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If you're choosing a terminal agent on Google's side, almost everything published in the first half of 2026 is now void. This post does one thing: lay out the paying paths that still work.
The product write-ups live elsewhere — what Gemini CLI was and how its free tier ended, and its successor Antigravity CLI's installation, authentication, and features.
First, which path are you on
| Who you are | What to use now |
|---|---|
| Individual, want free | This path is gone. The Gemini CLI individual free tier and Google AI Pro / Ultra access both ended 2026/6/18 |
| Individual, willing to pay | Antigravity CLI (on a Google AI plan), or keep running Gemini CLI with your own paid API key |
| Org with Gemini Code Assist Standard / Enterprise | Gemini CLI remains fully supported; no migration needed |
| On Google Cloud / Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform | Either works, billed per token |
Individual developers have no free path left — that's the significant change in this slot.
What the shutdown actually covered
Announced May 19, 2026; executed June 18:
| Affected | Detail |
|---|---|
| Gemini CLI individual free tier | Stopped serving |
| Gemini CLI access on Google AI Pro / Ultra | Stopped; Antigravity CLI takes over |
| Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions | Stopped at the same time (they were another shell over Gemini CLI) |
| Gemini Code Assist for GitHub, individual | No new installs from 6/18, full shutdown 7/17 |
| Unaffected | Gemini Code Assist Standard / Enterprise licenses, Google Cloud access, paid API keys |
The repo stays maintained under Apache 2.0 and Google committed to keeping pace with new models and security fixes — but the audience is enterprise only.
Against the rest of this series
Google's position here is now awkward, and worth seeing side by side:
| Free entry | Individual paid | Rides an existing subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Antigravity CLI) | ❌ Ended | Per Google AI plan | Google account ecosystem |
| Claude Code | ❌ | $20 / $100 / $200 | — |
| Codex | Limited | $8 / $20 / $100 / $200 | ChatGPT subscription |
| Copilot CLI | ✅ Included in Free | $10 / $39 / $100 | GitHub Copilot license |
| OpenCode | ✅ Open source, bring your key | Per model usage | Copilot / ChatGPT account |
| Amp | ❌ Closed to new signups | $20 / $200 | ChatGPT, X Premium+ |
Google used to be the one strong entry in the free column. That cell is now empty. For a zero-cost start the answer has shifted to open source, bring-your-own-key routes like OpenCode, or Copilot CLI's Free plan.
The selection rule this episode leaves behind
Neither a free tier nor an open source license is a guarantee you can plan around — the Gemini CLI post covers both lessons in full. In selection terms it reduces to one line:
When evaluating a tool, be clear whether you depend on the code or on somebody's service. A license protects the first and not the second — Gemini CLI's repo is still there today, and that did nothing for individual users after 6/18.
References
- Google Developers Blog: Transitioning Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI (official announcement)
- Gemini CLI Discussion #28017: official shutdown notice (2026/06/18)
- Gemini CLI Discussion #27274: transition announcement and community discussion
- Google Antigravity Blog: Introducing Google Antigravity CLI
- The Register: Bye-bye, Gemini CLI; Google nudges devs toward Antigravity
Changelog
- 2026-08-19: Consolidated the three posts in Google's slot to remove overlap. This post previously also covered Antigravity CLI's features and migration steps, duplicating the site's existing Antigravity CLI post and the Gemini CLI post restored to its own subject. This one narrows to plans and paying paths; product coverage and migration steps go back to those two
- 2026-08-18: The shutdown became fact; full rewrite
- 2026-05-21: Added the discontinuation notice and migration section
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