Quick Start

Get Started with Gemini CLI

Get up and running with Gemini CLI in just a few minutes. This guide will walk you through installation, authentication, and your first AI-powered commands.

Estimated time: 5-10 minutes

Prerequisites: Node.js 16+ and npm/yarn installed on your system.

Installation

Install via npm

# Install globally
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

# Or using yarn
yarn global add @google/gemini-cli

Verify Installation

gemini --version

This should output the installed version number.

Authentication

Set up API Access

You'll need a Google AI Studio API key to use Gemini CLI.

Go to Google AI Studio
Click "Create API Key"
Copy your API key

# Authenticate with your API key
gemini auth login

# Or set environment variable
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Your First Commands

Basic Chat

# Start an interactive chat session
gemini chat

# Or ask a single question
gemini ask "Explain how JavaScript closures work"

Code Generation

# Generate a React component
gemini generate --type component --name Button

# Generate from a prompt
gemini generate "Create a Python function to calculate fibonacci"

File Analysis

# Analyze a code file
gemini analyze src/components/Button.jsx

# Get suggestions for improvements
gemini review --file src/utils/helpers.js

You're All Set!

Congratulations! You've successfully installed and configured Gemini CLI. You're ready to start building AI-powered applications.

What's Next?

Learn the Basics

Follow our comprehensive getting started tutorial.

Start Tutorial

Explore Examples

See real-world examples and use cases.

View Examples

Back to Docs Getting Started Tutorial