Gemini CLI Setup

Gemini CLI Setup

This guide explains how to install and use planning-with-files with Gemini CLI.

Prerequisites

• Gemini CLI v0.23 or later
• Agent Skills enabled in settings

Enable Agent Skills

Agent Skills is an experimental feature. Enable it first:

# Open settings
gemini /settings

# Search for "Skills" → Toggle "Agent Skills" to true → Press Esc to save

Or edit ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "experimental": {
    "skills": true
  }
}

Installation Methods

Method 1: Install from GitHub (Recommended)

gemini skills install https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files --path .gemini/skills/planning-with-files

Method 2: Manual Installation (User-level)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files.git

# Copy to Gemini skills folder
cp -r planning-with-files/.gemini/skills/planning-with-files ~/.gemini/skills/

Method 3: Manual Installation (Workspace-level)

For project-specific installation:

# In your project directory
mkdir -p .gemini/skills

# Copy skill
cp -r /path/to/planning-with-files/.gemini/skills/planning-with-files .gemini/skills/

Verify Installation

# List all skills
gemini skills list

# Should show:
# - planning-with-files: Implements Manus-style file-based planning...

Or in an interactive session:

/skills list

Skill Discovery Tiers

Skills are loaded from three locations with this precedence:

Higher-precedence locations override lower ones when names conflict.

Usage

Automatic Activation

Gemini will automatically detect when to use this skill based on the task description. For complex multi-step tasks, it will prompt you:

Gemini wants to activate skill: planning-with-files
Purpose: Implements Manus-style file-based planning for complex tasks
Allow? [y/n]

Manual Activation

You can also manually enable/disable skills:

/skills enable planning-with-files
/skills disable planning-with-files
/skills reload

How It Works

1. Session Start: Gemini loads skill names and descriptions
2. Task Detection: When you describe a complex task, Gemini matches it to the skill
3. Activation Prompt: You approve the skill activation
4. Instructions Loaded: Full SKILL.md content is added to context
5. Execution: Gemini follows the planning workflow

Skill Structure

.gemini/skills/planning-with-files/
├── SKILL.md              # Main skill instructions
├── templates/
│   ├── task_plan.md      # Phase tracking template
│   ├── findings.md       # Research storage template
│   └── progress.md       # Session logging template
├── scripts/
│   ├── init-session.sh   # Initialize planning files
│   ├── check-complete.sh # Verify completion
│   ├── init-session.ps1  # Windows PowerShell version
│   └── check-complete.ps1
└── references/
    ├── reference.md      # Manus principles
    └── examples.md       # Real-world examples

Sharing Skills with Claude Code

If you use both Gemini CLI and Claude Code, you can share skills:

# Create symlink (Linux/macOS)
ln -s ~/.claude/skills ~/.gemini/skills

# Or copy between them
cp -r ~/.claude/skills/planning-with-files ~/.gemini/skills/

Troubleshooting

Skill not appearing

1. Check skills are enabled: gemini /settings → Search "Skills"
2. Verify installation: gemini skills list
3. Reload skills: /skills reload

Skill not activating

• Make sure your task description matches the skill's purpose
• Try manually enabling: /skills enable planning-with-files

Path issues on Windows

Use PowerShell:

# Copy to user skills
Copy-Item -Recurse -Path ".\.gemini\skills\planning-with-files" -Destination "$env:USERPROFILE\.gemini\skills\"

Resources

• Gemini CLI Documentation
• Agent Skills Guide
• Skills Tutorial