# Gemini CLI

[<mark style="color:blue;">Gemini CLI</mark>](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) is Google's open-source terminal agent. It uses a standard `mcpServers` configuration identical to Claude Desktop.

## Prerequisites

* Gemini CLI installed. For more information, see the [<mark style="color:blue;">Gemini CLI repository</mark>](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli)
* The `ionoscloud-mcp` binary built and available. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Quick Start</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/quick-start.md)
* An <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_api</code> token. For least-privilege access, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Authentication</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/authentication.md#token-scope-by-product-area) to scope the token to only the tools you need.

## Add the MCP server

Open or create the Gemini CLI settings file:

* **macOS / Linux:** `~/.gemini/settings.json`
* **Windows:** `%USERPROFILE%\.gemini\settings.json`

For a project-scoped config, use `.gemini/settings.json` in your project root.

Add the following entry to the `mcpServers` object:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

To also enable Object Storage tools:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "IONOS_S3_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "IONOS_S3_SECRET_KEY": "your-secret-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Gemini CLI only passes environment variables that are explicitly listed in the `env` block to the MCP server process; Gemini CLI does not inherit system environment variables automatically.
{% endhint %}

## Verify the connection

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Start Gemini CLI

```bash
gemini
```

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Test the connection

Type: *List my* <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> *data centers.*

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** Gemini CLI calls `list_datacenters` and returns your data centers.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** All tools are registered at startup by default, so Compute Engine and Object Storage tools appear immediately. To reduce the startup tool count (for example, on clients with a tool-count cap), set `IONOS_MCP_LOAD_MODE=lazy` in the `env` block and call the `ionos_load_compute_tools` or `ionos_load_objectstorage_tools` sentinels on demand. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Selective Tool Loading</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/selective-tool-loading.md).
{% endhint %}

For full Gemini CLI MCP documentation, see [<mark style="color:blue;">MCP servers with the Gemini CLI</mark>](https://google-gemini.github.io/gemini-cli/docs/tools/mcp-server.html).


---

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