# Gemini CLI vs Kilo Code CLI

> Kilo Code CLI scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Gemini CLI's 72 (BB), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Gemini CLI leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do agent harness. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.md (~2,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Kilo Code CLI scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Gemini CLI's 72 (BB), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Gemini CLI leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do agent harness.

- Gemini CLI: grade BB, 72/100, rank #110 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json
- Kilo Code CLI: grade BB, 75.4/100, rank #47 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kilo-code-cli.json

## Which one, for what

### Gemini CLI (BB)

Good for: Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 72
- Transparency & trust, 87 against 76

Watch for: Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network

### Kilo Code CLI (BB)

Good for: Developers who want an open-source terminal agent with per-tool permission rules, an optional sandbox and a choice of provider, and the same engine in VS Code and JetBrains.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 85 against 71
- Payments & pricing, 50 against 40

Watch for: Telemetry to PostHog is on by default, and the privacy policy and PRIVACY.md don't mention it


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Gemini CLI | Kilo Code CLI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 71 | 85 | Kilo Code CLI +14 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 93 | 90 | Gemini CLI +3 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 72 | Gemini CLI +6 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 67 | 66 | Gemini CLI +1 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 50 | Kilo Code CLI +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 87 | Gemini CLI +1 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 76 | Gemini CLI +11 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **72 · BB** | **75.4 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Gemini CLI | Kilo Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Google | Kilo Code Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-10-07 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-09-30 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-05-29 |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | 107k stars | 28k stars, 33k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Gemini CLI.** Apache-2.0, CI passing on main, and 583 open issues with priority labels. Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network.

**Kilo Code CLI.** Shell commands ask before running by default, and an optional operating-system sandbox blocks writes outside the workspace and outbound network. Telemetry to PostHog is on by default and the sandbox is off, so an unattended `kilo run --auto` approves everything not denied unless both are configured first.

## Before you call either

### Gemini CLI

1. Set `GEMINI_TRUST_WORKSPACE` to true only for trusted inputs in CI. Since 0.39.1 headless mode doesn't trust a folder on its own
2. Turn on the sandbox with `-s` or `tools.sandbox`, and pick a proxied Seatbelt profile on macOS to cut network
3. Set `privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled` to false to stop usage statistics
4. Read the exit code. 42 is bad input and 53 is the turn limit
5. Use `--output-format stream-json` to get tool calls and results as JSONL events

### Kilo Code CLI

1. Set `sandbox.enabled` to true in the global `kilo.jsonc` before `kilo run --auto`. `--auto` approves every permission request not explicitly denied
2. Set `experimental.openTelemetry` to false, or `KILO_TELEMETRY_LEVEL` to a value other than `all`, to stop telemetry
3. Add needed hosts to `sandbox.allowed_hosts` in global config. MCP tool calls are unavailable while network restriction is on
4. Without `--auto` a non-interactive run rejects every permission prompt and exits 1
5. Put provider keys in global config or the environment. `{env:VAR}` in a project `kilo.json` is ignored

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Gemini CLI or Kilo Code CLI?

Kilo Code CLI scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Gemini CLI's 72 (BB), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Gemini CLI leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust.

### Are Gemini CLI and Kilo Code CLI open source?

Yes. Gemini CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). Kilo Code CLI is open source (MIT).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "gemini-cli", "b": "kilo-code-cli"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gemini-cli kilo-code-cli`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kilo-code-cli.json

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