IdeaTwister for Google Gemini CLI

Google's conversational AI platform. Extract the zip file and run install.sh. Familiar syntax for Google Cloud users.

Gemini CLI is the host here, not the LLM provider. Whichever API key you export for IdeaTwister (Gemini, Anthropic, or OpenAI) is what the orchestrator uses - Gemini CLI just routes the slash command to the skill. You don't need a Google Cloud account if you'd rather pay Anthropic or OpenAI for the LLM calls.

Prerequisites

• Gemini CLI installed (gemini command available)
• A provider API key set for IdeaTwister (Gemini, Anthropic, or OpenAI) - see Provider Setup. You bring your own key and pay the provider directly.
• Python 3.10 or newer on your PATH - the installer checks this for you.
• IdeaTwister zip file (received after purchase)
• 5 to 50 minutes for a run, depending on the depth mode you pick

Installation

Step 1 - Extract the zip file

Unzip the IdeaTwister file you received. You'll see a folder structure with install.sh and platform-specific files.

Step 2 - Run the install script (recommended)

cd /path/to/ideatwister-zip
./install.sh

The script auto-detects Gemini CLI and installs everything automatically.

Step 3 - Or install manually

mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills
cp -r /path/to/ideatwister-engine/skills/ideatwister ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister
mkdir -p ~/.ideatwister/runs

Or use the built-in command:

gemini skills install /path/to/ideatwister-engine/skills/ideatwister --scope user

Then restart Gemini CLI.

Verify the installation

gemini
> /ideatwister help

You should see the command list. If you get "skill not found", verify the skill directory:

ls ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister

First-run example

$ gemini
> /ideatwister "I want to build a niche job board for remote accountants"

Pick a Depth Mode:
  [1] Quick · [2] Standard · [3] Recommended (default) · [4] Deep · [5] Custom
> <Enter>

[Gemini runs through the ten phases of the pipeline...]

✅ Pipeline Complete!
Depth Mode: Recommended
Variations: 49
High conviction (8+): 6
Score range: 4.2 – 8.9
Time elapsed: 26 minutes

📊 Dashboard: ~/.ideatwister/runs/remote-accountant-job-board-2026-04-24/dashboard.html

Commands

Full details: commands.md.

Limitations

• Web search: handled by IdeaTwister's direct call to your chosen provider (Gemini, Anthropic, or OpenAI), not by Gemini CLI itself.
• Interactive browser open: not supported. The dashboard path is printed - open manually in your browser.
• Subagent parallelization: Gemini CLI doesn't support parallel subagents in terminal mode. The pipeline runs sequentially.

Troubleshooting

Skill not found

ls ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister
gemini skills list

If missing, re-run the installer or copy manually to ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister.

Data store not found

bash ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister/scripts/init-store.sh

Web search not available

Web search is provided by IdeaTwister's call to your chosen provider, not by Gemini CLI. If your variations look ungrounded, confirm that one of GEMINI_API_KEY / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY is exported in the shell where you launched gemini. See Provider Setup for the full setup.

Permission denied on skills directory

chmod -R u+w ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister

Updating

Download the latest version from your account and run the install script again, or manually replace the files in ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister.

Uninstalling

rm -rf ~/.agents/skills/ideatwister

Your data in ~/.ideatwister/ is preserved.