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How to Install Gemini CLI on Linux

Updated for June 26 2025 — this guide explains how to install and configure Google's Gemini CLI on popular Linux distributions, including Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora/RHEL, Arch, and universal Snap packages.

1. Prerequisites

  • 64-bit Linux distro released 2019 or later (kernel 5.x+ recommended)
  • Node.js 18 LTS or newer (check with node -v)
  • npm 9+ or alternative manager (npm -v)
  • curl & git installed for convenience
  • Sudo/root privileges for system-wide installs

2. Installation Methods

Method A — npx (No Install)

npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli

Perfect for a quick demo; nothing persists after exit.

Method B — Ubuntu / Debian (apt)

# Add NodeSource repo & install Node.js 18
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

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

# Verify
gemini --version
which gemini

Method C — Fedora / RHEL / CentOS (dnf/yum)

# Enable NodeSource repo
curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo bash -

# Install Node.js
sudo dnf install -y nodejs npm   # use yum on older systems

# Install Gemini CLI
audo npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Method D — Arch / Manjaro (pacman)

sudo pacman -Syu nodejs npm --noconfirm
sudo npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Method E — Universal (Snap)

sudo snap install node --classic
sudo npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

3. First-Time Setup

  1. Run gemini in the terminal.
  2. Select your preferred theme.
  3. Choose Login with Google to unlock the generous free tier (60 req/min, 1 000 req/day).
  4. If the browser callback fails, export GEMINI_BROWSER=chrome or use a headless option.

4. Using an API Key

Power users can bypass Google Login with a key from AI Studio:

echo "export GEMINI_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY" >> ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc
source ~/.bashrc
gemini --prompt "Hello from Linux"

5. Quick Start Commands

# Interactive mode
gemini

# One-shot prompt
gemini --prompt "Generate a Dockerfile for Node.js"

# Include files
gemini "Explain this script" @scripts/deploy.sh

6. Troubleshooting

EACCES Permission Errors

sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(npm config get prefix)/{lib/node_modules,bin,share}

Command Not Found

export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

Proxy Issues

npm config set proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080

7. Next Steps

Continue with the Getting Started guide or explore command reference for advanced usage.