A solo developer tested Gemini Code CLI while upgrading an automated radio system, hoping it could replace Claude Code for work involving playback handlers and text-to-speech. The developer had mistakenly assumed a consumer AI subscription would cover or discount API use, then discovered token billing was separate. Gemini initially impressed with its speed and a terminal interface resembling Claude’s. The trouble began when the developer asked it to implement a dashboard redesign: the browser version had planned the interface and generated a prompt for the CLI, but the CLI struggled to execute it. The project used straightforward static HTML and JavaScript, with WebSocket updates arriving every quarter-second.
Over nearly 12 hours, Gemini Code repeatedly reran tools, rewrote tests, and attempted fixes without escaping its failures, accumulating an $800 API bill. The developer attributes the spiral to a less effective planning approach: unlike Claude Code, Gemini seemed to work largely alone rather than dividing work among helper agents or rethinking its approach when blocked. Claude then took another eight hours to repair the resulting code. The experience suggests Gemini Code can be useful for fast, isolated scripts or single-file changes, but can become costly and unreliable during stateful, multi-file refactors. The practical warnings are to impose strict API spending limits and not assume that a browser Gemini prompt will translate successfully into CLI work.
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