Skip to content
This repository was archived by the owner on Dec 16, 2025. It is now read-only.
This repository was archived by the owner on Dec 16, 2025. It is now read-only.

Performance: Gemini CLI has an 8-second startup delay on Windows 11 #483

@owealthm

Description

@owealthm

Description of the bug:

Description:

Environment:

OS: Windows 11

Terminal: PowerShell 7

Node.js Version: Installed via NVM for Windows (latest LTS)

NPM Version: Bundled with Node LTS

Problem:
Any command executed with gemini (e.g., gemini --version or just gemini) has a consistent startup delay of 8-10 seconds before any output is shown.

Troubleshooting & Key Evidence:

This issue is not related to the underlying Node.js installation or the system configuration. We have confirmed this with the following test:

Executing a minimal Node.js script is extremely fast:

node -e "console.log('test')"

This command consistently returns in under 2 seconds.

The delay persists even when the machine is completely offline (flight mode), which rules out network timeouts, update checks, or authentication issues as the primary cause.

Conclusion:
The evidence strongly suggests that the 8-10 second delay is caused by an internal, synchronous startup process within the @google/gemini-cli package itself that occurs before any command logic is executed. The core node.exe process starts instantly, but the CLI script introduces a significant, blocking delay.

Actual vs expected behavior:

No response

Any other information you'd like to share?

No response

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Labels

    No labels
    No labels

    Type

    No type
    No fields configured for issues without a type.

    Projects

    No projects

    Milestone

    No milestone

    Relationships

    None yet

    Development

    No branches or pull requests

    Issue actions