How to Use the Gemini CLI: A Beginner’s Guide to Installation and Usage

---

The command-line interface (CLI) offers a fast and efficient way to interact with Gemini without needing a browser. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from installation to practical everyday use. Let’s get started! 🚀

Installation and Setup

Getting the Gemini CLI up and running is straightforward. It’s part of the Google Cloud CLI (gcloud), so the first step is to install that.

1. Install the Google Cloud SDK: Head over to the official Google Cloud SDK installation page and follow the instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
2. Initialize the gcloud CLI: Once installed, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to initialize the SDK: gcloud init This will walk you through authenticating your Google account and setting up a default project.
3. Authenticate for Gemini: To use the Gemini API, you need to set up Application Default Credentials. Run this command in your terminal: gcloud auth application-default login This will open a browser window for you to log in and grant the necessary permissions.

And that’s it! Your environment is now configured to use Gemini.

---

Basic Usage: Chatting with Gemini

Now for the fun part! You can start a conversation with the Gemini Pro model using a simple command. The basic structure involves using gcloud ai models to send a prompt.

To send a single-turn prompt, use the following command structure. Just replace "Your prompt here" with your question.

gcloud ai models generate-content gemini-1.0-pro --prompt="Your prompt here"

Example: Let’s ask Gemini for a simple recipe.

gcloud ai models generate-content gemini-1.0-pro --prompt="What's a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies?"

The terminal will then display Gemini’s response directly. It’s that easy! ✨

---

Advanced Features: Interactive Chats and Image Prompts

The Gemini CLI is more than just a one-question tool. You can have interactive, multi-turn conversations and even include images in your prompts.

Interactive Chat Mode

For a back-and-forth conversation, you can start an interactive chat session. This allows Gemini to remember the context of your previous questions.

1. Start the chat by running:gcloud ai models chat gemini-1.0-pro
2. Your terminal will now show a >> prompt. Type your questions here and press Enter.
3. To exit the chat, simply press Ctrl+C.

This mode is perfect for brainstorming, debugging code, or exploring a topic in depth.

Using Images in Prompts (Multimodal)

One of Gemini’s most powerful features is its ability to understand images. To use the Gemini Pro Vision model (gemini-1.0-pro-vision), you can specify a local image file or a Google Cloud Storage URI.

Syntax with a local image:

gcloud ai models generate-content gemini-1.0-pro-vision \
    --prompt="What is in this image?" \
    --image-file-path="/path/to/your/image.jpg"

Example: Imagine you have a picture of a landmark and want to identify it.

gcloud ai models generate-content gemini-1.0-pro-vision \
    --prompt="What is the name of this landmark and where is it located?" \
    --image-file-path="~/Downloads/landmark.png"

The CLI will process both the text and the image to give you a comprehensive answer. 📸

---

Conclusion

The Gemini CLI is a fantastic tool for developers, writers, and anyone who wants to leverage the power of AI directly from their terminal. It’s fast, scriptable, and incredibly versatile. By following this guide, you can easily install it and start integrating Gemini’s capabilities into your daily workflow.

Happy prompting!