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gemini cli

Gemini CLI

Google's official CLI agent for coding with Gemini

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source terminal agent for coding with Gemini models, shell/file tools, web fetching, Google Search grounding, and MCP extensions. As of 18 June 2026, free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts no longer use Gemini CLI for requests — use Antigravity CLI instead. Gemini CLI remains for organizations on supported Gemini Code Assist / Google Cloud paths and for paid API-key usage.

About Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source terminal agent for coding, debugging, and repository automation with Gemini models, local file tools, shell execution, web fetching, Google Search grounding, and MCP extensibility.

The access model changed on 18 June 2026: the official Gemini CLI site says free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts no longer use Gemini CLI for requests — use Antigravity CLI instead. Gemini CLI remains relevant for organizations that use supported Gemini Code Assist Standard, Enterprise, or Google Cloud access paths, but consumer/free-account positioning should no longer be treated as durable.

Teams evaluating Gemini CLI should confirm their current license route, quota, data policy, and migration plan before standardizing. Individual developers who previously relied on free or Google AI Pro/Ultra individual access should evaluate Antigravity CLI or other active terminal coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Aider, Qwen Code, and Amazon Q CLI.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Open-source CLI ($0 Apache-2.0 license). As of 18 June 2026, free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts no longer use Gemini CLI for requests — use Antigravity CLI instead. Gemini CLI remains for organizations on supported Gemini Code Assist / Google Cloud paths and for paid API-key usage.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

CLI (macOS, Linux, Windows)

Explore categories, tags & use cases

AI pair programming in your terminal

Terminal-based AI pair programmer with deep git integration. Auto-commits changes with meaningful messages and creates repository maps for navigating large codebases. Works with Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, and local models. One of the most popular open-source AI coding tools, known for its reliability, broad model support, and seamless command-line workflow.

Open Source

AWS AI assistant for terminal and code

Amazon Q Developer CLI is an agentic AI assistant from AWS that enhances the terminal experience with deep AWS integration, code generation, and natural-language command translation. Completes multi-step development tasks, troubleshoots AWS services, writes infrastructure code, and handles documentation lookups directly from the shell. Included with AWS accounts and integrates with existing AWS credentials.

freemiumTelemetry

Side-by-Side Comparisons

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Grok Build

Gemini CLI vs Grok Build — Google Terminal Agent or xAI Shell Agent?

Gemini CLI and Grok Build both live on the AI CLI / terminal-agent shelf, but the Google path changed in 2026. Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source terminal agent for Gemini models (tools, Search grounding, MCP). As of 18 June 2026, Gemini CLI stopped serving requests for free-tier and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts — those workflows move to Antigravity CLI (agy); Gemini Code Assist Standard/Enterprise and paid API-key paths remain supported. Grok Build is xAI’s terminal-first coding agent with subagents, worktrees, headless runs, and cross-session Memory. Use Gemini CLI when you still have a supported Google org or API-key path. Use Antigravity CLI when you are an individual Google AI user migrating off Gemini CLI (see /tools/google-antigravity and /comparisons/google-antigravity-vs-devin). Use Grok Build when you want an xAI-native shell agent. Existing Score references: Gemini CLI Score date 2026-03-25 (overall 84); Grok Build Score date 2026-05-28 (overall 82). Treat those as review evidence from those dates — the June access shift is later than Gemini’s Score date.

Gemini CLIGrok Build
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GitHub Copilot
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GitHub Copilot vs Gemini CLI: Platform Ecosystem or Open Terminal Agent?

GitHub Copilot and Gemini CLI both offer terminal-based agent workflows, but Copilot spans the wider software-delivery lifecycle through editor integrations, GitHub, code review, agents, and organization controls. Gemini CLI is an open-source, Google-powered terminal agent with strong context capacity and accessible quotas. Our winner is GitHub Copilot because it combines daily coding assistance with GitHub-native collaboration, broader IDE coverage, and a clearer path from local change to pull request and review.

GitHub CopilotGemini CLI
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Cursor
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Gemini CLI

Cursor vs Gemini CLI: AI-Native IDE or Open-Source Terminal Agent?

Cursor and Gemini CLI approach agentic coding from opposite sides of the developer environment. Cursor builds AI completion, chat, agents, and cloud execution into a polished editor. Gemini CLI is an open-source terminal agent with built-in file, shell, and web tools, a large context window, and Google account or API-based access. Our winner is Cursor because its editor-native ergonomics, background-agent workflow, and integrated review loop make it the more complete daily coding environment for most developers.

CursorGemini CLI
Qwen Code logo
Qwen Code
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Gemini CLI

Qwen Code vs Gemini CLI: Alibaba Coding Agent or Google’s Terminal AI Workflow?

Qwen Code vs Gemini CLI for terminal agents: Alibaba’s open-weight coding CLI versus Google’s terminal AI workflow. As of 18 June 2026, free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts use Antigravity CLI; Gemini CLI remains on supported Standard/Enterprise/Google Cloud and paid API paths. Both are rising command-line options for developers who want AI help without moving every task into a full IDE. Gemini CLI benefits from Google’s model ecosystem, docs, and broader developer-tool distribution, with that individual-access boundary. Qwen Code is interesting for teams watching open-weight coding models and Alibaba’s fast-moving agent tooling. This comparison explains which CLI is safer for everyday developer adoption, when Qwen Code is worth testing, and how teams should think about model access, repo context, and automation risk.

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View 2 more comparisons

Community experience

Sources & verification

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Content verified

Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.

FAQ

What is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source terminal agent for coding with Gemini models, shell/file tools, web fetching, Google Search grounding, and MCP extensions. As of 18 June 2026, free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts no longer use Gemini CLI for requests — use Antigravity CLI instead. Gemini CLI remains for organizations on supported Gemini Code Assist / Google Cloud paths and for paid API-key usage.

Is Gemini CLI free?

Yes — Gemini CLI is open source and free to use. Open-source CLI ($0 Apache-2.0 license). As of 18 June 2026, free and Google AI Pro/Ultra individual accounts no longer use Gemini CLI for requests — use Antigravity CLI instead. Gemini CLI remains for organizations on supported Gemini Code Assist / Google Cloud paths and for paid API-key usage.

Is Gemini CLI open source?

Yes — Gemini CLI is open source.

Is Gemini CLI still maintained?

Yes — Gemini CLI is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best Gemini CLI alternatives?

The first editor-selected Gemini CLI alternatives are Aider, Amazon Q CLI.

How does Gemini CLI score in our review?

The published editorial review lists Gemini CLI at 84/100 overall across speed, privacy, and developer experience. Check the review's evidence status and test metadata for its verification level.