Gemini CLI MCP Setup: Connect MCP Servers to Gemini CLI

What it is

Google's open-source AI agent for the terminal, bringing Gemini models into an interactive command-line workflow.

How MCP works in Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI is an MCP client. It reads servers from settings.json over stdio, SSE, and HTTP, with per-server trust and allow/exclude controls.

Config file location

~/.gemini/settings.json (or project .gemini/settings.json) holds an mcpServers object.

Add your first server

A good first server is Playwright MCP — Microsoft's browser automation server. It runs locally over stdio via npx, needs no API key, and gives the agent a real browser to drive. Here is the verified Gemini CLI config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Restart or reload Gemini CLI after saving, then confirm the server's tools show up. Swap in any other server from the directory using the same structure.

Transports & platforms

FAQ