🤖 Gemini CLI & MCP Servers — Workshop

Hands-on workshop: AI in your terminal · Developer automation · Build real MCP tools
Duration: 2 hours · Level: Basic → Intermediate
By: Harsh · GDG Cloud Community

🚀 Quick Start (Participants)

Run this before the workshop to get set up:

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_HANDLE/gemini-mcp-workshop.git
cd gemini-mcp-workshop

# 2. One-command setup (installs everything)
chmod +x setup.sh && ./setup.sh

# 3. Authenticate Gemini CLI
gemini auth login

# 4. Verify everything works
node scripts/verify-setup.js

⚠️ Requires Node.js 18+. Check with node --version.

📋 Workshop Agenda

| Time | Section | Topic | |------|---------|-------| | 0:00 – 0:10 | 00 | Welcome & Setup Check | | 0:10 – 0:40 | 01 | Gemini CLI Foundations | | 0:40 – 1:00 | 02 | Practical AI Workflows | | 1:00 – 1:10 | — | ☕ Break | | 1:10 – 1:35 | 03 | Model Context Protocol (MCP) | | 1:35 – 1:55 | 04 | Build Your Own MCP Server | | 1:55 – 2:00 | — | Q&A & Wrap-up |

📁 Repo Structure

gemini-mcp-workshop/
│
├── mcp-server/               ← The MCP server you'll build in Section 04
│   ├── index.js              ← Main server file (7 tools)
│   ├── package.json
│   └── README.md
│
├── demo-project/             ← Express API used for live coding demos
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── app.js            ← Express routes
│   │   ├── users.js          ← Auth logic (bcrypt + JWT)
│   │   └── server.js         ← HTTP entry point
│   ├── tests/
│   │   └── users.test.js     ← Jest test suite
│   ├── GEMINI.md             ← AI context file (the magic ingredient!)
│   └── package.json
│
├── scripts/
│   └── verify-setup.js       ← Pre-flight check — run before workshop
│
├── examples/                 ← Bonus: extra MCP server examples
│   ├── github-tools.js       ← GitHub API MCP tools
│   ├── docker-tools.js       ← Docker management tools
│   └── db-tools.js           ← Database query tools
│
├── gemini-settings-template.json  ← Copy → ~/.gemini/settings.json
├── setup.sh                  ← One-command participant setup script
├── .gitignore
└── README.md                 ← You are here

🛠️ What You'll Build

The DevTools MCP Server

A real MCP server with 7 tools that you write from scratch:

| Tool | What It Does | |------|-------------| | read_file | Read any file's contents | | list_files | List files in a directory | | write_file | Create or update files | | run_command | Execute shell commands | | run_tests | Run npm test, return results | | search_code | Grep/search inside files | | get_project_info | Read package.json metadata |

After connecting to Gemini CLI:

gemini

> "list all JavaScript files in src/"
> "read app.js and find missing input validation"
> "run the tests and fix any that are failing"
> "search for all TODO comments in the codebase"

The AI calls YOUR tools automatically — no manual invocation needed.

📦 Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ → nodejs.org
A Google account (personal, not Workspace org) for Gemini CLI auth
Terminal / command line comfort
Basic JavaScript knowledge

🔗 Resources

| Resource | Link | |----------|------| | Gemini CLI Docs | cloud.google.com/gemini/docs/cli | | Gemini CLI GitHub | github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli | | MCP Specification | modelcontextprotocol.io | | MCP SDK (npm) | @modelcontextprotocol/sdk | | Community MCP Servers | mcp.so | | MCP Server Registry | github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers |

🏠 Homework Challenges

After the workshop:

Add GEMINI.md to one of your real projects
Extend the MCP server — add a git_status tool that runs git status and git log
Connect to a real API — build an MCP tool that calls a REST API you use at work
Build a compound workflow — chain 2+ MCP tools to automate a real task

📄 License

MIT — Use freely, modify, share. Give credit if you do something cool with it!

Built for GDG Cloud Community · Presented by Harsh

MCP Servers