Configuration Guide

Customize Gemini CLI to fit your workflow with comprehensive configuration options for API settings, interface preferences, and security controls.

Configuration Commands

Essential commands for managing your configuration

gemini config list

Show all current configuration settings

gemini config get <key>

Get the value of a specific setting

gemini config set <key> <value>

Set a configuration value

gemini config unset <key>

Remove a configuration setting (revert to default)

gemini config reset

Reset all settings to default values

gemini config export

Export configuration to a file

gemini config import <file>

Import configuration from a file

Configuration Options

Detailed settings organized by category

API Configuration

Configure API keys and model settings

api-key

Required

Your Google AI API key

Type: string
Example:
gemini config set api-key YOUR_API_KEY

model

Default model to use

Type: string
Default: gemini-pro
Example:
gemini config set model gemini-pro

temperature

Creativity level (0.0 to 1.0)

Type: number
Default: 0.7
Example:
gemini config set temperature 0.7

max-tokens

Maximum response length

Type: number
Default: 2048
Example:
gemini config set max-tokens 2048

Interface Settings

Customize the CLI appearance and behavior

theme

Color theme for the CLI

Type: string
Default: auto
Options: auto, light, dark
Example:
gemini config set theme dark

output-format

Default output format

Type: string
Default: text
Options: text, markdown, json
Example:
gemini config set output-format markdown

stream

Enable streaming responses

Type: boolean
Default: true
Example:
gemini config set stream true

history-limit

Number of conversation turns to remember

Type: number
Default: 10
Example:
gemini config set history-limit 20

Tools & Extensions

Configure tools and plugin settings

tools-enabled

Enable tool usage

Type: boolean
Default: true
Example:
gemini config set tools-enabled true

tool-timeout

Tool execution timeout (seconds)

Type: number
Default: 30
Example:
gemini config set tool-timeout 30

plugins-dir

Directory for custom plugins

Type: string
Default: ~/.gemini/plugins
Example:
gemini config set plugins-dir ~/.gemini/plugins

Security Settings

Security and privacy configurations

safe-mode

Enable safe mode for tool execution

Type: boolean
Default: true
Example:
gemini config set safe-mode true

log-level

Logging verbosity level

Type: string
Default: info
Options: error, warn, info, debug
Example:
gemini config set log-level info

data-collection

Allow anonymous usage data collection

Type: boolean
Default: false
Example:
gemini config set data-collection false

Environment Variables

Alternative configuration using environment variables

Common Environment Variables

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key

API key for authentication

GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-pro

Default model to use

GEMINI_CONFIG_DIR=~/.config/gemini

Configuration directory

Setting Environment Variables

Bash/Zsh:

export GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key

PowerShell:

$env:GEMINI_API_KEY="your_key"

.env file:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key

Configuration Files

Understanding configuration file locations and formats

File Locations

Global Config:

~/.config/gemini/config.json

Project Config:

.gemini/config.json

Environment File:

.env

Example Config File

{
  "api-key": "your_api_key",
  "model": "gemini-pro",
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max-tokens": 2048,
  "theme": "dark",
  "stream": true,
  "tools-enabled": true,
  "safe-mode": true
}

Best Practices

Recommendations for secure and effective configuration

Security

  • • Never commit API keys to version control
  • • Use environment variables for sensitive data
  • • Enable safe mode for tool execution
  • • Regularly rotate your API keys
  • • Review and limit tool permissions

Performance

  • • Adjust temperature based on use case
  • • Set appropriate token limits
  • • Enable streaming for better UX
  • • Configure reasonable timeouts
  • • Limit conversation history size

Related Resources

Explore more configuration and setup guides

Installation GuideUsage ExamplesTroubleshooting