Gemini CLI: How to Use Google’s Powerful AI in Your Terminal
Artificial Intelligence

Gemini CLI: How to Use Google’s Powerful AI in Your Terminal

The Gemini CLI lets developers interact with Google's Gemini AI models directly from the command line. Here's how to install, use, and integrate Gemini CLI into your AI workflows.
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Murtadha Dhiaa

Murtadha Dhiaa

Jun 29, 2025 · 2 min read · 10 views

 

🚀 What Is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI is a command-line interface developed by Google that allows users to interact with the Gemini family of AI models (formerly Bard) via simple terminal commands.

It’s part of Google’s effort to make AI more accessible for developers, sysadmins, and automation tools, without needing to build a full app or web UI.

🔧 How to Install Gemini CLI

You can install the Gemini CLI via npm (Node.js) or pip (Python), depending on the implementation.

Example (if Node.js-based):

bash
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Or if it’s a Python-based tool:

bash
pip install gemini-cli

✅ Make sure you have a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio.

💡 What Can Gemini CLI Do?

Command Function
gemini chat Start a chat session with the model
gemini ask "prompt" Send a one-time prompt and get response
gemini code Get code generation or explain snippets
gemini run file.py Analyze or document code in a file
gemini translate Translate text with Gemini

🌐 Example Use:

bash
gemini ask "What’s the difference between REST and GraphQL?"

Output:

REST is a traditional API style based on resources and HTTP verbs, while GraphQL is a query language for APIs that allows clients to specify exactly what data they need...

⚙️ Key Features

  • ✅ Interact with Gemini 1.5 models

  • ✅ Compatible with shell scripts & automation

  • ✅ Supports code generation, text rewriting, language translation

  • ✅ Works offline with caching (some versions)

🛠️ Use Cases

  • 🧑‍💻 Developers: Debug, generate code, write comments

  • 📝 Writers: Summarize text, rephrase paragraphs

  • 🌐 Translators: Convert content across languages

  • ⚙️ DevOps: Integrate AI into shell scripts and pipelines

🧠 Tips for Better Results

  • Use clear prompts (prompt engineering matters).

  • Use --temperature or --model flags if supported:

bash
gemini ask "Generate HTML login form" --temperature=0.8 --model=gemini-pro

🔐 Authentication & Setup

To configure your API key:

bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Or save it in a config file like .geminirc.

 

✅ Final Thoughts

Gemini CLI is a powerful yet simple tool that puts the capabilities of Google’s AI directly in your terminal. Whether you're building scripts, working with code, or exploring ideas, this tool can drastically boost your productivity.