Work in Progress

This page is currently under development and may be incomplete. For quick start instruction, please refer to our TLDR.

Getting Started

Welcome to the Gemini MCP Tool! This guide will help you get up and running in minutes.

TLDR Quick Start

1. Install - Ask Claude naturally to use Gemini, save tokens
2. Configure - Add this to your Claude config:

   "gemini-cli": {
     "command": "npx",
     "args": ["-y", "gemini-mcp-tool"]
   }

3. Use - Run claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop where you want to use gemini-cli as an MCP
4. Select - Make sure you've selected the MCPs you want to import (defaults to all)
5. Run - Execute claude code in the same directory - it's now configured!

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have:

• Node.js v16.0.0 or higher
• Google Gemini CLI installed and configured on your system
• Claude Desktop or Claude Code with MCP support

Installing Gemini CLI

# Install the Gemini CLI first
pip install google-generativeai-cli

# Configure with your API key
gemini config set api_key YOUR_API_KEY

# Verify it works
gemini -help

Installation Methods

Method 1: Using npx (Recommended - No Installation!)

This is the simplest approach - no global installation needed:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gemini-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "gemini-mcp-tool"]
    }
  }
}

Method 2: Global Installation

If you prefer a traditional global install:

# Install globally
npm install -g gemini-mcp-tool

# Then use this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gemini-cli": {
      "command": "gemini-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Configuration File Locations

Find your Claude Desktop configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

TIP

After updating the configuration, restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.

Using with Claude Code

For Claude Code users, there's an even simpler approach:

# In your project directory
claude mcp add gemini-cli -- npx -y gemini-mcp-tool

# This automatically configures the MCP for your project

Verify Your Setup

Once configured, test that everything is working:

1. Basic Connectivity Test

Type in Claude:

/gemini-cli:ping "Hello from Gemini MCP!"

2. Test File Analysis

/gemini-cli:analyze @README.md summarize this file

3. Test Sandbox Mode

/gemini-cli:sandbox create a simple Python hello world script

Quick Command Reference

Once installed, you can use natural language or slash commands:

Natural Language Examples

• "use gemini to explain index.html"
• "understand the massive project using gemini"
• "ask gemini to search for latest news"

Slash Commands in Claude Code

Type /gemini-cli and these commands will appear:

• /gemini-cli:analyze - Analyze files or ask questions
• /gemini-cli:sandbox - Safe code execution
• /gemini-cli:help - Show help information
• /gemini-cli:ping - Test connectivity

Common Issues

"Command not found: gemini"

Make sure you've installed the Gemini CLI:

pip install google-generativeai-cli

"MCP server not responding"

1. Check your configuration file path
2. Ensure JSON syntax is correct
3. Restart Claude Desktop completely

"Permission denied"

On macOS/Linux, you might need to make scripts executable:

chmod +x contribution/*.sh

Next Steps

Now that you're set up:

• Learn about file analysis with @ syntax
• Explore sandbox mode for safe code execution
• Check out real-world examples in the README
• Join the community for support

Need Help?

If you run into issues, open an issue on GitHub.