Google’s Gemini CLI Has a Reliability Problem Developers Can’t Ignore

Developers are reporting widespread failures with Google’s Gemini CLI, including persistent 429 rate-limiting errors, silent model downgrades, and opaque quota rules. The issues affect both free and paying users, undermining trust in the tool despite strong underlying model performance. The article argues that the problem is not technical capability but product reliability, positioning it as a failure of prioritization and developer experience