Gemini CLI in Russia: no VPN, no Google sign-in, no foreign card
Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source agent for the terminal: it reads and edits your project files and runs commands. Since 18 June 2026, signing in with a personal Google account no longer works in it, and a Gemini API key cannot be obtained from Russia. But Gemini CLI can send its requests to another address: set two environment variables and add a couple of lines to settings.json, and it works through RuAPI with Gemini models — no VPN, paid in USDT.
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk-...",
base_url="https://www.ruapi.ai/v1",
)
resp = client.chat.completions.create(
model="deepseek-flash",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)Use this example (cURL tab) to test your key right after sign-up: it calls deepseek-flash, which the trial covers, through the OpenAI-compatible /v1 address. Gemini CLI works differently: it uses Gemini models (after a top-up) in Google’s native format, so GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL is https://www.ruapi.ai without /v1 — Gemini CLI adds the /v1beta/models/… path itself.
Why Gemini CLI does not start from Russia — and what RuAPI changes
Google sign-in is off for personal accounts.
Since 18 June 2026, Gemini CLI no longer serves the free Gemini Code Assist for individuals tier or Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions: Google is moving them to Antigravity CLI. Gemini CLI still works with a paid Gemini API key (developers.googleblog.com, 19 May 2026; README at github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli, 2 Nov 2026). Gemini CLI accepts a RuAPI key the same way.
Gemini API keys are not issued in Russia.
Russia is not on the list of countries where the Gemini API and Google AI Studio are available (ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/available-regions, updated 22 Oct 2026, checked 2 Nov 2026), and Google’s paid tier needs a bank card — Russian-issued cards do not work abroad. RuAPI needs neither a card nor a Google account: sign in with email, Google or Yandex, whichever suits you, and pay in USDT.
Nothing in Gemini CLI needs patching.
The API address in Gemini CLI is set with the official GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL variable (geminicli.com/docs/reference/configuration, 2 Nov 2026). RuAPI accepts the same request format as Google: /v1beta/models/…, with the key in the x-goog-api-key header. No plugins, proxies or patches — just the address, the key and a model name.
How to connect Gemini CLI to RuAPI: 3 steps
You need Node.js 20 or newer. Gemini models unlock after the first top-up: the $0.05 trial for new accounts does not cover them.
Sign up for RuAPI and top up
Create an account at www.ruapi.ai — email, Google or Yandex all work, and no phone is asked for. Gemini CLI needs a top-up: from 5 USDT (TRC20, BEP20, TON, Polygon) or USDC; USDT can be bought for rubles via SBP, step by step at docs.ruapi.ai/en/buy-usdt. Foreign-issued cards are accepted as well.
The trial balance ($0.05, usually credited right away) only works with claude-haiku-5-5, deepseek-flash and gpt-6-luna — no Gemini models among them, so Gemini CLI needs a first top-up.
Create a key for Gemini CLI
Console → API Keys → "Create API key". An agent sends many requests in a row, so a separate key with a spending limit is handy: you see what Gemini CLI alone spends, and it cannot go over the amount you set.
Install Gemini CLI and point it to RuAPI
- Install: npm install -g @google/gemini-cli (on macOS and Linux, brew install gemini-cli also works).
- macOS / Linux — add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc: export GEMINI_API_KEY="sk-…" and export GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL="https://www.ruapi.ai". Windows (PowerShell): setx GEMINI_API_KEY "sk-…" and setx GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL "https://www.ruapi.ai", then open a new terminal window. The address has no /v1 and no /v1beta.
- In ~/.gemini/settings.json (on Windows, %USERPROFILE%\.gemini\settings.json) set the sign-in method and the model: {"security": {"auth": {"selectedType": "gemini-api-key"}}, "model": {"name": "gemini-3.8-flash"}}. If the sign-in method is missing, Gemini CLI asks for it on first launch — choose Use Gemini API Key and it is saved to this file. Without this setting, gemini -p mode does not work.
- Run gemini in your project folder. Always set a specific model — in settings.json, with the -m flag or the /model command. Do not pick Auto or the pro alias: with them Gemini CLI requests gemini-3.1-pro-preview-customtools, which is not in the RuAPI catalog.
The native Gemini format on RuAPI — addresses, key and examples: docs.ruapi.ai/en/gemini-api-russia
What to enter in Gemini CLI
Environment variables
GEMINI_API_KEY=sk-…
GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://www.ruapi.ai
~/.gemini/settings.json
security.auth.selectedType: gemini-api-key
model.name: gemini-3.8-flash
Payment
USDT / USDC from 5 USDT
foreign-issued cards
Gemini model prices for Gemini CLI
Gemini models that suit Gemini CLI, in USD per 1M tokens, from the pricing page. No subscription: you pay only for the tokens Gemini CLI uses.
| model | input $/M | output $/M |
|---|---|---|
| gemini-3.5-flash-lite | $0.36 cache read $0.0360 | $3.00 |
| gemini-3-flash-preview | $0.60 cache read $0.0600 | $3.60 |
| gemini-3.8-flash | $0.90 cache read $0.0900 | $4.50 |
| gemini-3.1-pro-preview | $2.40 cache read $0.24 >200K: $4.80 | $14.40 >200K: $21.60 |
Columns: input is new input tokens, “cache read” is input tokens the provider served from its cache, output is the model’s reply. At every step the agent resends the whole session history to the model, including the files it read and command output, so a long session costs noticeably more than a short one. Besides the main model, Gemini CLI makes helper requests — for example to gemini-3-flash-preview and gemini-3.5-flash-lite; these are charged to the balance too.
The grey “>200K” line is the vendor’s rate for long prompts: if a prompt goes over the threshold, the whole request is billed at that rate.
Gemini CLI through RuAPI or through Google
| Gemini CLI + RuAPI | Gemini CLI directly with Google | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in | A RuAPI key in GEMINI_API_KEY | Personal Google account — off since 18 Jun 2026; paid Gemini API keys and enterprise licences remain |
| Access from Russia | www.ruapi.ai opens without a VPN | Russia is not on the Gemini API and Google AI Studio region list |
| Payment | USDT / USDC from 5 USDT, foreign-issued cards | A Google billing account with a card |
| Other models on the same key | Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Qwen and more — for other agents such as Claude Code or OpenCode | Google models only |
Google details are from developers.googleblog.com (19 May 2026), the README at github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli and ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/available-regions, checked 2 Nov 2026. Gemini CLI itself is the same program in both cases.