How to Install Gemini CLI, and Can It Use Gemini 4 Yet?

To install Gemini CLI, get Node 20 or newer, run npm install -g @google/gemini-cli, then type gemini in a project folder and sign in. Since 18 Jun 2026 Google no longer serves free, AI Pro or Ultra accounts in it, so you need a paid API key, Vertex AI or a work licence. Gemini 4 isn’t in it yet.

This is Google’s open source terminal agent, published on npm as @google/gemini-cli under Apache 2.0. It is not Antigravity CLI (agy), the tool Google moved individual users to, and it is not the Gemini app. The latest stable release is 0.62.0, published on 29 Sep 2026.

You can install it and keep it current by hand, or use Munder Difflin, a free and open source desktop app that runs Gemini CLI agents next to Claude Code, Codex and other CLIs in one office. Gemini CLI is a built-in engine. Start a Gemini agent on a machine without gemini and the app runs npm install -g @google/gemini-cli in that agent’s terminal, tries to install Node first if npm is missing or its Node is older than 20, then relaunches the agent. The app’s hook bridge goes into a per agent settings file, so your own ~/.gemini/settings.json is left alone. It can’t restore access Google has stopped serving, though. The Munder Difflin install guide walks through setup.

Who can still use Gemini CLI after June 2026? #

Organisations on a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licence can, and so can anyone paying for API access, including Vertex AI, which Google now calls Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. Google’s announcement of 19 May 2026 said that on 18 Jun 2026 Gemini CLI would “stop serving requests for Google AI Pro and Ultra, as well as those using it free of charge”, and that it “will remain accessible via paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys”. The docs now carry a banner saying it “was replaced by Antigravity CLI on June 18th, 2026” for unpaid and Google One users.

The quota page and the README still advertise 1,000 free requests a day for a personal sign in. That is history. The page also lists an unpaid API key tier on Flash, but the announcement only names paid keys, so don’t build on it. Individuals on AI Pro or Ultra are pointed to Antigravity CLI, and Claude Code vs Antigravity covers that tool.

Can Gemini CLI use Gemini 4? #

No, not as of 2 Oct 2026. Google announced Gemini 4 Argon on 30 Sep 2026 and is rolling it out first to “a set of trusted cyber defenders” through its Fairwind Program, then to paid API customers and Google AI Ultra subscribers, with no date. There is no public model ID. The Gemini API models page, updated 1 Oct 2026, tops out at gemini-3.8-flash, and Gemini CLI’s main branch had no Gemini 4 entry on 2 Oct. Its /model dialog offers Auto and Manual.

When an ID ships, you pick it with gemini --model <id>, the GEMINI_MODEL variable, model.name in settings.json, or Manual under /model. The likely path is a paid API key: Ultra is on Google’s list, but Ultra sign ins no longer work in Gemini CLI. Don’t guess the string: until a September fix (issue #28859), any gemini-X.Y-flash ID, real or made up, was quietly served by gemini-3.5-flash. Run gemini -m <id> -p "say ok" --output-format json and read stats.models to see which model actually replied.

How do I install Gemini CLI with npm? #

Check Node is 20 or newer, then install globally:

node --version
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
gemini --version

Node 20 is the floor on Google’s installation page and in the package’s engines field. The June change didn’t stop releases. Here are GitHub and npm on 2 Oct 2026:

$ gh api 'repos/google-gemini/gemini-cli/releases?per_page=3' --jq '.[]|[.tag_name,.published_at]'
["v0.64.0-nightly.20261002.gc9096a847","2026-10-02T01:33:21Z"]
["v0.64.0-nightly.20261001.gc6bccb7ec","2026-10-01T01:34:16Z"]
["v0.64.0-nightly.20260930.g38700b4b3","2026-09-30T01:33:55Z"]
$ npm view @google/gemini-cli version engines.node
version = '0.62.0'
engines.node = '>=20'

The same page lists MacPorts (sudo port install gemini-cli), a conda environment for locked down machines, and npx @google/gemini-cli to try it without installing. Stable releases land on the latest tag, @preview sits one minor ahead, and @nightly ships almost every day, for people who enjoy surprises.

