Is the Gemini CLI MCP config compatible with Claude Desktop?

Yes. Both use an mcpServers object with command, args, and env, so a server block copied from claude_desktop_config.json works in Gemini CLI settings.json unchanged.

How do I see which tools a Gemini CLI MCP server provides?

Run /mcp inside a Gemini CLI session. It lists every configured server, whether it connected, and the tools each one exposes to the model.

Is the Gemini CLI MCP config compatible with Claude Desktop?

Yes. Both use an mcpServers object with command, args, and env, so a server block copied from claude_desktop_config.json works in Gemini CLI settings.json unchanged.

How do I see which tools a Gemini CLI MCP server provides?

Run /mcp inside a Gemini CLI session. It lists every configured server, whether it connected, and the tools each one exposes to the model.

Terminal CLI

How to Install MCP Servers in Gemini CLI

How to add MCP servers to Google Gemini CLI — the mcpServers block in ~/.gemini/settings.json, project-level config, and how to list connected servers.

Configuring Gemini CLI

Config file: settings.json

User (global) path~/.gemini/settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/dir"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step Installation Guide

1
Open the Gemini settings file
Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json for all projects, or .gemini/settings.json in a repository for that project only. Create the file if it does not exist.
2
Add the server under mcpServers
Add a named entry with "command", "args", and optional "env". Gemini CLI uses the same mcpServers shape as Claude Desktop and Cursor, so those configs paste in directly. You can also run "gemini mcp add".
3
Restart and list servers
Start a new Gemini CLI session and run the /mcp command to see each server, its connection status, and the tools it exposes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Add the server under "mcpServers" in ~/.gemini/settings.json (or a project .gemini/settings.json) with a command and args, or run gemini mcp add. Use /mcp in a session to confirm it connected.

Install MCP servers in other clients

Step-by-step Installation Guide

Open the Gemini settings file

Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json for all projects, or .gemini/settings.json in a repository for that project only. Create the file if it does not exist.

Add the server under mcpServers

Add a named entry with "command", "args", and optional "env". Gemini CLI uses the same mcpServers shape as Claude Desktop and Cursor, so those configs paste in directly. You can also run "gemini mcp add".

Restart and list servers

Start a new Gemini CLI session and run the /mcp command to see each server, its connection status, and the tools it exposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Add the server under "mcpServers" in ~/.gemini/settings.json (or a project .gemini/settings.json) with a command and args, or run gemini mcp add. Use /mcp in a session to confirm it connected.