Google Launches New Tool for Software Developers

Google has announced the release of a new open-source tool called “Gemini CLI”, specifically designed to operate through the command line interface. The goal is to provide developers with a smart assistant capable of handling complex programming tasks using natural language.

The tool allows users to analyze code, fix bugs, suggest new features, and execute commands directly, by integrating with the developer’s local environment and connecting to Google’s advanced Gemini models. This move is seen as part of Google’s broader effort to compete with established solutions like Codex CLI from OpenAI and Claude Code from Anthropic, which have gained significant popularity among developers.

Gemini CLI is part of a larger ecosystem that includes tools such as Gemini Code Assist and the asynchronous assistant Jules, according to a TechCrunch report. This initiative reflects Google’s growing confidence in its Gemini models, especially following the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro in April, which has led to increased adoption of the company’s AI technologies by developers.

Although primarily focused on supporting developers, Gemini CLI also offers advanced capabilities such as generating videos using the Veo 3 model, writing research reports, retrieving real-time information from the internet, and connecting to external servers and databases via the MCP protocol.

Gemini CLI is available as an open-source project on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, with a free usage limit of 60 requests per minute and 1000 requests per day. However, questions remain about the accuracy of such tools. A recent Stack Overflow survey found that fewer than half of developers fully trust AI-generated answers due to potential errors or overlooked security vulnerabilities.