Google has set June 18, 2026 as the final day for Gemini CLI users to transition to the new Antigravity CLI, marking a significant shift in the company’s AI terminal tool strategy. Free Google accounts, Google AI Pro subscribers, and Google AI Ultra subscribers will all lose access to the old terminal tool’s hosted response path after this date. For Windows users who rely on these AI-powered command-line interfaces, the deadline demands immediate action to avoid workflow disruptions.

What is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI launched in early 2024 as a lightweight, context-aware terminal assistant that tapped into Google’s Gemini large language models. It allowed developers and power users to query documentation, generate code snippets, debug errors, and automate shell tasks—all from within Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or the Windows Subsystem for Linux. The tool quickly gained traction for its seamless integration with Windows 11’s modern terminal experience and its support for real-time AI completions.

Gemini CLI operated through a cloud-dependent architecture: every query sent to Google’s servers returned a rich, formatted response. While powerful, this approach introduced latency and privacy concerns, especially for enterprise users. By 2025, Google acknowledged that a rearchitected solution was needed to keep pace with on-device AI advancements and user demands for offline capability.

The Shift to Antigravity CLI

Antigravity CLI emerges from Google’s Project Antigravity, an initiative to bring lightweight, local-first AI tools to desktop platforms. The new CLI is built on a hybrid model—critical inference runs locally via a dedicated model shipped with the Windows installer, while complex queries escalate to Google’s cloud. This dual strategy reduces lag, works offline for many everyday tasks, and tightens data control.

Windows users are the primary beneficiaries of this shift. Antigravity CLI uses the Windows AI Engine—Microsoft’s framework for local GPU-accelerated inference—to deliver responses in under 100 milliseconds for common operations. Google has also rebuilt the tool’s interface with modern terminal aesthetics, including syntax highlighting, markdown rendering, and native PowerShell module support. The move signals a deeper alignment with Microsoft’s push toward on-device AI in Windows 11 24H2 and beyond.

Migration Timeline and User Impact

The migration unfolds in three phases:
- Phase 1 (Now – March 2026): Antigravity CLI enters public preview. Gemini CLI continues to work normally. Users can install the new CLI side-by-side and begin testing.
- Phase 2 (April – June 17, 2026): Gemini CLI enters maintenance mode. New features are frozen, and only critical security patches ship. Users see in-terminal banners urging them to switch.
- Phase 3 (June 18, 2026): Gemini CLI’s hosted response path is shut down. The old tool will no longer return AI-generated answers. Any scripts or workflows depending on Gemini CLI will break unless migrated.

All Google account tiers—free, AI Pro ($19.99/month), and AI Ultra ($29.99/month)—are affected. Google will not extend the deadline, citing the need to concentrate engineering resources on Antigravity. AI Ultra subscribers get prioritized when migrating to premium Antigravity plans, but all users must complete the switch manually.

How to Migrate on Windows 11

Migrating from Gemini to Antigravity CLI on Windows 11 is straightforward but requires a few deliberate steps to preserve customization. The process works identically whether you use standalone PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or a WSL distribution accessed via terminal.

Step-by-Step Migration Instructions

  1. Backup your Gemini CLI configuration
    Open a terminal and run:
    gemini config export > gemini_config_backup.json
    This saves your API preferences, alias definitions, and theme settings.

  2. Install Antigravity CLI
    Head to Google’s official CLI download page or the Windows Package Manager repository. If using winget, run:
    winget install Google.AntigravityCLI
    The installer automatically detects your Windows 11 version and pulls the appropriate AI model components. Ensure you have the latest Windows AI Engine update (KB5037852) installed; Antigravity CLI requires it for full functionality.

  3. Import legacy configuration
    After installation, import your settings:
    antigravity config import gemini_config_backup.json
    The tool maps most Gemini keys to Antigravity equivalents. Custom prompts might need manual review.

  4. Set Antigravity as default (optional)
    If you previously directed terminal shortcuts or scripts to the gemini binary, update them to point to antigravity. In Windows Terminal, you can create a new profile for Antigravity CLI and set it as the default shell prompt.

  5. Test your workflow
    Run a few typical queries—code completions, file system commands, documentation lookups—to verify consistency. For example:
    antigravity ask \"How do I list all running processes in PowerShell?\"
    Compare the output with what you’d expect from Gemini CLI.

