CLI cheatsheet

This page provides a reference for commonly used Gemini CLI commands, options, and parameters.

CLI commands

Command	Description	Example
gemini	Start interactive REPL	gemini
gemini "query"	Query non-interactively, then exit	gemini "explain this project"
gemini -p "query"	Query via SDK, then exit	gemini -p "explain this function"
cat file | gemini -p "query"	Process piped content	cat logs.txt | gemini -p "explain"
gemini -i "query"	Execute and continue interactively	gemini -i "What is the purpose of this project?"
gemini -r "latest"	Continue most recent session	gemini -r "latest"
gemini -r "latest" "query"	Continue session with a new prompt	gemini -r "latest" "Check for type errors"
gemini -r "<session-id>" "query"	Resume session by ID	gemini -r "abc123" "Finish this PR"
gemini update	Update to latest version	gemini update
gemini extensions	Manage extensions	See Extensions Management
gemini mcp	Configure MCP servers	See MCP Server Management

Positional arguments

Argument	Type	Description
query	string (variadic)	Positional prompt. Defaults to one-shot mode. Use -i/--prompt-interactive to execute and continue interactively.

CLI Options

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--debug	-d	boolean	false	Run in debug mode with verbose logging
--version	-v	-	-	Show CLI version number and exit
--help	-h	-	-	Show help information
--model	-m	string	auto	Model to use. See Model Selection for available values.
--prompt	-p	string	-	Prompt text. Appended to stdin input if provided. Deprecated: Use positional arguments instead.
--prompt-interactive	-i	string	-	Execute prompt and continue in interactive mode
--sandbox	-s	boolean	false	Run in a sandboxed environment for safer execution
--approval-mode	-	string	default	Approval mode for tool execution. Choices: default, auto_edit, yolo
--yolo	-y	boolean	false	Deprecated. Auto-approve all actions. Use --approval-mode=yolo instead.
--experimental-acp	-	boolean	-	Start in ACP (Agent Code Pilot) mode. Experimental feature.
--experimental-zed-integration	-	boolean	-	Run in Zed editor integration mode. Experimental feature.
--allowed-mcp-server-names	-	array	-	Allowed MCP server names (comma-separated or multiple flags)
--allowed-tools	-	array	-	Tools that are allowed to run without confirmation (comma-separated or multiple flags)
--extensions	-e	array	-	List of extensions to use. If not provided, all extensions are enabled (comma-separated or multiple flags)
--list-extensions	-l	boolean	-	List all available extensions and exit
--resume	-r	string	-	Resume a previous session. Use "latest" for most recent or index number (e.g. --resume 5)
--list-sessions	-	boolean	-	List available sessions for the current project and exit
--delete-session	-	string	-	Delete a session by index number (use --list-sessions to see available sessions)
--include-directories	-	array	-	Additional directories to include in the workspace (comma-separated or multiple flags)
--screen-reader	-	boolean	-	Enable screen reader mode for accessibility
--output-format	-o	string	text	The format of the CLI output. Choices: text, json, stream-json

Model selection

The --model (or -m) flag allows you to specify which Gemini model to use. You can use either model aliases (user-friendly names) or concrete model names.

Model aliases

These are convenient shortcuts that map to specific models:

Alias	Resolves To	Description
auto	gemini-2.5-pro or gemini-3-pro-preview	Default. Resolves to the preview model if preview features are enabled, otherwise resolves to the standard pro model.
pro	gemini-2.5-pro or gemini-3-pro-preview	For complex reasoning tasks. Uses preview model if enabled.
flash	gemini-2.5-flash	Fast, balanced model for most tasks.
flash-lite	gemini-2.5-flash-lite	Fastest model for simple tasks.

Extensions management

Command	Description	Example
gemini extensions install <source>	Install extension from Git URL or local path	gemini extensions install https://github.com/user/my-extension
gemini extensions install <source> --ref <ref>	Install from specific branch/tag/commit	gemini extensions install https://github.com/user/my-extension --ref develop
gemini extensions install <source> --auto-update	Install with auto-update enabled	gemini extensions install https://github.com/user/my-extension --auto-update
gemini extensions uninstall <name>	Uninstall one or more extensions	gemini extensions uninstall my-extension
gemini extensions list	List all installed extensions	gemini extensions list
gemini extensions update <name>	Update a specific extension	gemini extensions update my-extension
gemini extensions update --all	Update all extensions	gemini extensions update --all
gemini extensions enable <name>	Enable an extension	gemini extensions enable my-extension
gemini extensions disable <name>	Disable an extension	gemini extensions disable my-extension
gemini extensions link <path>	Link local extension for development	gemini extensions link /path/to/extension
gemini extensions new <path>	Create new extension from template	gemini extensions new ./my-extension
gemini extensions validate <path>	Validate extension structure	gemini extensions validate ./my-extension

See Extensions Documentation for more details.

MCP server management

Command	Description	Example
gemini mcp add <name> <command>	Add stdio-based MCP server	gemini mcp add github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
gemini mcp add <name> <url> --transport http	Add HTTP-based MCP server	gemini mcp add api-server http://localhost:3000 --transport http
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --env KEY=value	Add with environment variables	gemini mcp add slack node server.js --env SLACK_TOKEN=xoxb-xxx
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --scope user	Add with user scope	gemini mcp add db node db-server.js --scope user
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --include-tools tool1,tool2	Add with specific tools	gemini mcp add github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github --include-tools list_repos,get_pr
gemini mcp remove <name>	Remove an MCP server	gemini mcp remove github
gemini mcp list	List all configured MCP servers	gemini mcp list

See MCP Server Integration for more details.