Release: [@kds215/gemini-cli@0.2.0] - Public Beta for Accessibility Testing

Security Warning

This release has been unpublished because of possible security vulnerabilities in the official @google/gemini-cli release on which this release is based. The plan of action is to convince Google to incorporate this "gemini --reader" version back into the official Google Gemini CLI release cycle to ensure Google's official anti-malware and anti-hacker measures are also included and up-to-date.

Overview

Welcome to the public beta release of gemini for the blind! This @kds215/gemini-cli@0.2.0 version is intended for use by blind and visually impaired users. Your feedback (especially from blind users) is crucial to making this tool as accessible and effective as possible. With your beta testing support, hopefully, this version will become part of the next official @google/gemini-cli release.

The main difference between the official @google/gemini-cli and this @kds215/gemini-cli version is that it has an added [ -r or --reader ] option to suppress the output of all ascii-box-drawing characters shown around every gemini output line. Without the --reader option it is impractical for blind users to listen at gemini launch time for roughly 3 minutes just for the "Gemini" banner made up of black&white box characters. In addition every gemini generated output line is framed by box-drawing ascii characters that must also by read by a reader.

Using gemini -r or --reader option frees readers from sounding-out all (useless) clutter characters and blind users can focus on their AI-gemini tasks at hand.

Important

With the --reader option gemini returns results without framing borders around output lines. Here are examples of what specific output characters to look for to navigate through gemini's responses:

1. a new prompt line always starts with

• " > Type your message or @path/to/file “
• and the cursor is right after the “ > “ character.
• Your input typing will always override this 'Type your message…' string.

2. after entering your prompt line, type RETURN, gemini's response will start with

• an small plus sign “ ✦ “ (or like a star symbol) in the output line’s first position
• followed by other explanations & comments from gemini etc.

3. now, within this “ ✦ “ response text block, gemini can start a new line with

• two leading spaces followed by a check-mark character “ ✔ “.
• This indicates a tool usage like Shell command, WriteFile, ReadFolder, ReadFile, etc.
• Instead of the check-mark there can be also a " ? " to show the tool to be
• run but you need to give it permission to run.

4. after your prompt has been answered

• a new “ > “ prompt line appears as in item 1. above.

From the official @google/gemini-cli README:

This repository contains the Gemini CLI, a command-line AI workflow tool that connects to your tools, understands your code and accelerates your workflows.

With the Gemini CLI you can:

• Query and edit large codebases in and beyond Gemini's 1M token context window.
• Generate new apps from PDFs or sketches, using Gemini's multimodal capabilities (prompt and images input).
• Automate operational tasks, like querying pull requests or handling complex rebases.
• Use tools and MCP servers to connect new capabilities, including media generation with Imagen, Veo or Lyria
• Ground your queries with the Google Search tool, built into Gemini.

Quickstart

You have two options to install Gemini CLI.

With Node

1. Prerequisites: Ensure you have Node.js version 20 or higher installed.

2. Run the CLI: Execute the following command in your terminal:

   npx https://github.com/kds215/gemini-cli -r or --reader    ( -r or reader with 2 dashes )

   Or install first with:

   npm install -g @kds215/gemini-cli

   Then second, run the CLI from anywhere:

   gemini -r or --reader     ( -r or reader with 2 dashes )

With Homebrew

1. Prerequisites: Ensure you have Homebrew installed.

2. Install the CLI Execute the following command in your terminal first:

   brew install gemini-cli

   Then second, run the CLI from anywhere:

   gemini -r or --reader    (reader with 2 dashes)

Common Configuration steps when running gemini using /commands

3. Pick a color theme using /theme command to pick a suitable color theme for your VI needs.
4. Authenticate: When prompted, sign in with your personal Google account. This will grant you up to 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 model requests per day using Gemini.

You are now ready to use the Gemini CLI!

Use a Gemini API key:

The Gemini API provides a free tier with 100 requests per day using Gemini 2.5 Pro, control over which model you use, and access to higher rate limits (with a paid plan):

1. Generate a key from Google AI Studio.

2. Set it as an environment variable in your terminal. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your generated key.

   export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

3. (Optionally) Upgrade your Gemini API project to a paid plan on the API key page (will automatically unlock Tier 1 rate limits)

Use a Vertex AI API key:

The Vertex AI API provides a free tier using express mode for Gemini 2.5 Pro, control over which model you use, and access to higher rate limits with a billing account:

1. Generate a key from Google Cloud.

2. Set it as an environment variable in your terminal. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your generated key and set GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI to true

   export GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
   export GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=true

3. (Optionally) Add a billing account on your project to get access to higher usage limits

For other authentication methods, including Google Workspace accounts, see the authentication guide.

Examples

Once the CLI is running, you can start interacting with Gemini from your shell/terminal.

You can start a project from a new directory:

cd new-project/
gemini
> Write me a Gemini Discord bot that answers questions using a FAQ.md file I will provide

Or work with an existing project:

git clone https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
cd gemini-cli
gemini
> Give me a summary of all of the changes that went in yesterday

Next steps

• Learn how to contribute to or build from the source.
• Explore the available CLI Commands.
• If you encounter any issues, review the troubleshooting guide.
• For more comprehensive documentation, see the full documentation.
• Take a look at some popular tasks for more inspiration.
• Check out our Official Roadmap

Troubleshooting

Head over to the troubleshooting guide if you're having issues.

Popular tasks

Explore a new codebase

Start by cding into an existing or newly-cloned repository and running gemini.

> Describe the main pieces of this system's architecture.

> What security mechanisms are in place?

Work with your existing code

> Implement a first draft for GitHub issue #123.

> Help me migrate this codebase to the latest version of Java. Start with a plan.

Automate your workflows

Use MCP servers to integrate your local system tools with your enterprise collaboration suite.

> Make me a slide deck showing the git history from the last 7 days, grouped by feature and team member.

> Make a full-screen web app for a wall display to show our most interacted-with GitHub issues.

Interact with your system

> Convert all the images in this directory to png, and rename them to use dates from the exif data.

> Organize my PDF invoices by month of expenditure.

Uninstall

Head over to the Uninstall guide for uninstallation instructions.

Accessibility Features

• Keyboard-only navigation support.
• Screen reader compatibility.
• use gemini -r or --reader option for no clutter output to quiet down readers.

Known Issues / Limitations

• tested with reader: VoiceOver (macOS)
• tested on macOS 15.5 and windows11

How to Give Feedback

We value your input! Please report bugs, accessibility issues, or suggestions:

• Open an issue on GitHub.
• Email: [klaus@szyska.com]
• [Other feedback channels, if any.]

Changelog

• [List major changes since the previous version, if applicable.]

Contributors

Thank you to everyone who is testing this release! And thanks to gemini-cli itself who graciously has changed its own frontend code.

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Please note: This is a beta release. There may be bugs or incomplete features. Your feedback helps us improve!