CLI Options - Gemini CLI

This page provides a comprehensive reference for all command-line options and flags available when starting Gemini CLI.

Basic Usage

Interactive REPL

Start Gemini CLI in interactive mode:

gemini

Non-interactive Query

Execute a query and exit:

gemini "explain this project"

Piped Content

Process piped content:

cat logs.txt | gemini
# Windows PowerShell
Get-Content logs.txt | gemini

Execute and Continue Interactively

Execute a query and continue in interactive mode:

gemini -i "What is the purpose of this project?"

Resume Sessions

Continue the most recent session:

gemini -r "latest"

Continue a session with a new prompt:

gemini -r "latest" "Check for type errors"

Resume session by ID:

gemini -r "abc123" "Finish this PR"

Positional Arguments

query

string

Positional prompt. Defaults to one-shot mode. Use -i/--prompt-interactive to execute and continue interactively.Variadic argument - accepts multiple strings.

Global Options

—debug (-d)

--debug

boolean

default:"false"

Run in debug mode with verbose loggingAlias: -d

gemini --debug
gemini -d

—version (-v)

--version

flag

Show CLI version number and exitAlias: -v

gemini --version
gemini -v

—help (-h)

--help

flag

Show help informationAlias: -h

gemini --help
gemini -h

Model Configuration

—model (-m)

--model

string

default:"auto"

Model to use. Accepts either model aliases or concrete model names.Alias: -mAvailable aliases:

auto - Default. Resolves to gemini-2.5-pro or gemini-3-pro-preview (if preview features enabled)
pro - For complex reasoning tasks. Uses preview model if enabled.
flash - Fast, balanced model for most tasks (gemini-2.5-flash)
flash-lite - Fastest model for simple tasks (gemini-2.5-flash-lite)

Concrete model names:

gemini-2.5-pro
gemini-3-pro-preview
gemini-2.5-flash
gemini-2.5-flash-lite

gemini --model flash
gemini -m gemini-2.5-pro

Prompt Options

—prompt (-p)

--prompt

string

Prompt text. Appended to stdin input if provided.Alias: -p

Deprecated: Use positional arguments instead.

gemini --prompt "explain this code"

—prompt-interactive (-i)

--prompt-interactive

string

Execute prompt and continue in interactive modeAlias: -i

gemini -i "analyze this project"

Session Management

—resume (-r)

--resume

string

Resume a previous session. Use "latest" for most recent or index number.Alias: -rValues:

"latest" - Resume the most recent session
<number> - Resume session by index (e.g., 5)
<session-id> - Resume session by ID

gemini --resume latest
gemini -r 5
gemini -r abc123

—list-sessions

--list-sessions

boolean

List available sessions for the current project and exit

gemini --list-sessions

—delete-session

--delete-session

string

Delete a session by index number. Use --list-sessions to see available sessions.

gemini --delete-session 5

Security & Permissions

—sandbox (-s)

--sandbox

boolean

default:"false"

Run in a sandboxed environment for safer executionAlias: -s

gemini --sandbox
gemini -s

—approval-mode

--approval-mode

string

default:"default"

Approval mode for tool executionChoices:

default - Prompt for approval before executing tools
auto_edit - Auto-approve file edits, prompt for other tools
yolo - Auto-approve all actions

gemini --approval-mode auto_edit
gemini --approval-mode yolo

—yolo (-y)

--yolo

boolean

default:"false"

Auto-approve all actionsAlias: -y

Deprecated. Use --approval-mode=yolo instead.

gemini --yolo
gemini -y

—allowed-tools

--allowed-tools

array

Tools that are allowed to run without confirmationAccepts comma-separated values or multiple flags.

Deprecated. Use the Policy Engine instead.

gemini --allowed-tools read,write
gemini --allowed-tools read --allowed-tools write

Workspace Configuration

—include-directories

--include-directories

array

Additional directories to include in the workspaceAccepts comma-separated values or multiple flags.

gemini --include-directories /path/to/dir1,/path/to/dir2
gemini --include-directories /path/to/dir1 --include-directories /path/to/dir2

Extensions & Integrations

—extensions (-e)

--extensions

array

List of extensions to use. If not provided, all extensions are enabled.Alias: -eAccepts comma-separated values or multiple flags.

gemini --extensions ext1,ext2
gemini -e ext1 -e ext2

—list-extensions (-l)

--list-extensions

boolean

List all available extensions and exitAlias: -l

gemini --list-extensions
gemini -l

MCP Configuration

—allowed-mcp-server-names

--allowed-mcp-server-names

array

Allowed MCP server namesAccepts comma-separated values or multiple flags.

gemini --allowed-mcp-server-names github,slack
gemini --allowed-mcp-server-names github --allowed-mcp-server-names slack

Output & Accessibility

—output-format (-o)

--output-format

string

default:"text"

The format of the CLI outputAlias: -oChoices:

text - Human-readable text output (default)
json - JSON output
stream-json - Streaming JSON output

gemini --output-format json
gemini -o stream-json

Enable screen reader mode for accessibility

gemini --screen-reader

Experimental Features

—experimental-acp

--experimental-acp

boolean

Start in ACP (Agent Code Pilot) mode

Experimental feature. Subject to change.

gemini --experimental-acp

—experimental-zed-integration

--experimental-zed-integration

boolean

Run in Zed editor integration mode

Experimental feature. Subject to change.

gemini --experimental-zed-integration

Update Command

gemini update

Update to the latest version of Gemini CLI:

gemini update

Extensions Command

Manage extensions from the command line:

gemini extensions <subcommand>

See Extensions Management for complete documentation.

