---
title: "Gemini Provider"
description: "Use Google's Gemini API as an alternative to Claude for observation extraction"
---

# Gemini Provider

Claude-mem supports Google's Gemini API as an alternative to the Claude Agent SDK for extracting observations from your sessions. This can significantly reduce costs since Gemini offers a generous free tier.

<Note>
**Free Tier Available**: Google provides 60 requests per minute and 1 million tokens per month at no cost. No billing information required.
</Note>

## Why Use Gemini?

- **Cost savings**: The free tier covers most individual usage patterns
- **Same quality**: Gemini extracts observations using the same XML format as Claude
- **Seamless fallback**: Automatically falls back to Claude if Gemini is unavailable
- **Hot-swappable**: Switch providers without restarting the worker

## Getting a Free API Key

1. Go to the [Google AI Studio API Key page](https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey)
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Accept the Terms of Service and privacy policies
4. Click the **Create API key** button
5. Choose a Google Cloud project or create a new one
6. Copy and securely store the generated API key

<Tip>
Billing information is generally not required to use the free tier.
</Tip>

## Configuration

### Settings

| Setting | Values | Default | Description |
|---------|--------|---------|-------------|
| `CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER` | `claude`, `gemini` | `claude` | AI provider for observation extraction |
| `CLAUDE_MEM_GEMINI_API_KEY` | string | — | Your Gemini API key |
| `CLAUDE_MEM_GEMINI_MODEL` | `gemini-2.0-flash-exp`, `gemini-1.5-flash`, `gemini-1.5-pro` | `gemini-2.0-flash-exp` | Gemini model to use |

### Using the Settings UI

1. Open the viewer at http://localhost:37777
2. Click the **gear icon** to open Settings
3. Under **AI Provider**, select **Gemini**
4. Enter your Gemini API key
5. Optionally select a different model

Settings are applied immediately—no restart required.

### Manual Configuration

Edit `~/.claude-mem/settings.json`:

```json
{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "gemini",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_GEMINI_MODEL": "gemini-2.0-flash-exp"
}
```

Alternatively, set the API key via environment variable:

```bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
```

The settings file takes precedence over the environment variable.

## Available Models

| Model | Speed | Capability | Notes |
|-------|-------|------------|-------|
| `gemini-2.0-flash-exp` | Fastest | Good | Default, recommended for most usage |
| `gemini-1.5-flash` | Fast | Good | Stable release |
| `gemini-1.5-pro` | Slower | Best | Use for complex observation extraction |

## Provider Switching

You can switch between Claude and Gemini at any time:

- **No restart required**: Changes take effect on the next observation
- **Conversation history preserved**: When switching mid-session, the new provider sees the full conversation context
- **Seamless transition**: Both providers use the same observation format

### Switching via UI

1. Open Settings in the viewer
2. Change the **AI Provider** dropdown
3. The next observation will use the new provider

### Switching via Settings File

```json
{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "gemini"
}
```

## Fallback Behavior

If Gemini is selected but encounters errors, claude-mem automatically falls back to the Claude Agent SDK:

**Triggers fallback:**
- Rate limiting (HTTP 429)
- Server errors (HTTP 5xx)
- Network issues (connection refused, timeout)

**Does not trigger fallback:**
- Missing API key (logs warning, uses Claude from start)
- Invalid API key (fails with error)

When fallback occurs:
1. A warning is logged
2. Any in-progress messages are reset to pending
3. Claude SDK takes over with the full conversation context

## Troubleshooting

### "Gemini API key not configured"

Either:
- Set `CLAUDE_MEM_GEMINI_API_KEY` in `~/.claude-mem/settings.json`, or
- Set the `GEMINI_API_KEY` environment variable

### Rate Limiting

The free tier allows 60 requests per minute. If you hit rate limits:
- Claude-mem automatically falls back to Claude SDK
- Consider upgrading to a paid Gemini plan for higher limits
- Or switch back to Claude as your primary provider

### Observation Quality

If observations seem lower quality with Gemini:
- Try `gemini-1.5-pro` for more capable extraction
- Note that Claude typically produces slightly higher quality observations
- Consider using Gemini for cost savings and Claude for important projects

## Next Steps

- [Configuration](../configuration) - Full settings reference
- [Getting Started](getting-started) - Basic usage guide
- [Troubleshooting](../troubleshooting) - Common issues