Gemini CLI

Use Gemini CLI through APIYI for AI-assisted programming, including code generation, code review, Q&A, and more

Overview

Gemini CLI is Google’s official command-line tool that allows you to interact directly with Gemini AI models in your terminal. Through APIYI, you can:

• 🚀 Quickly call Gemini models in terminal
• 💻 AI-assisted programming and code generation
• 🔍 Code review and optimization suggestions
• 📝 Technical Q&A and documentation generation
• 🌐 Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows)

Why Choose APIYI?

Using Gemini CLI through APIYI provides more stable network connections, better pricing, and 24/7 technical support.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18.0.0
• npm or yarn package manager
• APIYI account and API Key

Step 1: Install Gemini CLI

npm

# Check Node.js version
node --version  # Must be >= 18

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

# Verify installation
gemini --version

# Check Node.js version
node --version  # Must be >= 18

# Install with yarn
yarn global add @google/gemini-cli

# Verify installation
gemini --version

Step 2: Get APIYI API Key

1. Register/Login to APIYI

   Visit api.apiyi.com to register or login

2. Create API Key

   Go to dashboard “Token Management” page (api.apiyi.com/token) and click “Create New Token”

3. Copy Key

   Copy the generated API Key (format: sk-***) and keep it safe

Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Important Configuration: GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL must be set to https://api.apiyi.com without any additional paths (like /v1 or /gemini), otherwise connection will fail.

Zsh (macOS/Linux)

# Edit .zshrc file
nano ~/.zshrc

# Add these environment variables
export GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL="https://api.apiyi.com"
export GEMINI_API_KEY="sk-your-api-key"  # Replace with your APIYI key

# Reload configuration
source ~/.zshrc

Bash (Linux)

# Edit .bashrc file
nano ~/.bashrc

# Add these environment variables
export GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL="https://api.apiyi.com"
export GEMINI_API_KEY="sk-your-api-key"  # Replace with your APIYI key

# Reload configuration
source ~/.bashrc

PowerShell (Windows)

# Set environment variables
$env:GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL="https://api.apiyi.com"
$env:GEMINI_API_KEY="sk-your-api-key"

# Save permanently (optional)
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL', 'https://api.apiyi.com', 'User')
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('GEMINI_API_KEY', 'sk-your-key', 'User')

CMD (Windows)

# Temporary environment variables
set GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://api.apiyi.com
set GEMINI_API_KEY=sk-your-api-key

# Save permanently (requires admin)
setx GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL "https://api.apiyi.com"
setx GEMINI_API_KEY "sk-your-api-key"

Step 4: Initialize and Test

1. Launch Gemini CLI

   gemini
   
2. First-time Authentication

   In the interactive interface, type:

   /auth
   

   Select: Gemini API Key (AI Studio)

3. Test Connection

   # Simple test
   gemini "Hello, test connection"
   
   # Programming-related test
   gemini "Explain how React Hooks work"
   gemini "Write a Python function to calculate Fibonacci sequence"
   

Core Features

Code Generation

Function Generation

gemini "Write a quick sort algorithm in Python with detailed comments"

Example Output:

def quick_sort(arr):
    """
    Quick sort algorithm
    Time complexity: Average O(n log n), Worst O(n²)
    Space complexity: O(log n)
    """
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr

    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]

    return quick_sort(left) + middle + quick_sort(right)

Project Scaffolding

gemini "Create an Express.js REST API project structure with user auth and database config"

Unit Tests

gemini "Write Jest unit tests for this function:
function fibonacci(n) {
  if (n <= 1) return n;
  return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
}"

Code Review

# Review code quality
gemini "Review the following code for performance issues and potential bugs:
[paste your code]
"

# Security audit
gemini "Check this code for security vulnerabilities, especially SQL injection and XSS"

# Best practices
gemini "What can be improved in this React component? Does it follow best practices?"

Technical Q&A

# Concept explanation
gemini "Explain JavaScript closures with practical use cases"

# Error troubleshooting
gemini "Why isn't my Promise being resolved correctly?"

# Performance optimization
gemini "How to optimize React component rendering performance?"

# Architecture design
gemini "Compare microservices vs monolithic architecture"

Documentation Generation

# Generate README
gemini "Generate a professional README.md for my Node.js library with installation, usage, and API docs"

# API documentation
gemini "Generate OpenAPI 3.0 spec documentation for this REST API endpoint"

# Code comments
gemini "Add detailed JSDoc comments to the following code"

Interactive Commands

In Gemini CLI interactive mode, you can use these commands:

Command	Description	Example
/auth	Re-authenticate	/auth
/model	Switch model	/model gemini-3-pro-preview
/clear	Clear conversation history	/clear
/help	Show help information	/help
/exit	Exit CLI	/exit or Ctrl+C
/save	Save conversation to file	/save conversation.txt

Model Switching: Use /model command to switch between different Gemini models like gemini-3-pro-preview, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro, etc.

