Google releases gemini-api, an open-source beta CLI built for coding agents

On October 27, 2026, Google released the Gemini API CLI, gemini-api, as an open-source beta: a stateless, zero-dependency command-line client for the Interactions API, built for agents with shell access, scripts and CI.

Archive entry: this covers an event from October 27, 2026, and we published it on November 8, 2026. The details come from sources dated at the time and may have changed since.

On October 27, 2026, Google released the Gemini API CLI, gemini-api, as an open-source beta, according to the Gemini API changelog for October 27, 2026. It is a stateless, zero-dependency command-line client for coding agents, scripts and CI, built on the Interactions API.

What the CLI offers

It covers text and media generation, file analysis and managed agents through the Interactions API.
Google says it works with Antigravity, Claude Code, Cursor and any shell.
Agent-oriented flags include --usage (KDL output), --schema, --dry-run with credential redaction, -o for json or toon output, --jq and --agent-mode.
It never prompts unless --interactive is set, and it writes media to disk, printing only the file path to stdout.
It authenticates with the GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable.
It installs through an install.sh script, PowerShell, go install, or binaries from the google-gemini/gemini-api-cli GitHub repository.

What it means for people building with AI agents

The CLI gives third-party coding agents a scriptable, low-overhead way to call Gemini models and agents from a shell. Among its agent-oriented flags are --dry-run with credential redaction and --schema, and the tool does not prompt unless --interactive is set, which suits scripts and CI.

Beta status and further reading

Google labeled the release an open-source beta and said breaking changes were possible between minor versions, so it advised pinning versions. More detail is in the Gemini API CLI documentation.

Sources

Gemini API changelog: October 27, 2026 (Google AI Studio (Gemini API changelog), October 27, 2026, official)
Gemini API CLI (Google AI Studio (docs), official)

Written with AI assistance, strictly from the sources listed above. Before it went live, automated checks verified its dates, sources and every language edition.