{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "gemini-cli", "name": "Gemini CLI", "vendor": "Google", "vendorUrl": "https://geminicli.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Google's open-source coding agent for the terminal, in TypeScript on Node 20 or newer.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json", "repo": "https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@google/gemini-cli" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Sign in with a Google account (Gemini Code Assist for individuals, Google AI Pro or Ultra, Code Assist Standard or Enterprise), or use a Gemini API key from AI Studio or Vertex AI credentials. Google's terms forbid using the Gemini CLI sign-in from third-party software.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free with a Google sign-in, up to 1,000 model requests a user a day, or 250 a day on Flash with an unpaid Gemini API key. Google AI Pro raises the daily limit to 1,500 and Ultra to 2,000, Code Assist Standard to 1,500 and Enterprise to 2,000. Pay as you go through a paid Gemini API key or Vertex AI at token rates. Requests are also limited per minute (checked 2026-10-02).", "priceSummary": "Freemium", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-02).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 107000, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-02" }, "docsUrl": "https://geminicli.com/docs/", "llmsTxt": "https://geminicli.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client", "agent.multi-agent" ], "tags": [ "official", "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "open-source", "typescript", "mcp", "llms-txt", "telemetry-default-on", "pre-1.0", "free-tier", "no-card", "gemini-only" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 72, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 94, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 88, "payments": 40, "reliability": 71, "schema": 93, "security": 67, "transparency": 87 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-04-24. GHSA-wpqr-6v78-jr5g, critical (CVSS 10). In CI, headless Gemini CLI trusted the workspace folder automatically and loaded its configuration, and `--yolo` ignored fine-grained tool allowlists, so a workflow fed untrusted pull requests or issues could run an attacker's code. Fixed in @google/gemini-cli 0.39.1 and run-gemini-cli 0.1.22 and published, so the deduction is small (https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wpqr-6v78-jr5g)" ], "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output.", "strengths": [ "Apache-2.0, CI passing on main, and 583 open issues with priority labels", "A weekly stable release after a week in preview, under a written release policy", "Headless JSON and stream-json output with documented exit codes, including 53 for the turn limit", "A TOML policy engine with admin policy paths, folder trust on by default and a setting that blocks yolo mode", "1,000 free requests a day with a Google sign-in and no card" ], "weaknesses": [ "Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network", "Usage statistics on by default, and the free tier may train on data unless the user opts out", "A critical advisory in April 2026 (CVSS 10) for CI runs that trusted untrusted repositories", "Pre-1.0 at 0.62.0, and Gemini models only", "Open P1 report #29310 says yolo and auto_edit auto-allow obfuscated shell commands" ], "agentNotes": [ "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", "Turn on the sandbox with `-s` or `tools.sandbox`, and pick a proxied Seatbelt profile on macOS to cut network", "Set `privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled` to false to stop usage statistics", "Read the exit code. 42 is bad input and 53 is the turn limit", "Use `--output-format stream-json` to get tool calls and results as JSONL events" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 72 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 88, "payments": 40, "reliability": 71, "schema": 93, "security": 67, "transparency": 80 }, "provenanceScore": 93 }, "connect": { "install": "npm i -g @google/gemini-cli # or: brew install gemini-cli", "headless": { "run": "gemini -p \"fix the failing test\" --output-format json --approval-mode auto_edit" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/gemini-cli" }, "sameCompany": [ "gemini-api", "gemini-embedding", "vertex-ai-tuning", "google-model-armor", "google-imagen", "google-veo", "google-lyria", "google-speech-to-text", "google-adk", "google-secret-manager", "google-weather-api", "chrome-devtools-mcp", "google-maps-platform", "google-cloud-translation", "google-calendar-api", "google-drive-api", "google-ads-api", "google-sheets-api", "gmail-api" ], "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Google LLC", "domain": "google.com", "domainRegistered": "1997-09-15", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/tos-privacy", "privacy": "https://policies.google.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://aistudio.google.com/status", "changelog": "https://geminicli.com/docs/changelogs", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The docs are on geminicli.com. The terms page there maps each sign-in method to its own terms and privacy notice (Gemini Code Assist, the Gemini API unpaid and paid services, Google Cloud).", "The status page is the Gemini API's. We found no status page for Gemini Code Assist sign-ins.", "Legal entity, domain date and security.txt for google.com are from the gemini-api listing's check of 26 September 2026." ], "score": 93 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.json", "live": { "slug": "gemini-cli", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://aistudio.google.com/status", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T21:40:04.477079675Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "google-gemini/gemini-cli", "version": "v0.63.0", "released": "2026-10-06", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:12:44.55043328Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@google/gemini-cli", "version": "0.63.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:12:41.451552281Z" } ], "githubStars": 107253, "npmWeekly": 453215, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://google.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2030-04-01T00:00:00z", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:39.75078566Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://geminicli.