something useful. It’s fast. It’s not locked to a browser. And it fits naturally into project workflows.

It also opens the door to building more advanced internal agents. You can run your own MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, extend it with plugins, or use it as part of your internal build and deploy system.

For solo devs, it’s free support. For teams, it’s a lightweight way to scale productivity without adding new tools or accounts.

The Bottom line

Gemini CLI isn’t here to replace Claude or ChatGPT. It’s a practical addition for developers who want AI support inside the tools they already use. It reads your files, understands your project structure, and delivers context-aware output without interrupting your workflow.

Once again, Google sets itself apart from the rest when it comes to building AI tools that meet developers where they are. Instead of offering a separate interface or workspace, Gemini CLI runs right in your terminal and works alongside your existing stack.

If you’re already using AI to move faster, this brings that power closer to the code. It’s open source, easy to install, and built to support everything from one-off tasks to full project builds. Try it out and see how it fits into your workflow.