Gemini CLI Proxy Configuration Guide

Gemini CLI is an open-source command-line AI tool provided by Google that brings Gemini's powerful capabilities directly to your terminal. It provides a lightweight way to access Gemini, offering the most direct path from prompts to models. By configuring a proxy (transit), you can use Gemini CLI services normally even in network-restricted environments.

🚀 Why Choose Gemini CLI?

🧠 Powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro

Access to 1 million token context window

🔧 Built-in Tools

Google Search basics, file operations, Shell commands, web scraping

🔌 Extensible

Supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) for custom integrations

💻 Terminal First

Designed specifically for developers working in the command line

🛡️ Open Source

Apache 2.0 license

📦 Installation Methods

Quick Installation

Using npx (Run instantly without installation)

                # Using official repository
npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
              

Using npm (Global installation)

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Using Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install gemini-cli

System Requirements:

Node.js version 20 or higher
macOS, Linux, or Windows

⚙️ Proxy (Transit) Configuration

1. Set Environment Variables

Before using the proxy, you need to configure the following environment variables:

Linux/Unix/macOS:

              # Set API key
export GEMINI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxx

# Set API proxy address
export GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://v98store.com
            

Windows CMD:

              set GEMINI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxx
set GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://v98store.com
            

Windows PowerShell:

              $env:GEMINI_API_KEY = "sk-xxxxx"
$env:GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL = "https://v98store.com"
            

Note: You can also add these environment variables to .bashrc, .zshrc, or other shell configuration files so they are automatically set every time you start your terminal.

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Usage

Start in current directory

gemini

Include multiple directories

gemini --include-directories ../lib,../docs

Use specific model

gemini -m gemini-2.5-flash

Script non-interactive mode

Get simple text response:

gemini -p "Explain the architecture of this codebase"

Get structured JSON output:

gemini -p "Explain the architecture of this codebase" --output-format json

Quick Examples

Start new project

                cd new-project/
gemini
> Write a Discord bot for me that answers questions using the FAQ.md file I provide
              

Analyze existing code

                git clone https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
cd gemini-cli
gemini
> Give me a summary of all changes from yesterday
              

📋 Main Features

Code Understanding & Generation

Query and edit large codebases
Use multimodal capabilities to generate new apps from PDFs, images, or sketches
Debug issues and troubleshoot using natural language

Automation & Integration

Automate operational tasks like querying pull requests or handling complex rebase operations
Use MCP servers to connect new features
Run non-interactively in scripts for workflow automation

Advanced Features

Use built-in Google Search to get real-time information
Conversation checkpoints to save and restore complex sessions
Custom context files (GEMINI.md) to customize behavior for your project

💻 Common Commands and Examples

Explore Codebase

                > Describe the main components of this system architecture
> What security mechanisms are in place?
> Provide a step-by-step onboarding document for new developers
              

Handle Existing Code

                > Implement a draft for GitHub issue #123
> Help me migrate this codebase to the latest version of Java. Make a plan first
              

Automate Workflows

                > Make a slide deck showing the git history of the past 7 days, grouped by feature and team member
> Make a full-screen web app for wall display showing our most interacted GitHub issues
              

System Interaction

                > Convert all images in this directory to png and rename them using dates from exif data
> Organize my PDF invoices by spending month
              

🔗 GitHub Integration

Use Gemini CLI GitHub Action to integrate Gemini CLI directly into your GitHub workflows:

Pull Request Reviews: Automatic code reviews with contextual feedback and suggestions
Issue Classification: Automatically tag and prioritize GitHub issues based on content analysis
On-Demand Help: Mention @gemini-cli in issues and pull requests for debugging, explanations, or task delegation
Custom Workflows: Build automation, scheduled, and on-demand workflows tailored to your team's needs

🔧 Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during use, refer to the following points:

Check if environment variables are set correctly:
echo $GEMINI_API_KEY echo $GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL
Check if network connection is stable and proxy is accessible:
curl -I https://v98store.com
Check for error messages - these usually indicate the problem
If using SOCKS proxy, ensure the proxy format is correct, e.g., socks5://<user>:<pass>@<proxy>:<port>
Use built-in command to report issues:
# Report bug directly in CLI /bug

📌 Version Release Notes

Preview Version

New preview versions are released every Tuesday at UTC 23:59. Install using the preview tag:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@preview

Stable Version

New stable versions are released every Tuesday at UTC 20:00. Install using the latest tag:

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

Nightly Version

Nightly versions are released daily at UTC 00:00. Install using the nightly tag:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@nightly

🔌 MCP Server Usage

Configure MCP servers in ~/.gemini/settings.json to extend Gemini CLI's custom tools:

              > @github List my open pull requests
> @slack Send a summary of today's commits to #dev channel
> @database Run a query to find inactive users
            

📚 Related Resources

Official Roadmap: View upcoming features
NPM Package: Package registry
GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
Security Advisories: Security updates

💎 Gemini CLI Proxy Configuration Guide