How to Migrate From the Gemini CLI to the Antigravity CLI

Google announced the Antigravity CLI at I/O on 19 May 2026 and set a hard cutoff: on 18 June 2026 the old Gemini CLI stops serving requests for AI Pro, Ultra and free Code Assist accounts. If you have been coding for free through the Gemini CLI, migrating to the Antigravity CLI is no longer optional, and the good news is the move takes under an hour once you know where the traps are.

Quick Answer

Install the new agy binary, authenticate with your existing Google account, then import your plugins, skills and MCP config. The Antigravity CLI is a Go rewrite of the old Node.js tool, so it is faster and accepts the same workflow patterns. Budget around 45 minutes, most of it spent moving configuration rather than relearning commands.

Why this migration is urgent

After 18 June 2026, Gemini CLI v0.44.0, the last stable release, simply stops responding for free and consumer-tier accounts. There is no grace period for personal use. The one exception is organisations on Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise, or those using paid API keys, who keep uninterrupted access. Everyone else needs agy installed before the deadline to avoid a dead terminal mid-project.

A capable local machine makes the transition smoother, since the new CLI orchestrates background agents that lean on your CPU and RAM. If your current rig is the bottleneck, the AI-ready PC range at Evetech has the multi-core, high-memory configurations that keep agentic workflows responsive without hitting a hardware ceiling.

Step-by-step migration

1. Back up your current configuration

Before touching anything, copy your existing Gemini CLI settings, custom commands and MCP server definitions to a safe folder. This is your fallback and your reference when you rebuild the config under agy.

2. Install the Antigravity CLI

Install the agy binary using the official installer for your platform. Because it ships as a single compiled Go executable rather than a Node package, there is no dependency chain to untangle and startup is noticeably snappier than the old Node.js version.

3. Authenticate

Run the login flow and sign in with the same Google account you used for the Gemini CLI. Your existing entitlement carries across, so a free-tier account stays free-tier under agy with no new subscription required.

4. Let agy auto-import your old config

On first launch, if the ~/.gemini/ directory from the old CLI is still present, agy detects it and offers to import everything: registered MCP servers, allowed commands, custom keybindings and your visual theme. Accepting the prompt moves the whole configuration into ~/.gemini/antigravity-cli/settings.json without manual file editing. Check each imported server actually connects before you rely on it.

5. Rewrite any MCP entries that did not import cleanly

This is the step that catches people out. The MCP server configuration format shifted between the two tools, so entries that pre-dated agy's auto-import logic may need rebuilding by hand. Recreate each problematic server entry in the new format, then confirm every server connects before you rely on it.

6. Verify with a real task

Run an actual task you do often, ideally one that touches a plugin, a skill and an MCP server at once. If it completes cleanly, your migration is done.

What you gain -- and one trade-off to know

The rewrite is not just a forced move. Built in Go, the Antigravity CLI is more responsive, and it adds asynchronous workflows: it can orchestrate multiple agents in the background, so a large refactor or a multi-topic research run no longer locks up your terminal. The CLI also shares the same agent harness as the Antigravity 2.0 desktop app, so any improvements to the core agent engine apply equally to both.

The one meaningful downside is quota. Gemini CLI offered up to 1,000 requests per day for free users. Antigravity CLI switched to a weekly compute-based cap, and heavy users have reported exhausting it faster than the old daily limit would have allowed. Budget accordingly if you run large or frequent tasks. For developers who need a reference point on which hardware people pair with this kind of workload, the most popular developer desktops at Evetech show the CPU and memory configurations that handle sustained agent sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my free access after migrating?

No. Authenticating agy with your existing Google account preserves your current entitlement, so a free Code Assist or AI Pro account keeps the same access it had under the Gemini CLI.

What is the single most likely thing to break?

The MCP configuration. The format changed between the two tools, so a straight copy of the old file will fail. Rebuild each MCP server entry in the new format and test the connection.

Can I keep using the old Gemini CLI?

Only if your organisation is on a paid Code Assist Standard, Enterprise, or API-key tier. For free and consumer accounts, the old CLI stops serving requests on 18 June 2026.

Is the Antigravity CLI faster?

Yes. It is a Go rewrite of the Node.js codebase, which makes startup and general responsiveness quicker, and it adds background agent orchestration for long-running tasks.