Gemini CLI reference - CLI flags
Gemini CLI command-line flags
Gemini CLI documents 31 CLI flags, including --skip-trust, --approval-mode and --acp. You pass these to gemini on the command line. Each row gives the docs' description, accepted values and an example where one is documented.
Last verified 6 official pagesFull Gemini CLI reference
| Flag | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
--debug, -d | Run in debug mode with verbose logging. Open the debug console with F12 to see the additional logging. boolean; default: false Docs: --debug, -d | -no example |
--version, -v | Show CLI version number and exit. Docs: --version, -v | gemini --version |
--help, -h | Show help information about command-line arguments. Docs: --help, -h | -no example |
--model, -m | Model to use for this session. Accepts aliases (auto, pro, flash, flash-lite) or concrete model names. string; default: auto Docs: --model, -m | -no example |
--prompt, -p | Prompt text, appended to stdin input if provided. Forces non-interactive mode. string Docs: --prompt, -p | gemini -p "summarize README.md" |
--prompt-interactive, -i | Execute the prompt and continue in interactive mode. Cannot be used when piping input from stdin. string Docs: --prompt-interactive, -i | gemini -i "What is the purpose of this project?" |
--worktree, -w | Start Gemini in a new git worktree; a name is generated if none is given. Requires experimental.worktrees: true. string (optional name) Docs: --worktree, -w | gemini --worktree feature-search |
--sandbox, -s | Run in a sandboxed environment for safer execution. boolean; default: false Docs: --sandbox, -s | gemini -s -p "analyze the code structure" |
--skip-trust | Trust the current workspace for this session, skipping the folder trust check. boolean; default: false Docs: --skip-trust | -no example |
--approval-mode | Approval mode for tool execution: default prompts, auto_edit auto-approves edit tools, yolo auto-approves all, plan is read-only. Cannot be combined with --yolo. string; choices: default, auto_edit, yolo, plan; default: default Docs: --approval-mode | gemini --approval-mode auto_edit |
--yolo, -y | Deprecated. Auto-approve all actions; use --approval-mode=yolo instead. boolean; default: false Docs: --yolo, -y | -no example |
--acp | Starts the agent in Agent Client Protocol (ACP) mode, JSON-RPC over stdio for IDE and tool integrations. boolean Docs: --acp | gemini --acp |
--experimental-acp | Start in ACP mode. Experimental feature. boolean Docs: --experimental-acp | -no example |
--experimental-zed-integration | Run in Zed editor integration mode. Experimental feature. boolean Docs: --experimental-zed-integration | -no example |
--allowed-mcp-server-names | Allowed MCP server names for the session (comma-separated or multiple flags). array Docs: --allowed-mcp-server-names | -no example |
--allowed-tools | Deprecated; use the Policy Engine instead. Tools allowed to run without confirmation. array Docs: --allowed-tools | gemini --allowed-tools "ShellTool(git status)" |
--extensions, -e | List of extensions to use; all are enabled if omitted. Use -e none to disable all extensions. array Docs: --extensions, -e | gemini -e my-extension -e my-other-extension |
--list-extensions, -l | List all available extensions and exit. boolean Docs: --list-extensions, -l | -no example |
--resume, -r | Resume a previous session by "latest", index number, or session UUID; defaults to "latest". string Docs: --resume, -r | gemini --resume 5 |
--list-sessions | List available sessions for the current project and exit. boolean Docs: --list-sessions | gemini --list-sessions |
--delete-session | Delete a session by index number or full session UUID. string Docs: --delete-session | gemini --delete-session 3 |
--include-directories | Additional workspace directories (comma-separated or multiple flags). 5 directories can be added at maximum. array Docs: --include-directories | --include-directories /path/to/project1,/path/to/project2 |
--screen-reader | Enable screen reader mode for accessibility. boolean Docs: --screen-reader | -no example |
--output-format, -o | Output format for non-interactive mode. string; choices: text, json, stream-json; default: text Docs: --output-format, -o | -no example |
--fake-responses | Path to a file with fake model responses for testing. string (path) Docs: --fake-responses | -no example |
--record-responses | Path to a file to record model responses for testing. string (path) Docs: --record-responses | -no example |
--admin-policy | Supplemental admin policy path; ignored if .toml policy files exist in the standard system location. string (path) Docs: --admin-policy | -no example |
query (positional) | Positional prompt. Defaults to interactive mode in a TTY; use -p/--prompt for non-interactive execution. string (variadic) Docs: query (positional) | gemini "explain this project" |
gemini mcp add --scope, -s | Configuration scope: user (~/.gemini/settings.json) or project (.gemini/settings.json). user or project; default: "project" Docs: gemini mcp add --scope, -s | gemini mcp add db node db-server.js --scope user |
gemini mcp add --transport, -t | Transport type for the server. stdio, sse, http; default: "stdio" Docs: gemini mcp add --transport, -t | gemini mcp add --transport http http-server https://api.example.com/mcp/ |
gemini extensions install --ref | The git ref (branch, tag, or commit) to install. Docs: gemini extensions install --ref | gemini extensions install https://github.com/user/my-extension --ref develop |
The rest of the Gemini CLI reference
FAQ
How many CLI flags does Gemini CLI have?
The official Gemini CLI docs list 31 CLI flags, including --skip-trust, --approval-mode and --acp. All of them are in the table above, in the docs' order.
What does --debug, -d do in Gemini CLI?
Run in debug mode with verbose logging. Open the debug console with F12 to see the additional logging. Values: boolean; default: false.
Where are Gemini CLI command-line flags documented?
On 6 official docs pages at github.com, last read on October 17, 2026. Every row in the table links the exact section it came from.
More on Gemini CLI
Sources
Last verified . Names and examples are copied verbatim from the 6 official pages below, and every row above links the exact section it came from.
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/cli/cli-reference.md24 items
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/cli/acp-mode.md1 item
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/reference/configuration.md2 items
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/reference/policy-engine.md1 item
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/tools/mcp-server.md2 items
- github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/extensions/reference.md1 item
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