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:27.236814951Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "google.com", "registered": "1997-09-15", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/google.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:50.737985829Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://geminicli.com/docs/changelogs", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:37.633723561Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:06:22.906677126Z", "fingerprint": "52b85a91ab8e" }, { "url": "https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/tos-privacy", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:39.670136652Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "f7d55fbc670d" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:39.670136652Z" } }, "answer": "Gemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "kiro-cli", "name": "Kiro CLI", "vendor": "Amazon Web Services", "vendorUrl": "https://kiro.dev/cli/", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "AWS's coding agent for the terminal and the successor to the Amazon Q Developer CLI. It runs interactive chat, non-interactive runs for pipelines with an API key, MCP servers and an Agent Client Protocol server for editors.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kiro-cli", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kiro-cli.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kiro-cli.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kiro-cli.json", "repo": "https://github.com/kirodotdev/Kiro", "license": "Proprietary. Licensed as AWS Content under the AWS Customer Agreement and the AWS Intellectual Property Licence (https://kiro.dev/license/). The GitHub repository is the public issue tracker and doesn't hold the source", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "`kiro-cli login` with GitHub, Google, AWS Builder ID, AWS IAM Identity Centre or an external identity provider, in a browser or by device flow on a remote machine. Pipelines use an API key in `KIRO_API_KEY`, created at app.kiro.dev by Pro, Pro+, Pro Max and Power subscribers. Keys are long-lived, named and revocable, with no scopes, and API key generation is off by default for subscriptions an administrator manages. An active browser session takes precedence over the key.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Kiro Free is $0 with 50 credits a month and a reduced model list. Pro is $20 a user a month with 1,000 credits, Pro+ $40 with 2,000, Pro Max $100 with 5,000 and Power $200 with 10,000, and extra credits cost $0.04 each. Models use credits at different rates (Auto is the 1.0x baseline). API keys for headless runs need a paid plan, and a paid plan needs a card. GovCloud prices are about 20 per cent higher with no free tier (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the pricing page or the CLI changelog (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 4356, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/", "llmsTxt": "https://kiro.dev/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client", "agent.multi-agent" ], "tags": [ "official", "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "closed-source", "mcp", "acp", "llms-txt", "free-tier", "no-card", "telemetry-default-on" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-05", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 59.9, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 370, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 11, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 40, "reliability": 57, "schema": 79, "security": 66, "transparency": 67 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -4, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-08-04. CVE-2026-18656 and CVE-2026-18657 (bulletin 2026-074-AWS), an uncontrolled search path on Windows let a planted executable in a crafted project directory run when a user opened it. Kiro CLI for Windows before 2.10.0 and Kiro IDE 1.0.0 to 1.0.212. Fixed and published with credit to the reporters, inside six months (https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/2026-074-aws/). -2", "2026-05-22. CVE-2026-9255 (bulletin 2026-035-AWS), content piped to kiro-cli on stdin could answer the tool approval prompt, so a local actor could run tools and shell commands without the user's approval. kiro-cli before 1.28.0. Fixed and published, inside six months (https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/2026-035-aws/). -2" ], "verdict": "Permission rules follow deny over ask over allow, cloned repositories can't add rules, and a headless session treats every ask as a deny. Content from Free and individual paid accounts is used for service improvement, including model training, unless the user opts out, and API keys for pipelines need a paid plan.", "bestFor": "Teams on AWS that want one agent configuration across terminal, IDE and web, with central permission policy, prompt logging to their own S3 bucket and IAM Identity Centre sign-in.", "strengths": [ "Capability permissions with deny over ask over allow, stored outside the repository so a clone can't add rules", "An untrusted workspace doesn't load its own agents, steering files, MCP configuration or skills, and asks before every shell command", "Headless runs with `--no-interactive`, JSON Lines output, and exit codes 3 and 4 for MCP startup and missing-agent failures", "Eleven minor releases between 26 August and 5 October 2026 in a dated changelog", "Plan prices, the $0.04 credit price and per-model credit multipliers are public, with a free tier of 50 credits a month" ], "weaknesses": [ "Free and individual paid accounts have content used for service improvement, including model training, unless they opt out", "Closed source since it replaced the Apache 2.0 Amazon Q Developer CLI, with no public CI or test suite", "API keys for headless runs need a paid plan, are long-lived and carry no scopes", "No local sandbox in the CLI, and AWS says its managed permission policies are client-enforced and can be circumvented", "Two CVEs in 2026 (CVE-2026-9255 in May, CVE-2026-18656 and CVE-2026-18657 in August), both fixed" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `KIRO_API_KEY` and pass `--no-interactive` with `--trust-tools=\u003clist\u003e` in pipelines. Keep `--trust-all-tools` for disposable environments", "Pass `--require-mcp-startup` when a run depends on MCP tools. Without it a failed server is logged and the run continues", "Pass `--no-interactive` whenever input is piped from a source you don't control, and run 2.10.0 or later on Windows", "Run `kiro-cli settings telemetry.enabled false` and turn off content collection on Free and individual plans. Both are on by default", "Export variables in the shell before starting. Since 2.24.0 a project `.env` file is no longer loaded into sessions, MCP servers or tools" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 59.