gh-robbyt-claude-skills-plugins-gemini/skills/cli/references/tools.md

Gemini CLI Built-in Tools

Gemini's unique capabilities and tool comparison with Claude Code.

Unique Tools (Gemini Only)

google_web_search

Real-time internet search via Google Search API.

Usage:

gemini "What are the latest React 19 features? Use Google Search." -o text

Best For:

• Current events and news
• Latest library versions/documentation
• Community opinions and benchmarks
• Anything requiring post-cutoff information

Examples:

• "What are the security vulnerabilities in lodash 4.x? Use Google Search."
• "Best practices for Next.js 14 app router in November 2025."

---

codebase_investigator

Deep architectural analysis and dependency mapping.

Usage:

gemini "Use codebase_investigator to analyze this project" -o text

Output Includes:

• Architecture overview
• Component relationships
• Dependency chains
• Potential issues/inconsistencies

Best For:

• Onboarding to unfamiliar codebases
• Understanding legacy systems
• Finding hidden dependencies
• Architecture documentation

Example:

gemini "Use codebase_investigator to map the authentication flow" -o text

---

save_memory

Cross-session persistent memory storage.

Usage:

gemini "Remember that this project uses Zustand for state management. Save this to memory." -o text

Best For:

• Project conventions
• User preferences
• Recurring context
• Custom instructions

---

Tool Comparison

Gemini has standard file/search tools similar to Claude Code, plus unique capabilities:

Capability	Claude Code	Gemini CLI
File listing	LS, Glob	list_directory, glob
File reading	Read	read_file
Code search	Grep	search_file_content
Web fetch	WebFetch	web_fetch
Web search	WebSearch	google_web_search ⭐
Architecture	Task (Explore)	codebase_investigator ⭐
Memory	N/A	save_memory ⭐
Task tracking	TodoWrite	write_todos

⭐ = Gemini's unique advantages

---

JSON Output Stats

When using -o json, tool usage is reported in stats:

{
  "response": "actual content",
  "stats": {
    "tools": {
      "totalCalls": 3,
      "byName": {
        "google_web_search": {
          "count": 1,
          "success": 1,
          "durationMs": 3000
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Tool Combination Patterns

Leverage multiple tools in single prompts:

Research → Implement:

gemini "Use Google Search to find best practices for [topic], then implement them" -o text

Analyze → Report:

gemini "Use codebase_investigator to analyze the project, then write a summary report" -o text

Search → Suggest:

gemini "Find all files using deprecated API, read them, and suggest updates" -o text