Gemini CLI error
Gemini CLI: Failed to login. Message: Precondition check failed
Failed to login. Message: Precondition check failed.Status: Fixed in releaseLast verified 2 documented fixes4 sources
What it means
Code Assist onboarding rejected the login request, usually because a Google Cloud project was sent for a free-tier login.
Causes
- Source comment in setup.ts: "The free tier uses a managed google cloud project. Setting a project in the
onboardUserrequest causes aPrecondition Failederror." - Maintainer (gsquared94, #5331): having GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT set to a project without completed Gemini Code Assist onboarding.
How to fix it
- Fix 1.
Upgrade to v0.1.21 or later. The issue was closed as completed by #6113, "fix: use server-returned project for gca free tier auth".
Terminalnpm install -g @google/gemini-cli@latest - Fix 2.
Maintainer guidance: to use the free experience, unset GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT. To use a project, follow the Gemini Code Assist onboarding instructions (https://cloud.google.com/gemini/docs/discover/set-up-gemini) to enable the necessary APIs and purchase a license.
Terminalunset GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
More Gemini CLI errors
All 19 Gemini CLI errorsYou must be a named user on your organization's Gemini Code Assist Standard edition subscription to use this service. Please contact your administrator to request an entitlement to Gemini Code Assist Standard edition.Status: WorkaroundFailed to sign in. Message: Your current account is not eligible... because it is not currently available in your location.Status: By designFailed to sign in. Message: Request contains an invalid argumentStatus: WorkaroundUNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY or unable to get local issuer certificateStatus: WorkaroundThis account requires setting the GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT or GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT_ID env var. See https://geminicli.com/docs/get-started/authentication/#set-gcpStatus: By designInvalid Google Cloud Project ID: "<projectId>". The GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT (or GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT_ID) environment variable must be set to your string-based Project ID (e.g., "my-project-123"), not your numeric Project Number. Please update your environment variables.Status: By designYou are currently configured to use a Google Cloud Project but lack a Gemini Code Assist license. Please contact your administrator to request a license.Status: WorkaroundFailed to sign in. Message: You do not have a valid license of this product. Please contact your administrator to request a license. If you are not an enterprise user and believe you are receiving this message as an error, please try using the latest version and logging in again.Status: Open
Related reading
- Do Your Agent Hooks Fail Open? Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor vs Gemini CLIA guard hook that crashes, times out or points at a missing script lets the tool call through by default in Claude Code. v2.1.295 adds onFailure: block. Here is what each coding agent does when your policy hook breaks, with real test runs.
- How to Keep API Keys Away From Your AI Coding Agent: Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor vs Gemini CLIA deny rule on .env stops cat but not a Python one-liner. Here are the three layers that actually keep secrets out of a coding agent's context - file rules, environment scrubbing and credential masking - and what Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI give you for each, with real test runs.
- Headless AI Coding Agents in CI: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and opencode ComparedHeadless AI coding agents in CI compared: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and opencode on invocation flags, sandboxing, auth, and output formats.
- Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI Migration Guide: The June 18 DeadlineGemini CLI to Antigravity CLI migration guide: install, migrate config, update scripts and CI, and avoid the silent MCP failure that breaks tool calls.
- Gemini CLI Guide: 1M Token Context and Who Can Still Use ItGemini CLI puts a 1 million token context in your terminal but now only serves paid Gemini API, Vertex AI and Code Assist users. Setup and TypeScript workflow.
FAQ
What does "Failed to login. Message: Precondition check failed" mean in Gemini CLI?
Code Assist onboarding rejected the login request, usually because a Google Cloud project was sent for a free-tier login.
How do I fix "Failed to login. Message: Precondition check failed"?
There are 2 documented fixes. Start with the first: Upgrade to v0.1.21 or later. The issue was closed as completed by #6113, "fix: use server-returned project for gca free tier auth".
Is this Gemini CLI error fixed?
Status: Fixed in release. A release fixed this. The affected versions note says where the fix landed. Affected versions: Reported on 0.1.15; fixed in v0.1.21 (#6113)
Sources
Last verified against 4 sources: official docs, maintainer replies and release notes.
- github.comhttps://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/issues/5331
- github.comhttps://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/pull/6113
- github.comhttps://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/packages/core/src/code_assist/setup.ts
- github.comhttps://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/releases/tag/v0.1.21
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