Jules Tools: Google's New Terminal AI Agent for Developers

Another tool is making its way to your terminal today. Jules Tools delivers a Jules powered CLI to your terminal bringing Google’s async coding agent, Jules, straight into your command-line environment for seamless and interactive development support.

The Value of Terminal Integration

Jules has traditionally operated in the background, managing tasks like writing tests, fixing bugs, and updating dependencies on remote VMs. Developers, however, want hands-on control and instant feedback within their existing workflows. Jules Tools is the answer providing a programmable, scriptable CLI that empowers developers to harness AI directly, no browser required.

Easy Installation and Intuitive Commands

Getting started is straightforward. Install Jules Tools globally using npm install -g @google/jules​ Copy​. Once installed, developers use simple commands and flags to interact:

• Commands instruct Jules to execute tasks like listing current projects or remote jobs.
• Flags personalize your workflow, from toggling interface themes to specifying task parameters.

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Automations and Scripting for Real Productivity

Jules Tools is more than just a command interface, it's a launchpad for workflow automation. Developers can:

• See all repositories linked to Jules with one command.
  
  
• Start remote sessions for targeted tasks, like generating unit tests on a specific repo.
  
  
• Pipe in tasks from a TODO.md file for automated session creation.
  
  
• Combine with GitHub CLI and Gemini CLI for advanced issue triage and delegation.

This flexibility lets Jules Tools fit into even the most complex terminal-based development ecosystems, streamlining repetitive processes and freeing up valuable coding time.

Interactive Terminal Dashboard

Prefer a visual overview? Jules Tools includes a terminal-based user interface (TUI). Use commands like /remote for a real-time dashboard of ongoing tasks or /new for guided session setup. This mirrors the familiar web UI experience, but delivered straight to your terminal for instant, convenient access during development.

Because Jules Tools is scriptable, you can compose it with other CLI tools to fit your workflow. Here are some ways developers are already using it:

# List all the repos connected to Jules
jules remote list --repo

# Create a remote session in a repo
jules remote new --repo torvalds/linux --session "write unit tests"

# Assign multiple sessions from a TODO file
cat TODO.md | while IFS= read -r line; do
  jules remote new --repo . --session "$line"
done

# Pipe GitHub issues directly to Jules
gh issue list --assignee @me --limit 1 --json title \
  | jq -r '.[0].title' \
  | jules remote new --repo .

# Use Gemini CLI to analyze GitHub issues and send the hardest one to Jules
gemini -p "find the most tedious issue, print it verbatim\n \
$(gh issue list --assignee @me)" \
  | jules remote new --repo .​ Copy

Local and Remote Flexibility

Jules Tools supports both local and remote workflows. Whether you want to run processes on your own machine or scale out to remote VMs, Jules adapts to your needs. You can mix manual coding with automated delegation, letting the AI handle routine work while you focus on critical challenges.

Your New Terminal Power Tool

By bringing Jules into the terminal, Jules Tools closes the gap between AI assistance and developer workflow. Installing Jules Tools means more productivity, deeper automation, and instant control, all without leaving your command line.

Source: Google Developers Blog