Providers
Gemini CLI
How UsageNow reads Gemini CLI activity by model, and why it shows no usage limits.
UsageNow shows Gemini CLI activity — tokens, requests, and the models you used today — from the sessions Gemini CLI records on your Mac. It does not show usage limits, because Gemini CLI doesn’t expose them locally.
Requirements#
- Gemini CLI installed on your Mac
- Signed in, or configured with an API key or Vertex AI, and used at least once
Personal Google sign-in
As of mid-2026, Google no longer lets personal Google accounts sign in to Gemini CLI. It still works with a Gemini API key, Vertex AI, or Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise. UsageNow reads whatever Gemini CLI has recorded, however it’s configured.
Local activity#
UsageNow reads structured metadata from Gemini CLI’s session recordings in ~/.gemini/tmp/<project>/chats to show:
- tokens today — input, output, cached, and reasoning tokens recorded since midnight
- requests — model responses recorded today
- most recent model
- activity by model — see Models today
Only message identifiers, timestamps, model names, and token counts are read. Prompts, responses, thoughts, and tool calls are never decoded or kept.
No usage limits#
Gemini CLI records no usage limits on your Mac, and its quota service requires the Google sign-in. UsageNow won’t read that sign-in for this, so the Gemini CLI section shows Usage limits unavailable with today’s activity below it. The Gemini CLI usage menu bar mode shows the icon until limits exist.
Where UsageNow looks#
UsageNow looks for Gemini CLI data in ~/.gemini. It reads one setting — which sign-in method is configured — and checks only whether a saved sign-in exists; it never opens credential files. It also recognizes the gemini executable in the usual install locations.
States#
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Gemini CLI section | Gemini CLI isn’t installed, or it’s turned off in Settings. | Install Gemini CLI, or turn it on in Settings › Providers. |
| Sign in to Gemini CLI to view usage | Gemini CLI is installed but has no sign-in and no local activity. | Sign in or set an API key, then use it once. |
| Usage limits unavailable | Expected: Gemini CLI reports no limits. | Today’s tokens, requests, and models still appear. |