Install Ricord in Gemini CLI

Prerequisites

• Google Gemini CLI installed (gemini --version works).
• bun on your PATH (install Bun if you don't have it).
• A Ricord account — sign up if you don't have one.

Step 1 — Install the Ricord CLI

bun add -g ricord

Verify:

ricord --version
# → ricord vX.Y.Z

Step 2 — Log in

ricord login

Sign in via the browser tab. API key lands in the OS keychain.

Step 3 — Wire into Gemini CLI

ricord install

For Gemini CLI, this writes to ~/.gemini/settings.json. Gemini CLI uses the standard MCP mcpServers JSON key (same shape as Claude Desktop, different file). The added block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ricord": {
      "command": "ricord",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Existing entries under mcpServers are merged, not overwritten. Verify the block landed:

cat ~/.gemini/settings.json | grep -A4 '"ricord"'

Step 4 — Start a fresh Gemini session

Gemini CLI reads settings.json at startup. If you have an active gemini session running, exit it and start a new one:

gemini

Inside the session, run /mcp to confirm Ricord appears in the loaded MCP servers list. You should see ricord listed alongside any other servers you have configured.

Step 5 — 30-second smoke test

Inside the Gemini session, type:

Remember that we deploy this project to Cloud Run via deploy.sh.

Gemini calls ricord_save. You'll see the tool call inline.

Exit the session, start a new one, type:

How does this project deploy?

Gemini calls ricord_recall and answers Cloud Run via deploy.sh. Install is good.

Workspace vs user-scope settings

Gemini CLI reads from two settings files and merges them:

• ~/.gemini/settings.json — user scope, applies everywhere. ricord install writes here by default. Recommended.
• ./.gemini/settings.json — workspace scope, applies only when you launch gemini from that directory. Use this if you want Ricord scoped to a single repo and not across all your work.

For workspace scope, copy the mcpServers.ricord block from your user settings into the repo's .gemini/settings.json, and remove it from the user file. Memory still persists to the same Ricord account — the scoping is about which sessions can read and write it.

What to expect over the next week

• Day 1: Gemini saves and recalls across gemini sessions when you ask explicitly.
• Day 3: Gemini calls ricord_get_context at session start — pulls in what it learned in previous runs without you re-explaining the repo.
• Day 7: Open the dashboard — wiki pages per repo, with the architectural decisions and deploy commands Gemini helped you figure out.

Gemini extensions and Ricord

Gemini CLI ships built-in extensions for shell, file I/O, and web search. Ricord runs alongside them — it's a separate MCP server, not an extension. If you've installed third-party extensions, none of them touch the mcpServers block. Ricord and your existing extension set coexist cleanly.

Gemini CLI auth and Ricord auth are independent

Gemini CLI authenticates to Google (OAuth or AI Studio API key). Ricord authenticates separately via ricord login. The two don't share credentials. Rotating one doesn't affect the other.

Troubleshooting

/mcp doesn't list ricord. Check that ~/.gemini/settings.json is valid JSON (a trailing comma is the most common breakage). Then fully exit Gemini and restart — settings only re-read at startup, not on file change.

ricord listed but tools don't fire. Gemini may be running with tool calls disabled. Inside the session, run /toolsto confirm Ricord's tools are enabled in the current model's tool set.

Tools loaded but recall is empty. Background indexing runs every ~10 minutes. If still empty after an hour, run ricord usage outside Gemini to verify the account is healthy.

Command-not-found: ricord (inside gemini). Gemini CLI inherits PATH from the shell that launched it. If you installed bunin a non-login shell, launch Gemini from the same shell instead of from a different terminal app, or add bun's install dir to your shell rc file.

Same install, other clients

ricord installauto-detects Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Zed if they're on the machine. Memory follows you across all six MCP clients — jump from a Gemini session to Claude Code mid-debugging, the wiki and recall stay consistent.