gemini-cli

Name: gemini-cli Review
Item: gemini-cli
Rating: 3.8
Author: Aaron Matthews

Skill Development Solid

Works inClaude Code

Solid Reviewed

Brings Gemini's capabilities directly into the terminal as an open-source agent with massive community adoption (101K stars).

Google's open-source AI agent that brings Gemini into your terminal. The free tier gives 60 requests/min and 1,000 requests/day with a personal Google account, with Gemini 3 models and a 1M-token context window. Built-in tools include Google Search grounding, file operations, shell commands, and web fetching, plus MCP support for custom integrations. Apache 2.0 licensed.

106,018 starsApache-2.0 (commercial OK)FreeQuick setup

Why it matters

Brings Gemini's capabilities directly into the terminal as an open-source agent with massive community adoption (101K stars). Gives developers a powerful AI agent in their existing command-line workflows.

Best for

Developers who prefer terminal-based workflows and want a well-supported, open-source AI agent available from the command line.

Works in

Claude Code Claude Cowork Claude Chat

Source

https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli

By google-gemini

How to Get It

Option 1: Claude Desktop App (Code Mode)Click the + button next to the prompt box → Plugins → Add plugin. Search and click Install. Skills work in Claude Code only.

Option 2: Paste into Claude CodeCopy the command below and paste it into your conversation. Claude will install it.

Command

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli (or: brew install gemini-cli, or run without installing: npx @google/gemini-cli)

Tip: Paste this into a Claude Code conversation. Verify command matches your Claude Code version.

PrerequisitesNode.js and npm (or Homebrew/MacPorts); a Google account for OAuth sign-in, or a Gemini API keyCostFree

Trust Signals Reviewed

Stars106,018Contributors688Last updated2026-07-16LicenseApache-2.0 (OK for commercial use)Known CVEsNone foundSources: GitHub Advisory Database + OSV.dev · Scanned 2026-07-16 · scanner v1

Community Pulse Active

Discussed on Hacker News, Reddit

Gemini CLI — Hacker News · 1428 pts
Google introduces Gemini CLI, a light open-source AI agent that brings Gemini di — Reddit · 709 pts
Google accidentally published the Gemini CLI blog post. The release is probably — Reddit · 561 pts

3 mentions across 2 sources

Reviewer notes

Reviewed review. These are observations, not a security certification.

Scored from trust signals (evidence-eval-v1): 101,442 GitHub stars; contributors unknown; last commit 34d ago; license Apache-2.0.

2026-05-10: Solid pick for developers who live in the terminal and want Gemini accessible without leaving their shell—useful for ad-hoc code generation, file summarization, and scripted AI workflows via pipe or subprocess. The 101K stars signal genuine adoption, but production use remains thin (one mention), so treat it as a sharp utility rather than a proven team workflow. Pairs well with shell scripts and CI tooling; if you need deep multi-file context or IDE-grade refactoring, Claude Code or Cursor are further along in that use case.

Things to check

A separate agent from Claude — requires Google account sign-in or a Gemini API key, and usage runs through Google. Free-tier limits: 60 requests/min, 1,000 requests/day. Preview and nightly release channels may contain regressions; use the stable 'latest' tag.

How to evaluate tools before deploying →

Data shown here comes from public APIs and automated scanning. Reviewer notes reflect one person's experience. This is not a security certification or legal recommendation. Always evaluate tools according to your own organization's policies.

Evaluation Scores

Evaluation

Ease of Use

4/5

Versatility

5/5

Reliability

3/5

Security

3/5

Overall score3.85 / 5.00 SolidEvaluatedMay 2026

Scored from trust signals (evidence-eval-v1): 101,442 GitHub stars; contributors unknown; last commit 34d ago; license Apache-2.0.

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