Connect Gemini CLI

verified on 2026-10-09: MCP servers in Gemini CLI

1. 1

   Add the server

   Run gemini mcp add --transport http filmo https://app.filmo.io/api/v1/mcp.

2. 2

   Authenticate

   Run /mcp auth filmo in a session. The 401 triggers discovery and dynamic registration; consent in Filmo.

• How Gemini CLI uses the scope of a 401 challenge: not documented by the vendor.

• Only the *:read scopes the client asked for are checked (every read scope when it asks for none).
• Write scopes, workflows:run and ai:ask always start unchecked, even if the client asks for them; the ones it asked for carry the label “Requested by the integration”.
• Check by hand only what the assistant needs, and leave ai:ask unchecked unless you want it to spend AI credits.

To change the scopes later, remove the connector and add it again.

Before you approve, read Authentication.

1. 1

   Use the user file

   Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json, never the project file .gemini/settings.json, which is the default scope of gemini mcp add and can go to git.

2. 2

   Replace the placeholder

   Gemini CLI's documentation expands $VAR only in the env block, not in headers, so the key lives in that user-level file only.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filmo": {
      "httpUrl": "https://app.filmo.io/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-filmo-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Rental operations (21): orders:read, orders:write, availability:read, items:read, contacts:read, account:read. It includes the order writes, cancelling included. Combine it with includeTools to list only what you need, or pick a preset marked (read).

Every preset and its size are in Limits and context.

Gemini CLI offers proceed once, always allow tool, always allow server, or cancel. trust: true skips confirmations for a server: do not set it for Filmo. includeTools and excludeTools limit the tools.

The tools that must ask for approval are in Safe writes.

• Any use of tool annotations for approval: not documented by the vendor.

Ask the assistant: “Which Filmo account am I connected to?” It should call filmo_account_get, a read tool that returns no personal data.