Post, schedule and run ads from Gemini CLI

What is Gemini CLI?

Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source terminal agent. It installs extensions straight from a GitHub repository, and an extension can bring skills and a context file with it. Hermoso ships one, so the whole install is a single command and the agent learns when to reach for Hermoso from the skills themselves.

Gemini CLI or the Gemini app? Gemini CLI is Google’s terminal agent and installs Hermoso as an extension. The Gemini app at gemini.google.com connects Hermoso as a custom app instead, with requirements of its own.

Hermoso is marketing on autopilot: 906+ tools over one MCP endpoint covering competitor ad research, finished image and video ads across 90+ models, publishing and scheduling to ten social channels, and campaign management on Meta, Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Reddit Ads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X Ads, TikTok Ads, Snapchat Ads, ChatGPT Ads, Apple Search Ads and AppLovin Ads. One connection, and Gemini CLI has all of it.

Connect Hermoso to Gemini CLI

1. Install the extension.

   gemini extensions install https://github.com/hermoso-ai/hermoso

   It installs the latest release of Hermoso’s public repository: five skills (research, ad-from-brand, generate, product-photoshoot and marketing) plus a GEMINI.md context file. The skills run the hermoso command through npx, so nothing is added to Gemini CLI’s tool list and nothing costs context until a command runs. gemini extensions list shows them under Agent skills.
2. Sign in once.

   npx -y hermoso auth login

   It opens a browser sign-in and stores an owner-only credential in ~/.hermoso/config.json. Gemini CLI can run it for you the first time it needs Hermoso. No browser on that machine? Create a key under MCP & CLI → Terminal & API keys and run npx -y hermoso auth login --token hmk_….
3. Optional: the MCP server as well.

   gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http hermoso https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp

   Gemini CLI finds Hermoso’s authorization server when the first connection answers 401 and registers itself, so no key goes in settings.json; /mcp auth hermoso inside a session runs the sign-in. The skills reach every tool without it.
4. Ask Gemini CLI for something. “Pull my three closest competitors’ longest-running ads and remix the best hook into a 9:16 video,” or “post this render to the channel.” The agent picks the tools; you approve the spend.

We ran the install above on 2026-09-23 against Gemini CLI 0.60.0 in a clean home directory: it pulled the current release of hermoso-ai/hermoso, and gemini extensions list reported the five skills and the context file. The extension carries no MCP server of its own, which is deliberate: a tool list is loaded into every session, and skills cost nothing until they run. Hermoso is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Every channel Gemini CLI can publish to

Each of these has its own page with that channel’s real caption cap, its real visibility options, what it refuses and why, and a worked example phrased for Gemini CLI.

Every one of them queues through one schedule_post calendar with per-channel captions, and list_scheduled reports per-channel outcomes rather than a single green tick, because “the job succeeded” and “the post went out” are different questions. A scheduled post lives in Hermoso, so it goes out on time whether or not Gemini CLI is still running.

Two channels that are built but not offered

Being straight about this is worth more than a longer list. Two publishing surfaces exist in the codebase and are held back, each waiting on the platform rather than on us:

• Reddit: organic posting and post stats are built, but Reddit’s Responsible Builder Policy requires explicit written approval before an app may use the Data API, and that ticket has not been granted. The connector is held back rather than offered as an OAuth screen leading to a dead API. Reddit Ads is a different connection and it is live: the full campaign tree, forecasting, targeting search, pixels and lead forms.
• Google Business Profile: post_to_google_business is built, with events, offers and a real call-to-action choice, and so are the listing insights. Google allowlists the Business Profile API per project and the default quota is zero, so every call would 403 for every user. It stays gated until Google grants the project access.

A connector that would hand you a successful OAuth and a dead API is worse than one that is not offered yet, so neither is listed as available.

Three things to type once it is connected

1. Research. “Who are my three closest competitors, and what are their longest-running Meta ads? Tell me which hook keeps repeating.” It runs find_competitors → pull_competitor_ads → mine_angles.
2. Create. “Make me a 9:16 UGC video ad using that hook, with my real product photo and captions burned in.” It runs get_brand → plan_ad → render_ad, and hands back a finished mp4 URL.
3. Ship. “Schedule it to Instagram and TikTok for Tuesday 9am, and build a paused Meta campaign around it targeting the US at $30 a day.” It runs schedule_post → create_meta_campaign → create_meta_ad.

What Gemini CLI cannot do on its own

An agent with a budget is only useful if the blast radius is bounded, so the fence is in the server rather than in a prompt. Every ad campaign, ad set, ad group and ad is created paused, and the status switches that arm real money refuse to run without an explicit confirmation flag. Every render is quoted first (hermoso_capabilities publishes each model’s exact credit cost before anything spends). Credits are reserved before the first provider call and settled at the exact cost afterwards, so a failed dispatch refunds rather than leaving you billed for nothing. Deletes are confirm-gated too, and every campaign tree is read back from the ad platform before your agent tells you what it built.

