tools-only Gemini Guide
Look up Gemini API documentation and SDK patterns when building with Google Gemini. This skill brings Gemini docs TO Claude — it does not call Gemini.
| Skill | Direction | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| gemini-guide (this) | Gemini docs -> Claude | Local docs, WebFetch |
| gemini-peer-review | Code -> Gemini | gemini-coach CLI |
Documentation Sources
Check in this priority order:
| Priority | Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Local cached docs (~/Documents/google-gemini-context/) |
Most topics — 24 JS, 24 Python, 7 common topics |
| 2 | GitHub codegen_instructions | Always-current SDK patterns — fetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/js-genai/refs/heads/main/codegen_instructions.md |
| 3 | Google AI docs via WebFetch | When local docs don't cover it — https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/{topic} |
Lookup Workflow
When the user asks about a Gemini topic:
- Check corrections first: Read references/deprecated-patterns.md — know what NOT to suggest before writing any code
- Map the query to a topic: Read references/topic-index.md to find the right local doc file
- Read the local doc: The file path will be
~/Documents/google-gemini-context/{path from topic index} - If local doc seems stale: Fetch the GitHub codegen_instructions.md for latest SDK patterns
- Synthesise: Combine the documentation into a clear answer with working code examples. Always use the CORRECT patterns from step 1.
Quick Corrections
These are the most common mistakes. Apply these even without reading the full references:
| Claude Might Suggest | Correct |
|---|---|
@google/generative-ai |
@google/genai |
google-generativeai (Python) |
google-genai |
GoogleGenerativeAI |
GoogleGenAI |
genAI.getGenerativeModel() |
ai.models.generateContent() |
model.startChat() / chat.sendMessage() |
ai.chats.create() / chat.send() |
generationConfig |
config |
stream=True (method param) |
config={"stream": True} |
gemini-pro |
gemini-2.5-flash |
gemini-pro-vision |
gemini-2.5-flash (unified multimodal) |
| 4 safety categories | 5 categories (include HARM_CATEGORY_CIVIC_INTEGRITY) |
HARM_CATEGORY_DANGEROUS_CONTENT |
HARM_CATEGORY_DANGEROUS (no _CONTENT) |
X-Goog-Api-Key (capitalised) |
x-goog-api-key (lowercase) |
| Daily rate limits | No daily limits — only per-minute (RPM, TPM) |
Correct Initialisation (JS)
import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai";
const ai = new GoogleGenAI({}); // auto-reads GEMINI_API_KEY env var
const response = await ai.models.generateContent({
model: "gemini-2.5-flash",
contents: "Your prompt"
});
Correct Initialisation (Python)
from google import genai
client = genai.Client() # auto-reads GEMINI_API_KEY env var
response = client.models.generate_content(
model="gemini-2.5-flash",
contents="Your prompt"
)
Local Docs Structure
All at ~/Documents/google-gemini-context/:
| Directory | Contents |
|---|---|
javascript/ |
24 topic files — quickstart, function-calling, streaming, structured-output, etc. |
python/ |
24 topic files — same topics as JavaScript |
common/ |
7 cross-language files — safety, pricing, rate-limits, errors, auth, regions, openai-compat |
rest-api/ |
REST endpoint docs |
MODELS.md |
Current model IDs, capabilities, token limits, rate limits |
CLAUDE.md |
Full correction reference (source for deprecated-patterns.md) |
googlegenai-gemini-api.md |
Comprehensive SDK guide (608 lines, JS + Python) |
INDEX.md |
Keyword index mapping topics to files |
Current Models
| Model | ID | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | gemini-2.5-pro |
Complex reasoning, advanced coding |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | gemini-2.5-flash |
Most tasks (recommended default) |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | gemini-2.5-flash-lite-preview-06-17 |
Budget, low latency |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | gemini-2.0-flash |
Fast inference |
| Text Embedding | text-embedding-004 |
Semantic search, RAG (768 dims) |
For full model details including token limits and rate limits, read ~/Documents/google-gemini-context/MODELS.md.
Maintenance
The local docs at ~/Documents/google-gemini-context/ were curated in January 2025. When information seems wrong or outdated:
- Check the GitHub codegen_instructions.md (always current)
- Verify model IDs against
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models - Flag stale docs to the user
Reference Files
| When | Read |
|---|---|
| Mapping a query to a documentation file | references/topic-index.md |
| Checking for deprecated patterns before writing code | references/deprecated-patterns.md |