The competition for command-line AI tools is heating up. Google officially launched a new feature for its command-line AI system, Gemini CLI, on Wednesday, allowing external companies to integrate directly into this AI product. The feature, called Gemini CLI Extensions, has initial partners including well-known companies such as Figma and Stripe.
The timing of this release is dramatic, coming just two days after OpenAI launched the ChatGPT application, which also integrated third-party systems into the AI environment. However, the strategies of the two companies are completely different. ChatGPT imposes strict reviews on application access, while Gemini CLI extensions can be published directly without any Google endorsement or involvement. All available extensions will be hosted in public repositories on GitHub and manually installed by developers.
Taylor Mullen, a senior engineer of the project, emphasized in an interview with TechCrunch that an open ecosystem is crucial. He stated that everything Google does is built on a fair ecosystem where anyone can participate.
The first available extension comes from Google's own Nanobanana image generator, which was released to GitHub last week. After installing this extension, users can generate images directly from the Gemini CLI terminal, with the entire process completed within the command-line interface.
Gemini CLI has developed rapidly since its launch in June. Google revealed that the tool now has over 1 million users, with software developers forming the absolute majority. Notably, Gemini CLI is also widely used in developing and maintaining their own codebase, and it is closely monitored by product managers, as detailed in a recent interview with TechCrunch.
Ryan J. Salva, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Developer Tools, explained the purpose of this new feature in the interview. He told TechCrunch that they want to turn Gemini CLI into an extensible platform, serving as a pipeline to connect other tools and commands in the toolchain.
The battle for the command-line AI ecosystem has just begun. Google has chosen an open approach, allowing the developer community to freely build and share extensions, which contrasts sharply with OpenAI's closed review system. It remains to be seen which model will win the favor of developers. However, one thing is certain: with the participation of heavyweights like Figma and Stripe, Gemini CLI is evolving from a simple command-line tool into a feature-rich developer ecosystem.
