05/07/2025
Google Launches Gemini CLI: Open-Source AI Assistant for Developers’ Terminals
Google has unveiled Gemini CLI, a new open-source AI tool designed to bring its powerful Gemini models directly to developers’ command-line workflows. Gemini CLI enables users to interact with their local codebases using natural language, allowing tasks such as code explanation, feature generation, debugging, and command execution—all from the terminal. The tool is agentic, running locally and integrating seamlessly with developer environments, and is positioned as a direct competitor to similar command-line AI assistants like OpenAI’s Codex CLI and Anthropic’s Claude Code.
Key highlights of Gemini CLI include:
Open Source and Free: Released under the permissive Apache 2.0 license, Gemini CLI encourages community contributions and transparency. Developers can use it free of charge by logging in with a Google account, gaining access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and a 1 million token context window.
Generous Usage Limits: Users benefit from industry-leading allowances—up to 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day, which is double the average usage seen with similar tools.
Versatility: While optimized for coding, Gemini CLI can also generate content, create videos (via Google’s Veo 3), produce research reports, and access real-time information through Google Search. It supports workflow automation and integration with external databases via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Customization and Extensibility: Developers can tailor prompts, instructions, and extend capabilities through bundled extensions and MCP support, making Gemini CLI adaptable to various coding and research tasks.
The release of Gemini CLI is part of Google’s broader push to deepen engagement with the developer community and compete with the rapid adoption of third-party coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor. While the tool promises enhanced productivity and flexibility, Google acknowledges ongoing concerns about the accuracy and security of AI-generated code, echoing industry-wide caution highlighted in recent developer surveys.
This launch follows a broader trend of tech giants delivering open-source, multimodal, and agentic AI tools aimed at embedding advanced AI directly into developer workflows, as seen with recent releases from OpenAI and Anthropic.
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