Comprehensive guide covering 30+ advanced techniques for using Gemini CLI, Google's open-source AI terminal assistant. Covers persistent context with GEMINI.md files, custom slash commands, MCP server extensions, memory management, checkpointing for rollbacks, file and image referencing with @ syntax, on-the-fly tool creation,
•1h 32m read time• From addyo.substack.com
Table of contents
Getting StartedTip 1: Use GEMINI.md for Persistent ContextTip 2: Create Custom Slash CommandsTip 3: Extend Gemini with Your Own MCP ServersTip 4: Leverage Memory Addition & RecallTip 5: Use Checkpointing and /restore as an Undo ButtonTip 6: Read Google Docs, Sheets, and More.Tip 7: Reference Files and Images with @ for Explicit ContextTip 8: On-the-Fly Tool Creation (Have Gemini Build Helpers)Tip 9: Use Gemini CLI for System Troubleshooting & ConfigurationTip 10: YOLO Mode - Auto-Approve Tool Actions (Use with Caution)Tip 11: Headless & Scripting Mode (Run Gemini CLI in the Background)Tip 12: Save and Resume Chat SessionsTip 13: Multi-Directory Workspace - One Gemini, Many FoldersTip 14: Organize and Clean Up Your Files with AI AssistanceTip 15: Compress Long Conversations to Stay Within ContextTip 16: Passthrough Shell Commands with ! (Talk to Your Terminal)Tip 17: Treat Every CLI Tool as a Potential Gemini ToolTip 18: Utilize Multimodal AI - Let Gemini See Images and MoreTip 19: Customize the $PATH (and Tool Availability) for StabilityTip 20: Track and reduce token spend with token caching and statsTip 21: Use /copy for Quick Clipboard CopyTip 22: Master Ctrl+C for Shell Mode and ExitingTip 23: Customize Gemini CLI with settings.jsonTip 24: Leverage IDE Integration (VS Code) for Context & DiffsTip 25: Automate Repo Tasks with Gemini CLI GitHub ActionTip 26: Enable Telemetry for Insights and ObservabilityTip 27: Keep an Eye on the Roadmap (Background Agents & More)Tip 28: Extend Gemini CLI with ExtensionsAdditional Fun: Corgi Mode Easter Egg 🐕Sort: