Gemini CLI vs Claude Code, and the Antigravity switch

The biggest fact first: on June 18, 2026, Google stopped serving Gemini CLI to free users and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and moved them to the new Antigravity CLI (agy). Gemini CLI still works for Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise customers and on paid Gemini API keys. So for most individuals today the real comparison is Antigravity CLI vs Claude Code, and for companies on Google Cloud it can still be Gemini CLI vs Claude Code. This guide covers both.

As of October 2026, from Google’s announcement and the Gemini CLI repo.

Summary

What happened to Gemini CLI

Google announced on May 19, 2026 that Gemini CLI and the Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions would stop serving requests on June 18 for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and for free Code Assist for individuals. Antigravity CLI launched the same day for everyone. Google says it keeps supporting Gemini CLI for enterprise customers, and that “Gemini CLI will remain accessible via paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys.”

The Gemini CLI repo is still public under Apache-2.0, with about 107k stars and weekly releases. Its README now warns that it “has not been optimized for Gemini 4 Argon” and points to Antigravity for the latest models. The Register reported that Antigravity CLI “isn’t open source, at least not from what Google has published so far” (article).

Gemini CLI, for teams that still have it

Install with npm install -g @google/gemini-cli or brew install gemini-cli, then sign in with a Google account, a Gemini API key (GEMINI_API_KEY) or Vertex AI.

• Quotas. The quota page lists 1,500 requests a day on Code Assist Standard and 2,000 on Enterprise. API keys and Vertex AI bill per token.
• Approval modes. default asks before tools run, auto_edit approves edits, plan is read-only, and --yolo approves everything (command line only).
• Sandbox. Off until you pass -s, set GEMINI_SANDBOX, or set tools.sandbox in settings.json. On macOS it uses Seatbelt profiles; anywhere else, Docker, Podman, gVisor or LXC (sandbox docs).
• Config. GEMINI.md for instructions, .gemini/settings.json for settings, MCP servers and hooks.
• Hooks. SessionStart, SessionEnd, BeforeAgent, AfterAgent, BeforeModel, AfterModel, BeforeToolSelection, BeforeTool, AfterTool, PreCompress and Notification.
• Other. Extensions, checkpointing, and headless mode with --output-format json.

Antigravity CLI, for everyone else

Antigravity CLI is the terminal side of Google Antigravity. It runs several agent sessions in the background, which you check with /agents, and manages plugins, MCP, skills and hooks with slash commands (product page).

Moving over is mostly painless (migration guide):

• GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md and ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md keep working unchanged.
• agy plugin import gemini turns Gemini CLI extensions into plugins; their commands become skills.
• MCP servers move to ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json (global) or .agents/mcp_config.json (project), and remote servers use serverUrl.
• Workspace skills move from .gemini/skills/ to .agents/skills/.

Pricing (Antigravity pricing): a $0 Individuals plan with basic weekly rate limits; Google AI Pro and Ultra with higher limits and an AI credit pool, and Gemini 4 Argon; Business through Google Cloud from $30 per seat per month or pay as you go. Google doesn’t publish exact limit numbers on that page.

Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agent. Install with curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash and run claude. It also runs in VS Code and Cursor, JetBrains, the Claude desktop app, the web and the Claude mobile app (overview).

• Models. Opus 5.5 by default on paid plans; Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Fable 5.1 with /model. Also on Bedrock, Google Cloud and Microsoft Foundry.
• Plans. No Claude Code on the free plan. Pro $20/month ($17 yearly), Max from $100/month (5x or 20x Pro usage), Team seats (pricing). Limits reset on a five-hour and a weekly window: see Claude Code usage limits.
• Permissions. Interactive sessions start in auto mode (v2.1.283+), where a classifier reviews actions. Manual mode asks before edits and commands; plan only reads. /sandbox turns on an OS sandbox for shell commands, Seatbelt on macOS and bubblewrap on Linux and WSL2 (permission modes).
• Config. CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md), .claude/settings.json, .mcp.json.
• Extend. Hooks, MCP, skills, subagents, and plugin marketplaces through /plugin.

Where Google’s CLIs are ahead

• A free tier. Antigravity’s Individuals plan costs $0; Claude Code needs a paid plan or an API key.
• Open source, for Gemini CLI. Apache-2.0, if you’re a team that can still use it.
• Container sandboxes. Gemini CLI can run tools in Docker, Podman, gVisor or LXC out of the box.
• Gemini models. Gemini 4 Argon is in Antigravity on AI Pro and Ultra.

Where Claude Code is ahead

• Continuity. The tool you set up last year is the one you run today, on every surface.
• Surfaces. JetBrains, a desktop app, cloud sessions and mobile on one engine.
• Claude models and plugin marketplaces.

Pick Gemini CLI if…

• Your company has Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise, or pays for Gemini API usage.
• You need an open source agent from Google, or container sandboxes.

Pick Antigravity CLI if…

• You want Gemini, including Gemini 4 Argon, in the terminal on a personal account.
• You want a free tier to start.

Pick Claude Code if…

• You want Claude models on a subscription.
• You want a tool whose plan and limits aren’t in flux.

Using more than one

Some developers keep Claude Code as the main agent and use a Gemini tool for a second opinion. Two agents in two terminals means two places to watch for questions. Run multiple Claude Code agents covers worktrees and tmux, and the Codex, Cursor and OpenCode guides compare the other options.

Coral is a Mac app (with an iPhone app) that shows Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, OpenCode and Grok sessions in your Mac’s notch, and lets you answer with one key or from your iPhone. To be plain: Coral doesn’t support Gemini CLI or Antigravity CLI today, so those sessions won’t show up in it. See Get started for the full list.

Questions

Is Gemini CLI still available?

Yes, for Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise customers and with paid Gemini API keys. Free users and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers were moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026.

Is Gemini CLI free?

Not for most individuals anymore. Google’s free path is now Antigravity CLI on its $0 Individuals plan, with basic weekly limits.

Is Antigravity CLI open source?

Google hasn’t published its source. Gemini CLI remains open source under Apache-2.0.

Does Antigravity CLI read GEMINI.md?

Yes. It reads GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md in your workspace and ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md globally, with no changes needed.

Is Gemini CLI better than Claude Code?

They’re built for different models. Gemini CLI has open source code and container sandboxes; Claude Code has Claude models, stable plans and more surfaces. For Gemini’s newest models, Google itself points you to Antigravity.