Install Extension

gemini extensions install <source>
gemini extensions install <source> --ref <ref>
gemini extensions install <source> --auto-update

source

string

required

Git URL or local path to the extension

--ref

string

Specific branch, tag, or commit to install

--auto-update

boolean

Enable auto-update for the extension

Other Extension Commands

gemini extensions uninstall <name>     # Uninstall extension
gemini extensions list                 # List all installed extensions
gemini extensions update <name>        # Update specific extension
gemini extensions update --all         # Update all extensions
gemini extensions enable <name>        # Enable an extension
gemini extensions disable <name>       # Disable an extension
gemini extensions link <path>          # Link local extension for development
gemini extensions new <path>           # Create new extension from template
gemini extensions validate <path>      # Validate extension structure

MCP Command

Configure MCP servers from the command line:

gemini mcp <subcommand>

See MCP Server Integration for complete documentation.

Add MCP Server

gemini mcp add <name> <command>
gemini mcp add <name> <url> --transport http
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --env KEY=value
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --scope user
gemini mcp add <name> <command> --include-tools tool1,tool2

name

string

required

Name for the MCP server

command

string

Command to start the stdio-based MCP server

url

string

URL for HTTP-based MCP server

--transport

string

default:"stdio"

Transport type: stdio or http

--env

string

Environment variables in KEY=value format

--scope

string

default:"project"

Scope: user or project

--include-tools

string

Comma-separated list of specific tools to include

Other MCP Commands

gemini mcp remove <name>   # Remove an MCP server
gemini mcp list            # List all configured MCP servers

Skills Command

Manage agent skills from the command line:

gemini skills <subcommand>

See Agent Skills Documentation for complete documentation.

Skills Commands

gemini skills list                 # List all discovered agent skills
gemini skills install <source>     # Install skill from Git, path, or file
gemini skills link <path>          # Link local agent skills via symlink
gemini skills uninstall <name>     # Uninstall an agent skill
gemini skills enable <name>        # Enable an agent skill
gemini skills disable <name>       # Disable an agent skill
gemini skills enable --all         # Enable all skills
gemini skills disable --all        # Disable all skills

source

string

Git URL, local path, or file path to the skill

name

string

Name of the skill to manage

path

string

Local path to link

Command Reference

Configuration

Development

​Basic Usage

​Interactive REPL

​Non-interactive Query

​Piped Content

​Execute and Continue Interactively

​Resume Sessions

​Positional Arguments

​Global Options

​—debug (-d)

​—version (-v)

​—help (-h)

​Model Configuration

​—model (-m)

​Prompt Options

​—prompt (-p)

​—prompt-interactive (-i)

​Session Management

​—resume (-r)

​—list-sessions

​—delete-session

​Security & Permissions

​—sandbox (-s)

​—approval-mode

​—yolo (-y)

​—allowed-tools

​Workspace Configuration

​—include-directories

​Extensions & Integrations

​—extensions (-e)

​—list-extensions (-l)

​MCP Configuration

​—allowed-mcp-server-names

​Output & Accessibility

​—output-format (-o)

​—screen-reader

​Experimental Features

​—experimental-acp

​—experimental-zed-integration

​Update Command

​gemini update

​Extensions Command

​Install Extension

​Other Extension Commands

​MCP Command

​Add MCP Server

​Other MCP Commands

​Skills Command

​Skills Commands

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Basic Usage

Interactive REPL

Non-interactive Query

Piped Content

Execute and Continue Interactively

Resume Sessions

Positional Arguments

Global Options

—debug (-d)

—version (-v)

—help (-h)

Model Configuration

—model (-m)

Prompt Options

—prompt (-p)

—prompt-interactive (-i)

Session Management

—resume (-r)

—list-sessions

—delete-session

Security & Permissions

—sandbox (-s)

—approval-mode

—yolo (-y)

—allowed-tools

Workspace Configuration

—include-directories

Extensions & Integrations

—extensions (-e)

—list-extensions (-l)

MCP Configuration

—allowed-mcp-server-names

Output & Accessibility

—output-format (-o)

—screen-reader

Experimental Features

—experimental-acp

—experimental-zed-integration

Update Command

gemini update

Extensions Command

Install Extension

Other Extension Commands

MCP Command

Add MCP Server

Other MCP Commands

Skills Command

Skills Commands