AI relieves developers: Jules takes over unloved coding tasks
Google's new coding extension for Gemini CLI works through tasks asynchronously in the background, allowing developers to focus on other aspects.
(Image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com)
As Google has announced, its command-line coding assistant Gemini CLI can now use the new Jules extension. Jules is an experimental asynchronous coding agent to which developers can delegate tasks that then run automatically in the background. Google cites the maintenance of documentation, testing, bug fixing, and updating dependencies as examples.
Bugfixing, Testing & Co.: Jules takes over
Jules works in a virtual machine (VM) where it can clone code, install dependencies, and modify files. Developers can assign asynchronous tasks to Jules from within Gemini CLI. The extension can then fix bugs in the background while developers continue to work in Gemini CLI. For example, the Jules extension can deal with GitHub issues and submit changes in a new branch or execute existing and new tests.
(Image:Â Google)
Install and use Jules
To use Jules, which is still experimental, you need both an installation of Gemini CLI (version 0.4.0 or higher) and a Jules account. Then you can connect a GitHub repo with the account in the Jules console.
The Jules extension can be installed from the terminal with the following command – here with the optional setting --auto-update for automatic updates:
gemini extensions install https://github.com/gemini-cli-extensions/jules --auto-updateA Jules task can then be assigned via prompt by prefixing it with /jules, as Google demonstrates:
/jules Convert commonJS modules to ES modulesIt is also possible to ask questions about the processing of a task, for example:
/jules what is the status of my last task?Videos by heise
Free, Pro or Ultra
Jules is available in three price tiers, which have limits ranging from 15 to 300 tasks per day. The two paid versions, Pro and Ultra, are linked to a corresponding Google AI subscription. Currently, all price tiers use the current Gemini 2.5 Pro model, but Pro and Ultra users will have access to newer models in the future.
In Google's developer blog and on the Jules website contain further information about the new extension. In total, there are currently 119 extensions for Gemini CLI.
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