Gemini CLI: What It Is, How to Install & Free Limits

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Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source agent that works in the terminal: it reads repositories, fixes bugs, writes tests and runs commands, and you talk to it in plain language. Since June 18, 2026, the situation is different from a year ago: free accounts and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers were moved to a successor called Antigravity CLI, while the old gemini continues to work only with a paid API key or enterprise license. Below, what exactly remains, how to install it, and what you get for free.

What Gemini CLI Is and What Changed

Gemini CLI is a console program that gets access to files in the current directory and to the shell. You type “find why the payment module tests are failing”, and the agent reads the code, proposes a change, shows it for approval, and after consent saves the files. The code is open source under Apache 2.0 license, and the GitHub repository has over 100,000 stars. Inside are tools for files and shell, Google search, MCP protocol support (custom tools), checkpoints for rolling back changes, and extensions.

On May 19, 2026, during I/O, Google announced the transition to Antigravity CLI: a new program written in Go, with shared architecture with the Antigravity 2.0 app, launched with the agy command. It kept Agent Skills, Hooks, Subagents and extensions (now as plugins), and added multi-agent background work. On June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI stopped supporting queries from free accounts, Google AI Pro and Ultra, and Gemini Code Assist for individuals. The Register noted developer dissatisfaction because the successor is less open than the original.

Difference from Gemini Code Assist: that’s the name of Google’s enterprise offering (IDE plugins, Standard and Enterprise licenses). Gemini CLI uses the same limits as agent mode in Code Assist, so a company with a Standard license still uses gemini unchanged.

Installation on Windows, macOS and Linux

Gemini CLI requires Node.js version 20 or newer. The documentation lists minimum systems: macOS 15, Windows 11 24H2, Ubuntu 20.04, and 4 GB RAM (16 GB for intensive work).

• npm (all systems): npm install -g @google/gemini-cli, then gemini.
• Without installation: npx @google/gemini-cli.
• Homebrew (macOS, Linux): brew install gemini-cli; on MacPorts sudo port install gemini-cli.
• Antigravity CLI: installer from antigravity.google/download, log in with Google account, agy command.

On first launch you choose the login method. Google account today only works with Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license (and Workspace AI Ultra). You get the API key from Google AI Studio and set it in the GEMINI_API_KEY variable. The third option is Vertex AI for projects in Google Cloud.

What You Get for Free and What More Costs

The limits below come from the official Gemini CLI pricing page and from Google’s post about changes to Antigravity plans from May 19, 2026. Google notes that per-minute limits depend on load and are not guaranteed.

One discrepancy we found on October 3: Google’s post about the transition to Antigravity CLI says Gemini CLI remains for “paid API keys”, while the Gemini CLI pricing page (updated June 18, 2026) still lists the free API key with a limit of 250 queries per day on the Flash model. If you care about zero cost, verify this with your own key from Google AI Studio before relying on it for work.

The Pro pool in Antigravity is shared across app, CLI and SDK, and since May Google bills it in tokens according to API pricing instead of query count. In practice this means large tasks with Pro exhaust the limit faster than in old Gemini CLI: in issue #56 in the Antigravity CLI repository, a Pro user describes hitting “Individual quota reached” after two extensive prompts. You check usage with the /usage command (in Gemini CLI: /stats model).

First Tasks in the Terminal

• Repository analysis: “describe the architecture of this project and point out where login handling is”. The agent walks through files and summarizes structure.
• Bug fix: you paste an error message from the console, the agent locates the cause and proposes a change for approval.
• Tests: “write unit tests for utils/date.py and run them”. After a failed run it fixes and runs again on its own.
• File work: renaming across multiple files, CSV to JSON conversion, generating README from code.

The agent shows shell commands before execution; enable automatic approval only in a repository under version control. More in the article about code agents.

Our Test: Why Gemini CLI Didn’t Enter the Comparison

On October 3, 2026, we assigned the same task - a gross-to-net salary calculator for 2026 in a single HTML file - to code agents we could run without additional payment, without new accounts and without logging in. Gemini CLI dropped out at the start:

• free Google account and Google AI Pro haven’t worked in it since June 18, 2026,
• we don’t have a Gemini API key or Code Assist license on this computer,
• Antigravity CLI requires logging in with a Google account, which we didn’t do in the test.

In the same test, Codex CLI delivered a penny-accurate calculator in 2 minutes 28 seconds, while local gpt-oss-20b didn’t complete the task. Results and control values are in the article Same gross-net calculator in Codex, Kimi Code and locally. If you have a key from Google AI Studio, you can repeat the same test with the gemini -p "..." command in an empty directory.

Gemini CLI vs Claude Code and Codex CLI

Our assessment: Gemini CLI wins on entry price, Claude Code on quality of work on large projects, Codex on convenience for people who pay for ChatGPT anyway. Pricing for all three is compared in the article how much AI for programming costs, and broader Gemini background is in the Gemini guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Gemini CLI free?

The code yes, access to models partially. With a free API key you get 250 queries per day on the Flash model. Logging in with a free Google account in Gemini CLI stopped working June 18, 2026; the free tier is now in Antigravity CLI.

Does Gemini CLI work in other languages?

Yes. You can type commands in your language, and Gemini models respond in your language. Code, tool messages and documentation are in English.

Does Gemini CLI send my code to Google?

Yes, code fragments needed for the response go to the model on Google servers. For Code Assist Standard and Enterprise licenses, enterprise data protection policies described in Google Cloud documentation apply. For personal accounts and free API keys, Gemini CLI documentation doesn’t directly answer the question about model training, so for confidential code use an enterprise license or paid API key.

How does Gemini CLI differ from Antigravity CLI?

Gemini CLI is an open program in Node.js for API keys and enterprise licenses. Antigravity CLI (agy command) is its closed successor in Go for personal accounts, including free and Google AI Pro, with a shared limit pool with the Antigravity app.

How to install Gemini CLI on Windows?

Install Node.js 20 or newer, then in PowerShell type npm install -g @google/gemini-cli and run gemini. Set the API key in the GEMINI_API_KEY variable.

Is Gemini CLI open source?

Yes, the code is on GitHub under Apache 2.0 license and still receives new versions (0.62.0 from September 29, 2026). The successor, Antigravity CLI, is not open.

Kinetyra