--- title: "Enhance Your Firebase Studio Workflow with Gemini CLI" description: "Enhance Your Firebase Studio Workflow with Gemini CLI" published: "2025-07-22" last_updated: "2025-07-22" authors: - "Jess Kuras (Technical Writer)" categories: - "Firebase Studio" - "AI" - "Gemini" canonical_url: "https://firebase.blog/posts/2025/07/firebase-studio-gemini-cli" --- # Enhance Your Firebase Studio Workflow with Gemini CLI *Published July 22, 2025 by Jess Kuras (Technical Writer)* --- > **Update:** Gemini CLI has transitioned to Antigravity CLI. > > If you previously installed the Firebase extension for Gemini CLI, you can migrate it to Antigravity CLI using the instructions in [Migrate the Firebase extension from Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI](https://firebase.google.com/docs/ai-assistance/gcli-extension). > > For more details about the sunset, see the [transition announcement](https://developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli/). We recently [launched](https://blog.google/technology/developers/introducing-gemini-cli-open-source-ai-agent/) Gemini CLI, which integrates the robust capabilities of Google's Gemini AI model directly into your command-line interface. We’re excited to announce Gemini CLI is now preinstalled in Firebase Studio! Gemini CLI offers you a powerful tool for a wide range of tasks beyond just code, including content generation and research. It includes generous usage tiers, advanced AI features, integrated Google Search for real-time context, and an open-source architecture for customization and contributions. ### Who should use Gemini CLI? Both Gemini in Firebase and Gemini CLI can perform similar tasks, but we recommend trying out Gemini CLI if you spend a significant amount of time in the terminal for tasks like code generation, debugging, executing commands, or managing project files. Gemini CLI provides a seamless, AI-powered experience without the need to switch contexts to a separate chat window. ### Get started in Firebase Studio To access Gemini CLI in Firebase Studio: 1. **Swap to Code view:** If you’re working in Prototyper mode, swap to Code view. 2. **Access the terminal:** Click the menu icon \> **Terminal** \> **New Terminal** (`Shift`\+`Ctrl`/`Cmd`\+`C`). 3. **Open Gemini CLI:** In the terminal, enter the following command: `gemini` 4. **Customize:** Pick a color theme by using the arrow keys on your keyboard, then press **Enter**. 5. **Authenticate**: Select an authentication method. For more information about authentication, check out [this guide](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/cli/authentication.md). To receive the free Gemini Code Assist license with an allowance of 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day at no charge, choose **Login with Google**. ![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/first-class-blog.appspot.com/o/gifs%2Fstudio-gemini-cli.gif?alt=media&token=7374ece0-fca2-42e9-ad40-3b0d6504e5b8) Gemini CLI is ready to go! In the future, all you need to do is enter `gemini` in the terminal to access it. Alternatively, you can run Gemini CLI in non-interactive mode, which is useful for scripting and automation. In this mode, Gemini CLI automatically exits after executing the command you enter. To use this mode, use the `--prompt` or `-p` flag. For example: `gemini -p "Create a markdown file that explains my app’s architecture"` ### Customize Gemini CLI * **Settings**: Edit `.gemini/settings.json` to change the theme, enable or disable the collection of usage statistics, adjust which tools Gemini CLI has access to, configure the checkpointing feature, and much more. * **Environment variables**: Gemini CLI automatically loads environment variables from the `.env` file, which is where you should store your `GEMINI_API_KEY` (required). Optionally, you can include which `GEMINI_MODEL` to use, your `GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT`, and more. * **Instructions**: To adjust the context that Gemini CLI uses when following instructions, create a `GEMINI.md` file. This lets you give project-specific instructions, coding style guides, or relevant background information to Gemini, making its responses more tailored and accurate to your needs. You can use `GEMINI.md` to customize both Gemini CLI and Gemini in Firebase, unless you create a `.idx/airules.md` file as well (in which case Gemini CLI would use `GEMINI.md`, and Gemini in Firebase would use `airules.md`). For more information and examples on how to adjust the settings, environment variables, and instructions, check out the [documentation](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/cli/configuration.md). ### Commands to explore You can chat with Gemini CLI with questions or requests. You could ask it: * **`explain [file_name.js]`**: If you encounter unfamiliar code, use this command to request an explanation. Replace `[file_name.js]` with the relevant file path or paste the code directly into the prompt. * **`refactor [code_snippet]`**: Enhance your code's structure or efficiency by prompting Gemini to suggest refactoring improvements. * **`debug "Error: Module not found: 'firebase-admin'"`**: When facing errors, provide the error message to Gemini for insights and potential solutions. * **`summarize "Key features of Firebase Realtime Database"`**: Employ Gemini for rapid research and concise content summarization. It also supports several built-in commands to help manage your session, customize the interface, and control its behavior, such as: * **`/help`**: View a comprehensive list of available commands and options, which serves as an excellent starting point for exploration. * **`/chat`**: Save and resume conversation history in order to create branching conversations, or resume a previous state from a later session. * **`/tools`**: Display a list of tools that are currently available within Gemini CLI. * **`/restore`**: Restore project files to the state they were in just before a tool was executed. This is particularly useful for undoing file edits made by a tool. For a full list of commands, check out the [documentation](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/cli/commands.md). ### Try it out! Integrating Gemini CLI into your Firebase Studio workflow provides an intelligent assistant directly within your development environment. Check it out and [let us know](https://community.firebasestudio.dev/) if it speeds up your workflow!