gemini-cli

Gemini CLI Skill Guide

When to Use Gemini

Use Case	Why Gemini
Current web information	google_web_search - real-time Google Search
Codebase architecture analysis	codebase_investigator - deep analysis tool
Second opinion / code review	Different AI perspective catches different bugs
Parallel code generation	Offload tasks while continuing other work

When NOT to use: Simple quick tasks (overhead not worth it), interactive refinement, context already understood.

Running a Task

1. Verify installation: command -v gemini
2. Select the mode required for the task; default to read-only (no --yolo) unless edits are necessary.
3. Always use AskUserQuestion before using --yolo or -s flags. These modes allow file writes or sandboxed execution - get explicit user approval first.
4. Assemble the command with appropriate options:
   • -m, --model <MODEL> - Model selection
   • -y, --yolo - Auto-approve all tool calls (enables writes)
   • -s, --sandbox - Run in Docker isolation
   • -o, --output-format <text|json> - Output format
5. Important: gemini "prompt" -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response' to suppress stderr noise and extract the json response, unless specified by the user.

Critical Note

YOLO mode does NOT prevent planning prompts. Use forceful language: "Apply now", "Start immediately", "Do this without asking for confirmation".

Quick Reference

Use case	Mode	Command pattern
Read-only analysis	read-only	gemini "..." -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'
Apply local edits	write	gemini "..." --yolo -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'
Sandboxed write	sandbox	gemini "..." --yolo --sandbox -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'

Example Commands

# Read-only
gemini "Review src/ for bugs" -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'

# Write mode
gemini "Fix bug in file.py. Apply now." --yolo -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'

# If redirection fails, wrap in bash -lc
bash -lc 'gemini "prompt" -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r ".response"'

Following Up

• Resume: echo "follow-up" | gemini -r latest -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.response'
• List sessions: gemini --list-sessions

Error Handling

• Rate limit: CLI auto-retries with backoff. Use -m gemini-2.5-flash for lower priority tasks.
• Command failure: Check with gemini --version, use --debug for details.
• Always validate Gemini's output for security vulnerabilities (XSS, injection) before using.