Gemini CLI Open source

Status (September 2026): Google retired Gemini CLI for free users, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and individual Gemini Code Assist users on 18 June 2026, and replaced it with the Antigravity CLI. It keeps working for Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise licences, Gemini Code Assist for GitHub through Google Cloud, and paid Gemini or Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys. If you use a personal Google account, see Google Antigravity.

What it is

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source (Apache-2.0) AI agent for the terminal. It runs Gemini models directly in your shell, with a very large context window, and can read and edit files, run shell commands, fetch web pages and ground answers with Google Search. Until the June 2026 change it was one of the most popular free coding agents, with more than 6,000 community pull requests merged into its codebase.

Key features

• Large context window that suits big repositories and long logs
• Built-in tools for files, shell, web fetch and Google Search grounding
• Project context through GEMINI.md files (configurable to read AGENTS.md)
• Non-interactive mode for scripts and CI automation
• Extensions that bundle commands and MCP servers

Skills, subagents and MCP

MCP servers are configured in its settings file, and the documentation covers Agent Skills, subagents and hooks. Google says these carry over to the Antigravity CLI, with Gemini CLI extensions becoming Antigravity plugins, so moving an existing setup is mostly a matter of following Google's migration guide.

Pricing

The code is free and open source, but since June 2026 using it requires an eligible enterprise licence or a paid Gemini API key billed per use. There is no longer a free personal tier. Check Google Cloud's pricing pages for current API rates.

Who it is for

Teams on Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise, companies with paid Gemini API access that want an open-source, scriptable agent they can audit, and CI pipelines already built around it. Individual developers should start with the Antigravity CLI instead.

Verdict

Gemini CLI is still a capable, auditable open-source agent with skills, hooks, MCP and extensions, but it is no longer the free option it used to be. For personal accounts it has been replaced; for enterprises and API users it remains a solid choice while Google's focus moves to Antigravity.