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Gemini CLI installation, execution, and releases

This document provides an overview of Gemini CLI's system requirements, installation methods, and release types.

Recommended system specifications

  • Operating System:
    • macOS 15+
    • Windows 11 24H2+
    • Ubuntu 20.04+
  • Hardware:
    • "Casual" usage: 4GB+ RAM (short sessions, common tasks and edits)
    • "Power" usage: 16GB+ RAM (long sessions, large codebases, deep context)
  • Runtime: Node.js 20.0.0+
  • Shell: Bash, Zsh, or PowerShell
  • Location: Gemini Code Assist supported locations
  • Internet connection required

Install Gemini CLI

We recommend most users install Gemini CLI using one of the following installation methods:

  • npm
  • Homebrew
  • MacPorts
  • Anaconda

Note that Gemini CLI comes pre-installed on Cloud Shell and Cloud Workstations.

Install globally with npm

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Install globally with Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install gemini-cli

Install globally with MacPorts (macOS)

sudo port install gemini-cli

Install with Anaconda (for restricted environments)

# Create and activate a new environment
conda create -y -n gemini_env -c conda-forge nodejs
conda activate gemini_env

# Install Gemini CLI globally via npm (inside the environment)
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Run Gemini CLI

For most users, we recommend running Gemini CLI with the gemini command:

gemini

For a list of options and additional commands, see the CLI cheatsheet.

You can also run Gemini CLI using one of the following advanced methods:

  • Run instantly with npx. You can run Gemini CLI without permanent installation.
  • In a sandbox. This method offers increased security and isolation.
  • From the source. This is recommended for contributors to the project.

Run instantly with npx

# Using npx (no installation required)
npx @google/gemini-cli

You can also execute the CLI directly from the main branch on GitHub, which is helpful for testing features still in development:

npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli

Run in a sandbox (Docker/Podman)

For security and isolation, Gemini CLI can be run inside a container. This is the default way that the CLI executes tools that might have side effects.

  • Directly from the registry: You can run the published sandbox image directly. This is useful for environments where you only have Docker and want to run the CLI. 
    # Run the published sandbox image
docker run --rm -it us-docker.pkg.dev/gemini-code-dev/gemini-cli/sandbox:0.1.1
  • Using the --sandbox flag: If you have Gemini CLI installed locally (using the standard installation described above), you can instruct it to run inside the sandbox container. 
    gemini --sandbox -y -p "your prompt here"

Run from source (recommended for Gemini CLI contributors)

Contributors to the project will want to run the CLI directly from the source code.

  • Development mode: This method provides hot-reloading and is useful for active development.

    # From the root of the repository
npm run start

  • Production-like mode (linked package): This method simulates a global installation by linking your local package. It's useful for testing a local build in a production workflow.

    # Link the local cli package to your global node_modules
npm link packages/cli

# Now you can run your local version using the `gemini` command
gemini

Releases

Gemini CLI has three release channels: nightly, preview, and stable. For most users, we recommend the stable release, which is the default installation.

Stable

New stable releases are published each week. The stable release is the promotion of last week's preview release along with any bug fixes. The stable release uses latest tag, but omitting the tag also installs the latest stable release by default:

# Both commands install the latest stable release.
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@latest

Preview

New preview releases will be published each week. These releases are not fully vetted and may contain regressions or other outstanding issues. Try out the preview release by using the preview tag:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@preview

Nightly

Nightly releases are published every day. The nightly release includes all changes from the main branch at time of release. It should be assumed there are pending validations and issues. You can help test the latest changes by installing with the nightly tag:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@nightly