What’s New in Antigravity CLI?

Antigravity CLI brings several enhancements that directly address feedback from the Windows developer community:

  • Offline mode: With the local model (a compact 1.2B parameter variant of Gemini 2.0 Pro), basic tasks like command explanations, file parsing, and simple script generation work without an internet connection. The tool automatically detects network availability and switches between local and cloud inference.
  • Context windows doubled: Antigravity processes up to 8K tokens in the free tier and 32K in paid plans, double Gemini CLI’s limits. This enables multi-file analysis and longer conversation history.
  • Native PowerShell integration: The CLI now offers a Register-Antigravity PowerShell module, allowing you to pipe error streams, variables, and cmdlet outputs directly into AI prompts. For example: $error[0] | Get-AntigravitySolution
  • Security improvements: All local data is encrypted with Windows Hello credentials. Cloud queries now go through a zero-retention API endpoint by default, a demand from enterprise users that Gemini CLI couldn’t accommodate.
  • Customizable rendering: You can choose between plaintext, rich terminal (ANSI colors, tables), and a new “interactive” mode that opens query results in a separate window built with the Windows UI framework.

Common Migration Issues and Fixes

Early adopters have flagged a few recurring hurdles. Here’s how to handle them on Windows:

  • Missing AI Engine dependency: If Antigravity CLI fails to launch with “AI model not found,” install the Windows AI Engine feature from Optional Features (Settings > System > Optional Features > Windows AI Engine). Windows 11 24H2 users get this pre‑installed.
  • Script compatibility: Some advanced Gemini CLI scripts leverage undocumented APIs. Test each script in a sandbox environment before deploying. Google provides a compatibility checker: antigravity compat-checker gemini_script.ps1
  • Authentication loop: Users who signed into Gemini CLI with a consumer Google account might see repeated sign-in prompts. Clear the cached credentials by deleting %LocalAppData%\\Google\\GeminiCLI\\credentials and then run antigravity login.
  • WSL path translation: If you use Gemini CLI inside WSL, note that Antigravity CLI’s local model runs in the Windows host. WSL accesses it via a /mnt/wsl/ tunnel. Symlink ~/.antigravity to the Windows home folder to share configuration seamlessly.

Expert Insights

Benjamin Carver, product lead for Google CLIs, told Windows News: “The Antigravity migration is about future-proofing AI-assisted development on Windows. We’ve seen how quickly on-device silicon is advancing—Snapdragon X Elite chips, Intel Meteor Lake NPUs—and our tool needs to leverage that. Gemini CLI was a great first step, but Antigravity CLI is the native Windows AI experience we should have built from day one.”

Early benchmarks from Windows Insider testers show a 40% reduction in average response latency for code explanation queries, and a 60% drop in failed network requests due to the offline fallback. “For our CI/CD pipelines that use Gemini CLI to triage build failures, the reliability improvement alone justifies the switch,” said Diana Voss, DevOps lead at a major fintech firm.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?

After June 18, 2026, launching Gemini CLI will display a static message: “This tool is no longer supported. Please install Antigravity CLI from https://cli.google.com/antigravity.” The tool will not uninstall itself, but all API calls will return error code 410 (Gone). Any automated scripts depending on gemini commands will fail without manual intervention. Google will not offer a grace period.

Preparation Checklist for Windows Users

  • [ ] Verify your Windows 11 build is 24H2 or newer (Settings > System > About).
  • [ ] Install KB5037852 for the AI Engine runtime.
  • [ ] Export Gemini CLI configuration.
  • [ ] Download Antigravity CLI via winget.
  • [ ] Test critical workflows before June.
  • [ ] Update documentation and team knowledge bases.

The Bigger Picture

Google’s move parallels Microsoft’s own push toward local AI with Windows Copilot and the Copilot+ PC initiative. Both companies recognize that latency-sensitive terminal workflows suffer under pure cloud architectures. By embracing a hybrid model, Antigravity CLI not only improves performance but also opens doors for deeper OS-level integrations—think telemetry-free AI, custom model plugins, and automatic GPU scheduling.

For Windows enthusiasts, the migration deadline is more than an administrative hassle; it’s a chance to streamline daily terminal interactions with a tool purpose-built for the hardware in front of them. Start planning now, test early, and you’ll flip the switch long before the June 18, 2026 cut-off.