One step is deliberately yours: linking each account, once. Most channels link through the platform’s own OAuth consent screen in a browser; Bluesky takes an app password and Telegram a bot token, pasted in Hermoso. Everything after that is a tool call.

Gemini CLI asks before it runs a shell command, and the skills act through the hermoso command, so a publish shows up as a line you can read before you say yes. For MCP tools it offers once, always for that tool, or always for the server.

What it costs

Adding Hermoso to Gemini CLI costs nothing extra: there is one credit meter, and it does not care which client called. A free account starts with 30 credits at signup and 250+ more to earn. Credits are spent only on AI models and Ad Spy research; posting, scheduling, ads management and analytics are free on every channel except X, which bills per call because X charges per API request. Paid plans are $19, $49 and $149 a month for 1,000, 3,000 and 10,000 credits, and every feature is on every plan. hermoso_capabilities gives the exact credit price of any render before it runs.

Troubleshooting

• A local server prints help and exits. The arguments are missing the trailing mcp. npx -y hermoso on its own prints help; npx -y hermoso mcp starts the server.
• There is no browser on that machine. Create a key under MCP & CLI → Terminal & API keys and run npx -y hermoso auth login --token hmk_… instead.
• A channel is missing. Connect it in Hermoso under Settings → Connectors, then ask Gemini CLI to run list_connectors again.
• Gemini CLI answers without using Hermoso. Name it in the request: “use Hermoso to …”. That leaves no doubt about which tools should do the job.

Beyond publishing

Publishing is the last step, and it is the smallest one. The same connection gives Gemini CLI the Meta, Google and LinkedIn ad libraries plus organic TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Threads for research; 100+ image, video, voice and writing models on a single credit meter, with UGC avatars, dubbing, upscaling and native HTML ad formats; and the full campaign tree on twelve paid platforms. There are no per-vendor API keys to hold and no separate app to learn.

See the full tool list, every agent Hermoso works in, or what a marketing MCP is.

Hermoso in other agents

The same Hermoso account works in every agent below, so your brand, library, schedule and credits follow you between them.

Frequently asked questions

Can Gemini CLI post to social media?

Yes, once you install Hermoso's extension. Gemini CLI can then publish to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Bluesky and Telegram, and schedule to all ten from one queue with per-channel captions.

How do I add Hermoso to Gemini CLI?

Run gemini extensions install https://github.com/hermoso-ai/hermoso, which adds five Hermoso skills that drive the hermoso command, then sign in once with npx -y hermoso auth login. The sign-in opens a browser and stores the credential itself, so there is no key to create and none to paste. If you also want Hermoso's tools in Gemini CLI's own list, gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http hermoso https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp adds the hosted server, which signs in with OAuth. We ran the install above on 2026-09-23 against Gemini CLI 0.60.0 in a clean home directory: it pulled the current release of hermoso-ai/hermoso, and gemini extensions list reported the five skills and the context file. The extension carries no MCP server of its own, which is deliberate: a tool list is loaded into every session, and skills cost nothing until they run. Hermoso is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Can Gemini CLI run my Meta and Google ad campaigns?

Yes. Gemini CLI can build the whole tree on Meta, Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Reddit Ads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X Ads, TikTok Ads, Snapchat Ads, ChatGPT Ads, Apple Search Ads and AppLovin Ads. The summary you get is built from a read-back of what the platform actually stored.

Does using Hermoso from Gemini CLI cost extra?

No. There is one credit meter and it does not care which client called. A free account starts with 30 credits plus 250+ earnable; paid plans are $19, $49 and $149 a month for 1,000, 3,000 and 10,000 credits. Publishing is free on every channel except X, which bills per call because X charges us per API request.

Is it safe to let Gemini CLI post and run ads for me?

Hermoso keeps the steps that cost money or cannot be undone behind gates on its own server, whatever Gemini CLI is set to do: every campaign is created paused, spend switches and deletes need an explicit confirmation, and a post only reaches an account you connected and ticked in Hermoso. Gemini CLI asks before it runs a shell command, and the skills act through the hermoso command, so a publish shows up as a line you can read before you say yes. For MCP tools it offers once, always for that tool, or always for the server.

Do I need the Gemini CLI extension and the MCP server?

No. The extension alone reaches every Hermoso tool through the hermoso command. The MCP server is optional and puts Hermoso’s tools in Gemini CLI’s own list, at the cost of context in every session.