Gemini CLI + MCP + Context7

Yesterday I stumbled across Gemini CLI while scrolling through the /r/mcp subreddit.

I hadn’t tried MCP before because I thought it required a paid Claude subscription 😅. But turns out, Gemini CLI is a game changer — especially since Google offers a free tier using the gemini-2.5-pro model with a 100 RDP limit.

Installing Gemini CLI

Super easy setup. Just make sure you have Node.js v20+ installed. I use nvm to manage multiple versions.

Install via:

npx https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli

or globally:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Then just run:

gemini

To authenticate, you’ll need an API key from Google AI Studio. You can export it like this in your .bashrc or .zshrc:

export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

Alternatively, use a .env file in your project directory.

MCP + Context7 for Smarter AI

MCP (Model Context Protocol) allows your LLM (like Gemini) to hook into external tools — things like web search, image generation, or custom documentation sources.

You can browse available MCP servers here:

Why this matters

One big issue I’ve had with Gemini or ChatGPT is outdated responses — especially for fast-moving frameworks like Laravel. For example, it might give answers based on Laravel 11 when I’m using version 12.

Example prompt:

> how to override redirect login for authenticated user in Laravel.

✦ In Laravel, the redirection of authenticated users from "guest" routes (like /login) is handled by the
  RedirectIfAuthenticated middleware. You can customize this behavior.

  1. Locate the Middleware

  The middleware is located at app/Http/Middleware/RedirectIfAuthenticated.php.

  2. Understand the Default Behavior

  The handle method in that file typically looks like this:

Before Context7, Gemini gave this outdated (v11-style) advice using RedirectIfAuthenticated.php.

Using Context7 to Update Docs

Context7 helps solve this by feeding the LLM updated documentation.

To integrate it with Gemini CLI, edit your settings file at ~/.gemini/settings.json (or .gemini/settings.json if you’re using project-local settings) and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Gemini CLI, and now when you ask the same Laravel question, Gemini will reference the correct v12 docs:

> how to override redirect login for authenticated user in Laravel

✦ To override the redirect for authenticated users in Laravel, you can use the `redirectUsersTo` method in your `bootstrap/app.php` file...

✅ Now the AI gives accurate, up-to-date answers!

Tips for Better Results

Context7 docs recommend adding use context7 to your prompt to force using updated docs — but I found Gemini usually does this automatically.
Want to be more specific? Adding use library /laravel/docs to target a particular doc set, so it becomes how to override redirect login for authenticated user in Laravel. use library /laravel/docs.
You can browse available libraries here: https://context7.com/