Supported Models

Through APIYI, you can use the latest Gemini models:

Gemini 3 Series (Recommended)

Model	Use Case	Features
gemini-3-pro-preview	High-quality code, complex reasoning	🏆 Top performance, #1 on LMArena leaderboard
gemini-3-pro-preview-thinking	Ultra-complex reasoning, algorithm design	🧠 Chain-of-thought output, deep reasoning

Gemini 2.5 Series

Model	Use Case	Features
gemini-2.5-pro	Professional code generation	⚡ High performance, 1M context
gemini-2.5-flash	Fast response, daily development	🚀 Fast speed, low cost
gemini-2.5-flash-lite	Lightweight tasks, batch calls	💰 Ultra-low cost, high-frequency

Recommended Configuration:

• Complex programming, architecture design: gemini-3-pro-preview
• Daily code generation, Q&A: gemini-2.5-flash
• Batch processing, rapid iteration: gemini-2.5-flash-lite

View Complete Model List

View all Gemini models supported by APIYI, detailed pricing and performance comparison

Advanced Usage

VS Code Integration

Use Gemini CLI extension in VS Code:

{
  "gemini.apiKey": "sk-your-api-key",
  "gemini.baseUrl": "https://api.apiyi.com",
  "gemini.model": "gemini-3-pro-preview",
  "gemini.temperature": 0.7,
  "gemini.maxTokens": 4000
}

GitHub Actions Integration

Automated code review:

name: Gemini Code Review
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'

      - name: Install Gemini CLI
        run: npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

      - name: Run Code Review
        env:
          GEMINI_API_KEY: \${{ secrets.GEMINI_API_KEY }}
          GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL: https://api.apiyi.com
        run: |
          gemini "Review this Pull Request for code quality, security, and performance:
          $(git diff origin/main...HEAD)"

Batch Scripts

Create automation scripts:

#!/bin/bash

# Batch code review
for file in src/**/*.js; do
  echo "Reviewing $file..."
  gemini "Review code quality of $file" < "$file"
done

# Generate project documentation
gemini "Generate technical documentation outline for the entire project" < README.md

FAQ

Connection failed or authentication error?

Checklist:

1. Verify environment variables:

   echo $GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL
   echo $GEMINI_API_KEY
   

   Should output:

   • GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL: https://api.apiyi.com (no /v1 or other paths)
   • GEMINI_API_KEY: Complete key starting with sk-

2. Reload environment variables:

   source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc
   

3. Restart terminal: Close and reopen terminal completely

4. Verify API Key: Login to APIYI dashboard to confirm key is valid with sufficient balance

How to switch between Gemini models?

Use /model command in interactive mode:

/model gemini-3-pro-preview
/model gemini-3-pro-preview-thinking
/model gemini-2.5-flash

Or specify directly in command:

gemini --model gemini-3-pro-preview "your question"
gemini --model gemini-2.5-flash "quick test"

How to save conversation history?

Method 1: Use /save command

/save conversation-2025-01-01.txt

Method 2: Redirect output

gemini "your question" > output.txt
gemini "your question" | tee output.txt  # Display and save

Method 3: Use session management

gemini --session my-project "continue previous discussion"

Node.js version doesn't meet requirements?

Recommended: Use nvm to manage Node.js versions:

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Install Node.js 18+
nvm install 18
nvm use 18
nvm alias default 18

# Verify version
node --version

Why is response slow?

Possible causes and solutions:

1. Network issues: APIYI provides optimized domestic nodes, usually fast
2. Model selection: Use gemini-2.5-flash or gemini-2.5-flash-lite for fastest response
3. Token limit: Reduce complexity of single request
4. Concurrent requests: Avoid sending too many requests simultaneously

Test connection speed:

time gemini --model gemini-2.5-flash "Hello"

How to use on Windows?

Recommended: Use PowerShell:

1. Install Node.js (download installer from official website)
2. Run PowerShell as administrator
3. Set environment variables:
   [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL', 'https://api.apiyi.com', 'User')
   [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('GEMINI_API_KEY', 'sk-your-key', 'User')
   
4. Restart PowerShell
5. Install and use Gemini CLI

Or use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) for better experience.

Best Practices

Prompt Optimization

Be Specific

❌ “Optimize this code”

✅ “Optimize this code for performance, focusing on loop efficiency and memory usage”

Provide Context

❌ “What’s wrong with this function?”

✅ “This is a user login function encountering async errors, help me find the issue”

Step-by-Step

❌ “Help me complete the entire project”

✅ “Step 1: Design database models; Step 2: Create API routes; Step 3: …”

Request Examples

❌ “Explain closures”

✅ “Explain JavaScript closures with 3 practical use cases and code examples”

Workflow Recommendations

1. Define Problem

   Clearly describe the problem to solve or feature to implement

2. Get Solution

   Use Gemini CLI to generate initial solution or code

3. Review & Optimize

   Ask AI to review its own code and find potential issues

4. Iterate

   Gradually optimize based on feedback until requirements are met

5. Add Documentation

   Generate necessary comments and documentation

Pricing

Cost of using Gemini models through APIYI depends on your chosen model and usage.

View Detailed Pricing

View detailed pricing and cost-effectiveness comparison for all Gemini models

APIYI offers recharge bonuses: the more you recharge, the higher the bonus (10%-22%). First-time recharge gets extra bonus. View recharge promotion details.

Related Resources

• Gemini CLI Official Documentation
• APIYI Quick Start Guide
• Model Recommendations and Pricing
• Recharge Promotions
• API Manual

Get Help

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Technical consultation, usage guidance

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Quick Start: Follow the “Quick Start” section above to complete setup and start using Gemini CLI in 5 minutes!