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AI Coding Tools - Gemini CLI

This section shows how to use Gemini CLI, a command-line interface for Google Gemini, to assist with various coding tasks directly in your terminal.

Prerequisites

Installing Gemini CLI

  • Open your command prompt or terminal.
  • Run the following command to install Gemini CLI globally:
    • npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
  • To launch the CLI, type gemini in your terminal.
  • When prompted, select a theme.
  • For authentication, choose Login with Google.
  • You will be redirected to your browser, and you will select the Google account you wish to use.
  • Once logged in, Gemini CLI will be ready to use in your terminal.

Using Gemini CLI in your projects

  • Open your project in your preferred IDE.
  • Open a new terminal using
    • VSC: Ctrl+Shift+\ or go to Terminal → New Terminal
    • IntelliJ: Alt+F12 or go to View → Tool Windows → Terminal
    • Or, use your system's terminal (e.g., Command Prompt, PowerShell, Terminal.app, or bash/zsh)
  • Run gemini to start a Gemini CLI session.
  • For more accurate responses, specify context files using @path/to/file. Typing @ allows you to select files using arrow keys and Enter.
  • When prompted to allow execution, select Yes, allow once or Yes, allow always, then press Enter.

Here are some useful common commands you can use with Gemini CLI:

  • Exploring a new codebase
    Describe the main pieces of this project
  • Understanding a Specific File
    @path/to/file  
Describe what this file and its methods do
  • Code assistance
    @path/to/file  
Help me write a method to calculate the Fibonacci sequence
  • Code debugging
    @path/to/file  
My Java code throws an error at line 42\. Here is the error...
  • Code style and linting
    Run Checkstyle on this Java file and fix any warnings
  • Code refactoring
    @path/to/file
Refactor this code to improve readability and performance
  • Code review
    @path/to/file
Review this code and suggest improvements
  • Documentation generation
    @path/to/file
Generate Javadoc comments for this Java file
  • Unit testing
    @path/to/file
Write unit tests for this Java file using JUnit
  • Code compilation
    @path/to/file
Compile this Java project and fix any errors

Gemini CLI is still in its early stages. The gemini-2.5-pro model generally performs well, but due to rate limits, usage with gemini-2.5-flash may vary and lead to reduced reliability.

Relevant Resources