Gemini CLI Cheatsheet

Your complete guide to mastering Gemini CLI - from zero to hero in minutes!

After testing Gemini CLI I've developed this comprehensive cheat sheet that will take you from basic to advanced user without wasting time. Whether you're completely new to Gemini CLI or looking to master advanced features, this guide has you covered.

Quick Start

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

# Or run without installing
npx @google/gemini-cli

# Launch interactive CLI
gemini

📚 Table of Contents

• 🟢 Level 1: Basic Commands
• 🟡 Level 2: Intermediate Commands
• 🟠 Level 3: Advanced Commands
• 🔴 Level 4: Expert Commands
• 🔵 Level 5: Power User Commands
• 🟣 Level 6: Master Commands
• 🤝 Contributing
• 📄 License

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🟢 Level 1: Basic Commands

Essential commands to get started

Installation & Getting Started

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli     # Install globally
npx @google/gemini-cli                # Run without installing
gemini                                # Launch interactive CLI
gemini --version                      # Check version

Basic Navigation

/about                    # Check version
/help                     # Show available commands
/tools                    # List available tools
/clear                    # Clear current conversation
/quit                     # Exit CLI (or Ctrl+C)

Basic File Operations

ReadFolder                # Read folder contents
ReadFile                  # Read single file
ReadManyFiles             # Read multiple files

File System Operations - Natural Language

# Using natural language
"List files in current directory"
"Show me the contents of package.json"
"Find all HTML files in this project"

Basic Tools

/tools                     # List available tools
/tools desc                # Show tool descriptions
/tools nodesc              # Hide tool descriptions

Basic Configuration

/theme                     # Change visual theme
/auth                      # Change authentication method
/editor                    # Select supported editors

Basic Shell Command

shell ls                    # List directory contents

Keyboard Shortcuts

Enter                       # Send message
Esc                         # Cancel operation
Ctrl+L                      # Clear screen
Ctrl+C x2                   # Exit CLI / Quit application
Ctrl+T                      # Toggle tool descriptions
Up/Down                     # Cycle through prompt history || Tools
Alt+Left/Right              # Jump through words

Troubleshooting & Tips

/privacy                   # View privacy settings
/bug                       # Submit bug report
/docs                      # Open documentation
/about                     # Check version info

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🟡 Level 2: Intermediate Commands

File management and basic customization

File Management

/tools 
read_folder <directory>              # Read entire folder
@src/my_project/                     # Read entire project directory
@path/to/file.txt                    # Read specific file
@My\ Documents/file.txt              # Handle spaces in paths

Conversation Management

/chat save <tag>                     # Save current conversation
/chat resume <tag>                   # Resume saved conversation
/chat list                           # List saved conversations
/compress                            # Compress chat context to summary

Model Configuration

--model                             # Show current model
--model gemini-1.5-flash            # Switch to Flash (fastest)
--model gemini-1.5-pro              # Switch to Pro (most capable)
--model gemini-1.5-pro-002          # Switch to latest Pro version

Memory Management

/memory show                        # Show current memory context
/memory add <text>                  # Add text to memory
/memory refresh                     # Reload GEMINI.md files

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🟠 Level 3: Advanced Commands

Configuration, context, and power features

Execution Methods

gemini -p "your prompt here"         # Direct prompt execution
gemini -y                            # Auto-confirm all prompts (YOLO mode)
gemini --sandbox                     # Run in sandbox mode
gemini --checkpointing               # Enable checkpointing

Statistics & Monitoring

/stats                               # Show session statistics
/stats model                         # Show model usage stats
/stats tools                         # Show tool usage stats

Shell Integration

!<shell_command>                     # Execute shell command
!ls -la                              # Example: list files
!git status                          # Example: git status
!                                    # Toggle shell mode

Context Management

@<path_to_file>                     # Include file content in prompt
@<directory>                        # Include directory content
@README.md                          # Example: include README
@src/myFile.ts                      # Add specific file to context
@folder/                            # Add entire folder to context

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🔴 Level 4: Expert Commands

MCP servers, automation, and advanced integrations

MCP Server Management

/mcp list                 # List available MCP servers
/mcp desc                 # Show detailed MCP descriptions
/mcp nodesc               # Hide MCP descriptions
/mcp schema               # Show full JSON schema

Advanced Execution

npx @google/gemini-cli                          # Run latest version
npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli  # Run from GitHub

Sandbox Configuration

gemini -s                           # Enable sandboxing (short flag)
export GEMINI_SANDBOX=true          # Environment variable
export GEMINI_SANDBOX=docker        # Specify Docker
export GEMINI_SANDBOX=podman        # Specify Podman
export GEMINI_SANDBOX=sandbox-exec  # Specify sandbox-exec (macOS)

Advanced File Operations

# Git-aware filtering automatically excludes:
# node_modules/, dist/, .env, .git/
# Can be configured via fileFiltering settings

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🔵 Level 5: Power User Commands

Advanced workflows and integrations

Container-based Execution

docker run --rm -it us-docker.pkg.dev/gemini-code-dev/gemini-cli/sandbox:0.1.1
gemini --sandbox -y -p "your prompt here"

Development Mode

npm run start                        # Hot-reloading development
npm link packages/cli                # Link local package globally

Environment Variables

export SEATBELT_PROFILE=permissive-open     # macOS sandbox profile
export SEATBELT_PROFILE=restrictive-closed  # Strict macOS sandbox
export SANDBOX_SET_UID_GID=true             # Force host UID/GID
export DEBUG=1                              # Enable debug mode

Checkpointing & Restore

/restore                             # List available checkpoints
/restore <checkpoint_file>           # Restore specific checkpoint
/restore 2025-06-22T10-00-00_000Z-my-file.txt-write_file

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🟣 Level 6: Master Commands

Advanced automation and custom workflows

Bug Reporting & Issues

/bug "Issue description"             # File GitHub issue
                                     # Customizable via bugCommand setting

Extension Management

# Extensions loaded from:
# <workspace>/.gemini/extensions
# <home>/.gemini/extensions

Advanced Settings (settings.json)

{
  "sandbox": "docker",
  "checkpointing": { "enabled": true },
  "bugCommand": "custom command",
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node my-server.js"
    }
  }
}

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Ways to Contribute

• 🐛 Report bugs or issues
• 📝 Improve documentation
• ✨ Add new commands or examples
• 🔧 Test commands and report results

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⭐ Support

If this cheatsheet helped you, please give it a star! It helps others discover this resource.

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📞 Connect

• Contact: Email

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Last updated: July 2025