Fix OpenClaw: Gemini CLI Not Detected

OpenClaw uses the gemini CLI binary to authenticate with Google AI via OAuth. If the binary is not on your system PATH — or if the stored OAuth token has expired — OpenClaw reports "Gemini CLI OAuth failed" and cannot use Gemini models. This guide walks through every fix.

Step 1: Install Gemini CLI

If Gemini CLI is not yet installed:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

# Verify
gemini --version

Step 2: Add gemini to PATH

The most common cause of non-detection is that the npm global bin directory is not on PATH. Check where npm installs global binaries:

# Find where npm global binaries are installed
npm config get prefix

# The bin directory is usually <prefix>/bin on macOS/Linux
# Add it to your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

# Reload:
source ~/.zshrc   # or ~/.bashrc

# Verify gemini is now found:
which gemini
gemini --version

Step 3: Re-run OAuth Authentication

Even if the binary is on PATH, the OAuth token may be expired. Re-authenticate:

# Re-authenticate (opens browser)
gemini auth login

# Verify auth succeeded
gemini auth status

After authentication, restart the OpenClaw gateway so it picks up the new credentials:

openclaw gateway restart

Alternative: Use API Key Instead of CLI

If you prefer not to use the CLI OAuth flow, you can authenticate directly with a Google AI Studio API key. Get your key at aistudio.google.com/apikey.

{
  "model": "google/gemini-2.0-flash",
  "credentials": {
    "google": {
      "apiKey": "YOUR_GOOGLE_AI_STUDIO_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Verify OpenClaw Detects Gemini

# Run OpenClaw config check
openclaw config check

# Or run the diagnostics tool
npx clawkit-doctor@latest