Friday, August 29, 2025

AI coding on the command line with Gemini CLI

│  > Do that once more utilizing mpfr, which is already put in. Name this   │
│    pi_value_mpfr.                                                     │

Gemini obtained that proper the primary time, which wasn’t an enormous shock since MPFR has a built-in fixed operate for pi. Then Gemini volunteered that the MPFR implementation was a bit slower than the Increase implementation. Properly, I knew that MPFR was utilizing a suboptimal however dependable algorithm.

Me:

│  > attempt once more utilizing the absolute best algorithm. name this system   │
│    pi_value                                        │

Gemini appropriately selected the Chudnovsky algorithm with MPFR, however then screwed up the implementation a couple of occasions earlier than getting it proper. When it lastly obtained an accurate outcome, the true runtime was about half of that of the built-in fixed operate for pi. I then had Gemini verify the three outcome values towards one another and the 39-digit reference worth given within the Encyclopedia Britannica. All good.

On to one thing non-trivial: I modified to the listing the place I had a present copy of the gemini-cli repository and first requested it to clarify the repo, after which requested it to checklist open points, which it did utilizing gh as soon as I gave it permission. Then I requested it to select an open concern marked as a good first concern, after which to counsel an implementation. It got here up with a plan, bumped into bother with the implementation, got here up with a revised plan, had bother with that, and eventually went right into a loop making an attempt to stability TypeScript parentheses. I canceled the duty at that time.

Good however not nice

My conclusion right here is that Gemini CLI with the gemini-2.5-pro mannequin is fairly good however not nice. On a scale of Stage 0 to Stage 5 the place Stage 0 is “No automation or company, however good tooling for shortcuts and repetitive use” and Stage 5 is “Full automation: Software program can problem-solve and implement with out supervision,” the Gemini CLI and Professional mannequin are in all probability at round a 3.5, someplace between Stage 3’s “Conditional automation: Software program can write itself beneath pre-defined guidelines and recipes” and Stage 4’s “Excessive automation: Software program can write itself with little to no human supervision.”

To place that in perspective, the one higher programs that I’ve examined are Claude Code and Solver, which might each typically behave at or close to Stage 4. However, Gemini CLI is free and the gemini-2.5-pro mannequin has a million-token context window and superior coding capabilities, which collectively can get you fairly far with out paying for a subscription or for utilization.

Value

Free with 60 mannequin requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day; usage-based billing and subscriptions accessible.

Platform

Command line/terminal; Node.js v18+; Home windows, macOS, Linux.

Backside line

Gemini CLI is free and the gemini-2.5-pro mannequin has a million-token context window and superior coding capabilities, which collectively can get you fairly far with out paying for a subscription or for utilization. The one higher programs that I’ve examined are Claude Code and Solver.

Execs

  1. Free for many makes use of
  2. Good outcomes more often than not
  3. Someplace between conditional and excessive automation
  4. Lively open-source venture

Cons

  1. Nonetheless buggy because it has been accessible for lower than a month
  2. Makes use of a hosted mannequin, which implies that your code may doubtlessly leak
  3. When it fails it could actually produce rubbish code however declare that it really works

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