Why is brew install gemini-cli stuck on an old version? #

Homebrew deprecated its gemini-cli formula on 18 Jun 2026 as not supported upstream, and it is still at 0.46.0. Google’s installation page still lists brew install gemini-cli, but that page was last updated on 14 May 2026. Here is the Mac this post was written on, checked again on 2 Oct 2026:

$ which -a gemini
/opt/homebrew/bin/gemini
$ gemini --version
0.46.0
$ brew info gemini-cli
==> gemini-cli: stable 0.46.0 (bottled)
Interact with Google Gemini AI models from the command-line
https://geminicli.com
Deprecated because it is not supported upstream! It will be disabled on 2026-12-18.
Replacement:
  brew install --cask antigravity-cli

That leaves this machine sixteen minor versions behind npm. That replacement cask is a different product. To stay on Gemini CLI, run brew uninstall gemini-cli and use the npm command above.

How do I install Gemini CLI on Windows? #

Use npm in PowerShell. Google’s recommended specs name Windows 11 24H2 or newer, Node 20 and PowerShell; Windows 10 isn’t on that list. Install Node, open a fresh PowerShell window, and run the same npm install -g @google/gemini-cli.

For a session API key, the authentication doc gives $env:GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY". To keep it, put the variable in %USERPROFILE%\.gemini\.env.

How do I sign in to Gemini CLI? #

Run gemini in a project folder and choose Sign in with Google, Use Gemini API key, or Vertex AI. Google’s authentication doc, last updated 18 Sep 2026, says the Google option opens a browser and caches your credentials. Since June that route is for organisation accounts with a Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licence, which also need a Google Cloud project set.

For a key from Google AI Studio, set it and start the CLI, then pick the API key option:

export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY"
gemini

Vertex AI needs GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT and GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION set, plus one of gcloud auth application-default login, a service account JSON key, or a Google Cloud API key. Headless runs with -p reuse cached credentials or need those variables.

How do I update or uninstall Gemini CLI? #

Reinstall with the latest tag to update, and uninstall with npm:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@latest
npm uninstall -g @google/gemini-cli

The configuration reference lists general.enableAutoUpdate, on by default, but compare gemini --version with npm now and then anyway. If it still shows an old number after updating, which -a gemini lists every copy on your PATH in the order your shell tries them, which is how you spot a leftover Homebrew copy shadowing a fresh npm one.

Running Codex too? How to install Codex CLI covers OpenAI’s agent and its sign in quirks.

FAQ

Does Gemini CLI still work in 2026?

Yes, for some accounts. Google's announcement of 19 May 2026 said Gemini CLI would stop serving free, Google AI Pro and Ultra users on 18 Jun 2026, while paid API keys and Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licences keep working. The project is still shipping: stable release 0.62.0 came out on 29 Sep 2026 and nightly builds land almost every day.

Can I use Gemini 4 Argon in Gemini CLI?

Not as of 2 Oct 2026. Google announced Gemini 4 Argon on 30 Sep 2026 but is rolling it out first to approved cyber defenders, with paid API customers and AI Ultra subscribers next and no date given. There is no public model ID yet, and Gemini CLI's source has no Gemini 4 entry. When an ID ships, a paid API key is the likeliest route, since Ultra sign ins no longer work in Gemini CLI.

Is Gemini CLI free?

The software is open source under Apache 2.0, but free use of Google's models through it largely ended on 18 Jun 2026. Google's quota page still lists an unpaid API key tier of 250 requests a day on Flash models, yet the transition announcement only promises paid keys. If your work depends on it, plan on a paid key or a work licence.

What Node version does Gemini CLI need?

Node 20 or newer. Google's installation page lists Node 20.0.0, and the npm package's engines field read >=20 when we checked on 2 Oct 2026. The Homebrew formula and the MacPorts port both pull in Node for you.

What is the difference between Gemini CLI and Antigravity CLI?

Gemini CLI is the open source agent you install from npm as @google/gemini-cli and start with gemini. Antigravity CLI is the newer Google tool, started with agy, that Google moved unpaid and Google One users to on 18 Jun 2026. Homebrew now points gemini-cli users at an antigravity-cli cask, but the two are separate products.

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