Development Setup

Setting up local development environment and dependencies for Gemini CLI development

System Requirements

Ensure your system meets these requirements before starting

Node.js

18.0.0 or higher

JavaScript runtime environment

node --version

npm

8.0.0 or higher

Node.js package manager

npm --version

Git

2.20.0 or higher

Version control system

git --version

VS Code

Latest (recommended)

Code editor

code --version

Installation Steps

Follow these steps to set up your development environment

1

Clone Repository

Get the Gemini CLI source code from GitHub

git clone https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli.git
cd gemini-cli
2

Install Dependencies

Install all required project dependencies

npm install
3

Bootstrap Project

Set up monorepo and link packages

npm run bootstrap
4

Build Project

Compile TypeScript code

npm run build

Environment Configuration

Configure development environment and tools

VS Code Extensions

Recommended VS Code extensions

TypeScript and JavaScript Language Features
ESLint
Prettier - Code formatter
GitLens
Thunder Client (API testing)

Environment Variables

Set up necessary environment variables

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key
NODE_ENV=development
DEBUG=gemini:*
LOG_LEVEL=debug

Verify Installation

Confirm your development environment is set up correctly

Run Tests

npm test

All tests should pass

Start Development Mode

npm run dev

Should start development server

Check Code Quality

npm run lint

Should have no linting errors

Next Steps

Continue your development journey with these resources

Project Structure

Understanding codebase organization and architecture

Build and Test

Building, testing, and debugging the project

Core API

Explore the core API documentation

Back to Documentation