Free and Open-Source! Google Gemini CLI Explodes in Popularity, a Strong Alternative to Claude Code}
Google Gemini CLI, an open-source terminal-based AI tool, offers powerful coding and chat features, rivaling Claude Code, with free access and extensive capabilities, gaining rapid popularity.
Terminals’ Favorite
Overnight, Google Gemini CLI has become extremely popular. This open-source AI agent runs directly in the terminal, allowing users to execute commands using natural language. It also features the powerful capabilities of Google Gemini Pro 2.5—almost free.
Gemini CLI excels at programming but can also be used for chatting, content creation, and deep research. Its project star count is soaring.
Project link: https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/
Additionally, Google has integrated Gemini CLI with Gemini Code Assist, its AI coding assistant, so all developers—including free, standard, and enterprise users—can experience prompt-driven coding in VS Code and Gemini CLI.
To get started, simply log in with a Google account to receive a free Gemini Code Assist license.
This free license supports Gemini 2.5 Pro models and offers an astonishing 1 million token context window, enabling users to input entire codebases as background data.
The industry-leading free quota allows 60 requests per minute and 1,000 requests daily.
While Gemini CLI is not the first or only command-line AI tool—OpenAI Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Code also have CLI versions—Google’s Gemini CLI is unique because it is open-source under the Apache 2.0 license.
It’s also noteworthy that Gemini CLI natively supports Windows without WSL, which surprises many developers.
Many users have already started using it and believe it might be the most formidable competitor to Claude Code, which is still a paid service.
Currently, the Gemini CLI preview supports tasks from code understanding, file operations, command execution, to dynamic troubleshooting—all via natural language, enabling code writing, debugging, and workflow optimization.
The power of Gemini CLI mainly comes from these built-in tools:
- Enhanced online search: fetches real-time web content via Google search;
- Protocol extension support: includes MCP and extended suites;
- Personalized customization: fine-tune prompts and instructions for user-specific needs;
- Automated integration: execute tasks non-interactively through scripts, seamlessly fitting into existing workflows.
Gemini CLI can be used for various tasks, including creating a short video of a cat’s adventure in Australia using Veo and Imagen.
Moreover, Gemini CLI shares the same core technology as Gemini Code Assist. In VS Code, users can interact with the agent in chat mode, prompting it to write tests, fix bugs, build features, or migrate code.
Based on your prompts, the agent devises multi-step plans, recovers from failures automatically, and suggests solutions you might not have considered.
Are you using it? Feel free to leave comments below.