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 40, "reliability": 57, "schema": 79, "security": 66, "transparency": 62 }, "provenanceScore": 72 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://cli.kiro.dev/install | bash", "headless": { "run": "KIRO_API_KEY=ksk_... kiro-cli chat --no-interactive --trust-tools=read,grep \"Find all TODO comments in src/\"" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/kiro-cli" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Kiro Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "per user, with 1,000 credits" }, { "item": "Add-on credit", "unit": "credit", "usd": 0.04, "note": "paid plans, beyond the plan's credits" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Amazon Web Services, Inc.", "domain": "kiro.dev", "domainRegistered": "2019-03-01", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://aws.amazon.com/agreement/", "privacy": "https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://kiro.dev/changelog/cli/", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "Kiro's licence page says the Kiro IDE and CLI are licensed as AWS Content under the AWS Customer Agreement and the AWS Intellectual Property Licence. Section 50.14 of the AWS Service Terms names Amazon Web Services, Inc. as the contracting party for subscriptions bought through the Stripe portal.", "The AWS Customer Agreement (last updated 14 August 2026) governs use, with the AWS Service Terms sections 50.3 and 50.14 for Kiro. The AWS Privacy Notice (last updated 18 May 2026) is the privacy link in Kiro's footer.", "kiro.dev/.well-known/security.txt answers 404. aws.amazon.com publishes a security.txt whose Expires line reads 24 September 2026, which had passed when we read it.", "No status page for Kiro was found on kiro.dev or in its docs.", "RDAP (Google Registry) gives kiro.dev a registration date of 1 March 2019, before the product." ], "score": 72 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kiro-cli.json", "live": { "slug": "kiro-cli", "pages": [ { "url": "https://kiro.dev/changelog/cli/", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:05.911888808Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "f2b1951f0330" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:05.911888808Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Google", "b": "Amazon Web Services", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0", "b": "Proprietary. Licensed as AWS Content under the AWS Customer Agreement and the AWS Intellectual Property Licence (https://kiro.dev/license/). The GitHub repository is the public issue tracker and doesn't hold the source", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-29", "b": "2026-10-05", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "2026-08-14", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "2026-05-18", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "107k stars", "b": "4.4k stars", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Gemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Gemini CLI or Kiro CLI?" }, { "answer": "Gemini CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Kiro CLI.", "question": "Are Gemini CLI and Kiro CLI open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 71 against 57", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 93 against 79", "Agent ergonomics, 78 against 67", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 73", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 87 against 67" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output.", "slug": "gemini-cli", "watchFor": "Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "Teams on AWS that want one agent configuration across terminal, IDE and web, with central permission policy, prompt logging to their own S3 bucket and IAM Identity Centre sign-in.", "slug": "kiro-cli", "watchFor": "Free and individual paid accounts have content used for service improvement, including model training, unless they opt out" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.harness", "name": "Agent harness" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Amp vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Amp vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Cline vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Cline vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Devin vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Devin vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-goose.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "GitHub Copilot CLI vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "goose vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-paperclip.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs Paperclip", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-paperclip" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-paperclip.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs Paperclip", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-paperclip" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 14, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 71, "key": "reliability", "kiro-cli": 57, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 93, "key": "schema", "kiro-cli": 79, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 11, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 78, "key": "ergonomics", "kiro-cli": 67, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 1, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 67, "key": "security", "kiro-cli": 66, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "gemini-cli": 40, "key": "payments", "kiro-cli": 40, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 15, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 88, "key": "maintenance", "kiro-cli": 73, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "gemini-cli", "gemini-cli": 87, "key": "transparency", "kiro-cli": 67, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Gemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness.", "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.", "kiro-cli": "Permission rules follow deny over ask over allow, cloned repositories can't add rules, and a headless session treats every ask as a deny. Content from Free and individual paid accounts is used for service improvement, including model training, unless the user opts out, and API keys for pipelines need a paid plan." