name	gemini-cli
description	Execute Gemini CLI commands for AI-powered coding assistance, file analysis, and complex development tasks. Use when user wants to run gemini commands, query Gemini models, or leverage Gemini's agentic capabilities.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write

Gemini CLI Skill

Purpose

Execute Google's Gemini CLI - an open-source AI agent that brings Gemini directly into the terminal. Gemini CLI uses a ReAct loop with built-in tools and MCP servers to complete complex tasks like fixing bugs, creating features, and improving test coverage.

Activation Triggers

Use this skill when the user:

Asks to "run gemini" or "use gemini cli"
Wants to query Gemini models from the terminal
Needs Gemini's agentic file/code operations
Wants to leverage Gemini's 1M token context window
Requests MCP server interactions via Gemini

Invocation Modes

Interactive Mode (REPL)

gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview            # Default: use Gemini 3 Pro
gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview --yolo     # Auto-approve all tool calls
gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview --sandbox  # Run tools in isolated environment
gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview --checkpointing  # Enable project snapshots

Important: Always use -m gemini-3-pro-preview for best results.

Non-Interactive Mode

gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview -p "Explain this codebase architecture"
gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview -p "Fix the bug in auth.ts" --yolo
gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview -p "prompt" --output-format json
echo "code" | gemini -m gemini-3-pro-preview

Slash Commands (Interactive Mode)

Command	Function
`/help`	Display help
`/tools`	List available tools
`/mcp`	List MCP servers and tools
`/stats`	Show token usage
`/compress`	Summarize context to save tokens
`/copy`	Copy last response to clipboard
`/clear`	Clear screen and context
`/memory show`	Display GEMINI.md context
`/memory refresh`	Reload GEMINI.md files
`/chat save <tag>`	Save conversation
`/chat resume <tag>`	Resume saved conversation
`/chat list`	List saved conversations
`/restore`	List/restore project checkpoints
`/init`	Generate GEMINI.md context file
`/settings`	Open settings.json editor
`/vim`	Toggle Vim mode
`/theme`	Change visual theme
`/ide install`	Set up VS Code integration
`/ide enable`	Connect to VS Code
`/bug`	File bug report
`/quit`	Exit CLI

Context References (@)

Reference files/directories in prompts:

@./src/main.ts           # Single file
@./screenshot.png        # Image
@./src/                  # Directory (recursive)

Shell Commands (!)

!git status              # Execute single command
!                        # Toggle persistent shell mode

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+L`	Clear screen
`Ctrl+V`	Paste text/image
`Ctrl+Y`	Toggle YOLO mode
`Ctrl+X`	Open in external editor

Built-in Tools

File Operations:

read_file, write_file, replace
list_directory, glob
search_file_content

Web:

google_web_search
web_fetch

Shell:

Execute shell commands

Memory:

save_memory for persistent facts

Command-Line Flags

Flag	Purpose
`-m, --model <model>`	Specify model (always use gemini-3-pro-preview)
`-p <prompt>`	Non-interactive single prompt
`-i <prompt>`	Interactive with initial prompt
`-d, --debug`	Enable debug output
`--yolo`	Auto-approve tool calls
`--sandbox`	Isolated tool execution
`--checkpointing`	Enable restore points
`--include-directories`	Multi-directory workspace

Configuration

Settings file: ~/.gemini/settings.json or .gemini/settings.json

Key settings:

autoAccept - Auto-approve safe tool calls
sandbox - Tool isolation mode
vimMode - Vim-style editing
checkpointing - Enable /restore
mcpServers - MCP server definitions

Context file: GEMINI.md (project root or ~/.gemini/)

Custom Commands

Create .gemini/commands/<category>/<name>.toml:

description = "Generate unit test"
prompt = """
Write a comprehensive test for: {{args}}
"""

Invoke as: /<category>:<name> "arguments"

Rate Limits (Free Tier)

Google Login: 60 req/min, 1000 req/day
API Key: 100 req/day

gemini-cli

Install Skill

SKILL.md