I connected 6 MCP servers to Gemini CLI and actually used it for development for a month. Here's my honest review of how useful it really is.
First, let me explain the terms in under 1 minute
- Gemini CLI: A command-line tool that lets you use Google's Gemini model directly from the terminal. (This article is based on Gemini 2.5 Pro as the default model.)
- MCP(Server): Model Context Protocol. Simply put, it's a 'plugin server' that attaches tools and context (data/permissions) to AI. It adds practical capabilities like file editing, git repository exploration, browser automation, and DB queries.
- IDE: An integrated environment that combines a code editor + build/debugging/search and other features needed for development.
- Repository: A space for version-controlling source code and documents. Like GitHub.
- Diff: A comparison result showing file changes (additions/deletions) in 'green/red'.
- Schema: Database structure (tables/columns/types) definition.
Why is MCP important?
Gemini CLI is smart, but it needs tools for real-world tasks like accessing latest data, file editing, git exploration, browser manipulation, and DB analysis. MCP servers fill that gap and connect planning → searching → editing → testing → deployment in one line.
1) Context7 MCP — Pull the latest docs/examples directly
One-line intro: When you're struggling with outdated API examples or false documentation(?), inject version-matched latest references and code snippets directly into your session.
Why it's good
- Greatly reduces errors/hallucinations from API changes
- Get accurate examples matching your library version
- Easy to mix with prompts using "use context7" naturally
Key points
- Real-time, version-specific document/example search from source repositories
- Works with any library as long as documentation is integrated
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use context7
Goal: Add OAuth to our Next.js app with the latest library version.
Please fetch version-specific docs and a minimal working example.
2) Filesystem MCP — 'Safe editing' for large-scale refactoring
One-line intro: Read/write/move/delete files across your entire project, with clean mass modifications using pattern matching + indentation preservation.
Why it's good
- Check differences with dry-run before complex replacement tasks
- Clear change tracking with Git-style diff
- Security boundary settings to access only specified directories
Key points
- Recursive search, batch editing of multiple files
- Optimal for large codebase refactoring/cleanup
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use filesystem
Plan: Update all fetch() calls to a new API client and keep indentation.
Do a dry-run first and show a concise diff summary before applying.
3) GitMCP — Reduce hallucinations with 'real' git repository
One-line intro: Read actual documents/code directly from any GitHub (or public git) repository to increase accuracy and relevance.
Why it's good
- Check even small OSS or personal repos directly in their latest state
- Smart search extracts only the essentials without wasting tokens
- OK to fix on a specific repo, but dynamic exploration is also available when needed
Key points
- Supports both public repos and Pages
- Advantageous for generating code that matches your repo's standards and style
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use gitmcp
Target repo: <owner>/<repo>
Find the current auth flow implementation and summarize key entry points.
Propose a minimal PR diff to add 2FA support.
4) Sequential Thinking MCP — Step-by-step thinking (Plan → Revise → Decide)
One-line intro: Equip your session with structured thinking including problem decomposition, alternative branching, hypothesis-verification, and unnecessary information filtering.
Why it's good
- Provides a systematic framework for app design/research/debugging
- Dynamically adjusts depth and path when new information comes in
Key points
- Multi-step review while preserving context
- Easy to leave design decision rationale as text
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use sequential-thinking
Goal: Design a plugin system for our CLI.
Break the problem into steps, branch two alternative designs,
then propose a merge plan with trade-offs and a revision cycle.
5) Supabase MCP — Test DB and types all at once
One-line intro: Connect to your Supabase project for schema exploration/queries/migrations/logs, and even automatic TypeScript type generation.
Why it's good
- Safely understand structure with read-only mode
- Extract perfect types based on schema to make frontend/server code robust
- Supports real workflow including branches/edge functions/migrations
Key points
- Enhanced security by specifying project scope
- Real-time logs and advisor for debugging
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use supabase
Inspect schema and generate strict TypeScript types for our tables.
Produce a typed query example and a safe migration plan.
Enable read-only mode during exploration.
6) Playwright MCP — Browser automation/testing in your hands
One-line intro: Fast and robust automation based on accessibility tree (roles/focus) rather than screenshot matching.
Why it's good
- Supports various engines including Chrome/Firefox/WebKit/Edge
- Rich practical options including profile separation, proxy/network control, trace saving
- Vision mode for screenshot-based interaction also available when needed
Key points
- Viewport/device emulation, service worker blocking, HTTPS error handling
- Stable for testing, scraping, and form automation
Practical prompt example (Gemini CLI)
use playwright
Task: Fill and submit a signup form using accessibility roles.
Run in an isolated profile, save a trace, and retry on network flakiness.
Export a minimal test script we can commit to CI.
Try combining them like this (recommended recipes)
- Context7 to get latest docs/examples → 2) GitMCP to verify repo reality → 3) Filesystem for safe editing/refactoring → 4) Sequential Thinking for design/review → 5) Supabase to organize types/queries/migrations → 6) Playwright for browser test automation.
Tip: Actively utilizing dry-run, diff, trace at each step greatly increases the reliability of automation.
Conclusion & Community
The 6 tools introduced here have excellent synergy with each other. If you have MCPs you use or good combinations, please share them on aickyway. Thanks to you, all our workflows will get faster!
