Installation & Setup

Installation & Setup

Getting started with Gemma CLI is designed to be straightforward. Follow these steps to set up your workstation on Windows.

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📋 Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• PowerShell:
  • Minimum: PowerShell 5.1
  • Recommended: PowerShell 7.4+ (Core). Version 7 provides significantly better ANSI color rendering, faster job management, and modern terminal features.
• API Key: You need a free API key from Google AI Studio. This key grants you access to the Gemma 3 and Gemini models.

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🚀 Installation Steps

Option A: Using Git (Recommended)

This method makes it easy to update the workstation with a single command later.

1. Open your terminal and run:

   git clone https://github.com/SpdrByte/GemmaCLI.git
   cd GemmaCLI

Option B: Download as ZIP

If you don't have Git installed, you can download the project directly from GitHub.

1. Go to the Gemma CLI Repository.
2. Click the green "<> Code" button and select "Download ZIP".
3. Extract the ZIP: Right-click the downloaded file and select "Extract All...".
4. Open PowerShell, navigate to the extracted folder:

   cd "C:\Path\To\Your\Extracted\GemmaCLI-main"

2. Launch the CLI

Run the main script to start the interactive session:

.\GemmaCLI.ps1

3. Secure API Key Entry

On your first launch, the CLI will detect that no API key is saved.

1. Enter your API key when prompted (input is masked for privacy).
2. Confirm the key by pasting it a second time.
3. The CLI will then encrypt the key using Windows DPAPI (Data Protection API).

🔒 Security Note: Your key is NEVER stored in plain text. It is encrypted specifically for your Windows user account. It cannot be read by other users on the same machine or decrypted if the file is moved to a different computer.

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🛠️ Troubleshooting & Common Fixes

Unblocking Files (ZIP Users)

Windows often blocks scripts downloaded from the internet. If the script fails to run after extracting the ZIP, run this in PowerShell inside the folder:

Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Unblock-File

Execution Policy

If you receive an error saying scripts are disabled on your system, run this command in an Administrator PowerShell window:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Updating

• Git Users: Run git pull.
• ZIP Users: Download the latest ZIP from GitHub and replace your old files (keep your config/ folder if you want to save custom commands).

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Next Step: Once you are set up, head over to the Model Selection Guide to choose the right reasoning engine for your task.