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.min.md" }, "markdown": "Gemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness.\n\n- Gemini CLI: grade BB, 72/100, rank #94 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json\n- Kiro CLI: grade C, 59.9/100, rank #370 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kiro-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kiro-cli.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Gemini CLI (BB)\n\nGood for: Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 71 against 57\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 93 against 79\n- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 67\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 73\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 87 against 67\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network\n\n### Kiro CLI (C)\n\nGood for: Teams on AWS that want one agent configuration across terminal, IDE and web, with central permission policy, prompt logging to their own S3 bucket and IAM Identity Centre sign-in.\n\nWatch for: Free and individual paid accounts have content used for service improvement, including model training, unless they opt out\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Gemini CLI | Kiro CLI | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 71 | 57 | Gemini CLI +14 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 93 | 79 | Gemini CLI +14 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 67 | Gemini CLI +11 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 67 | 66 | Gemini CLI +1 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 73 | Gemini CLI +15 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 67 | Gemini CLI +20 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -4 | |\n| **Total** | | **72 · BB** | **59.9 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Gemini CLI | Kiro CLI |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Google | Amazon Web Services |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary. Licensed as AWS Content under the AWS Customer Agreement and the AWS Intellectual Property Licence (https://kiro.dev/license/). The GitHub repository is the public issue tracker and doesn't hold the source |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-10-05 |\n| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-08-14 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-05-18 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |\n| Popularity | 107k stars | 4.4k stars |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\n\n**Kiro CLI.** Permission rules follow deny over ask over allow, cloned repositories can't add rules, and a headless session treats every ask as a deny. Content from Free and individual paid accounts is used for service improvement, including model training, unless the user opts out, and API keys for pipelines need a paid plan.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Gemini CLI\n\n1. 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\n2. Turn on the sandbox with `-s` or `tools.sandbox`, and pick a proxied Seatbelt profile on macOS to cut network\n3. Set `privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled` to false to stop usage statistics\n4. Read the exit code. 42 is bad input and 53 is the turn limit\n5. Use `--output-format stream-json` to get tool calls and results as JSONL events\n\n### Kiro CLI\n\n1. Set `KIRO_API_KEY` and pass `--no-interactive` with `--trust-tools=\u003clist\u003e` in pipelines. Keep `--trust-all-tools` for disposable environments\n2. Pass `--require-mcp-startup` when a run depends on MCP tools. Without it a failed server is logged and the run continues\n3. Pass `--no-interactive` whenever input is piped from a source you don't control, and run 2.10.0 or later on Windows\n4. Run `kiro-cli settings telemetry.enabled false` and turn off content collection on Free and individual plans. Both are on by default\n5. Export variables in the shell before starting. Since 2.24.0 a project `.env` file is no longer loaded into sessions, MCP servers or tools\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Gemini CLI or Kiro CLI?\n\nGemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are Gemini CLI and Kiro CLI open source?\n\nGemini CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Kiro CLI.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"gemini-cli\", \"b\": \"kiro-cli\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gemini-cli kiro-cli`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kiro-cli.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Gemini CLI or Kiro CLI\n\n- [Aider vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Amp vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Amp vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Cline vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Cline vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Devin vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Devin vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-goose.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [GitHub Copilot CLI vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [goose vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-paperclip.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-paperclip.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Gemini CLI vs Kiro CLI", "url": "" } ], "description": "Gemini CLI scores 72 (BB) on agent readiness against Kiro CLI's 59.9 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Gemini CLI BB 72", "Kiro CLI C 59.9", "scores" ], "h1": "Gemini CLI vs Kiro CLI", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli.png", "path": "/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Gemini CLI vs Kiro CLI for AI agents, BB 72 vs C 59.9", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kiro-cli" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2350, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }