gemini-cli-nix

Nix flake for Gemini CLI - Google's open-source AI agent for your terminal.

Features

• Official distribution: Uses the bundled JS from Google's releases with Node.js 22
• Always up-to-date: Hourly automated updates via GitHub Actions
• Sandbox-compatible: No network access during build
• Binary caching: Fast installs via Cachix (optional)
• Version pinning: Pin to specific versions, major versions, or latest

Quick Start

Run directly

nix run github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix

Install to profile

nix profile install github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix

With Home Manager

{
  inputs.gemini-cli-nix.url = "github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix";

  # In your home configuration:
  home.packages = [ inputs.gemini-cli-nix.packages.${system}.default ];
}

With NixOS

{
  inputs.gemini-cli-nix.url = "github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix";

  # In your system configuration:
  environment.systemPackages = [ inputs.gemini-cli-nix.packages.${system}.default ];
}

Version Pinning

Latest (auto-updates)

nix run github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix

Specific version

nix run github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix?ref=v0.26.0

Major version (tracks v0.x)

nix run github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix?ref=v0

In Flake Inputs

{
  inputs = {
    # Always latest (auto-updates)
    gemini-cli.url = "github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix";

    # Pin to exact version
    gemini-cli.url = "github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix?ref=v0.26.0";

    # Track major version (stays on v0.x)
    gemini-cli.url = "github:sadjow/gemini-cli-nix?ref=v0";
  };
}

Custom Binary Name

You can customize the binary name when building:

pkgs.gemini-cli.override { binName = "gem"; }

Parameter	Default	Description
binName	gemini	Binary name for the CLI
disableTelemetry	false	Disable telemetry when true

Disable Telemetry

pkgs.gemini-cli.override { disableTelemetry = true; }

Binary Cache (Cachix)

For faster installs without building from source:

cachix use gemini-cli-nix

Or add to your Nix configuration:

{
  nix.settings = {
    substituters = [ "https://gemini-cli-nix.cachix.org" ];
    trusted-public-keys = [ "gemini-cli-nix.cachix.org-1:DzAIhrYktyRtR1OO0KjyYEKR5hjwsdZU2NwHlEBCcvI=" ];
  };
}

Troubleshooting

Auto-update notifications

Gemini CLI may show update notifications even when installed via Nix. To disable:

1. Run /settings in Gemini CLI
2. Navigate to General settings
3. Disable "Auto Update Notifications"

Or add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "general": {
    "enableAutoUpdateNotification": false
  }
}

PATH issues after installation

If gemini command is not found:

# Check if nix-profile/bin is in PATH
echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep nix-profile

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$HOME/.nix-profile/bin:$PATH"

macOS permission issues

On macOS, create a stable symlink to avoid re-granting permissions after updates:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
ln -sf $(which gemini) ~/.local/bin/gemini
# Add ~/.local/bin to PATH

Comparison with Other Installation Methods

Feature	npm global	Homebrew	This Flake
Official Runtime	Yes	Yes	Yes
Latest Version	Manual	Delayed	Hourly checks
Survives Node Switch	Lost on switch	Always available	Always available
Binary Cache	None	Bottles	Cachix
Declarative Config	No	Limited	Yes
Version Pinning	Manual	Formula version	Git tags
Reproducible	No	Mostly	Yes
Sandbox Builds	N/A	N/A	Yes

Development

Build locally

nix build
./result/bin/gemini --version

Update to latest version

./scripts/update-version.sh

Check for updates

./scripts/update-version.sh --check

Project Structure

gemini-cli-nix/
├── flake.nix          # Nix flake definition
├── package.nix        # Package derivation
├── scripts/
│   ├── update-version.sh       # Version updater
│   └── setup-github-permissions.sh
└── .github/workflows/
    ├── update-gemini-cli.yml   # Hourly updates
    ├── build.yml               # CI builds
    ├── test-pr.yml             # PR validation
    └── create-version-tag.yml  # Auto-tagging

Technical Details

This package builds Gemini CLI from the upstream tagged source and npm lockfile with Nix's buildNpmPackage, then runs the packaged CLI with Node.js 22. The derivation materializes the workspace runtime dependency on @google/gemini-cli-core, which makes the package robust against upstream release artifact layout changes.

Environment Variables

The wrapper script sets:

• GEMINI_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false - Only when disableTelemetry = true

Requirements

• Nix with flakes enabled

License

This Nix packaging is MIT licensed.

Gemini CLI itself is Apache 2.0 licensed by Google.

Links

• Gemini CLI Documentation
• Gemini CLI GitHub
• GitHub Releases