What is Gemini Code Assist?
Gemini Code Assist is Google's AI coding assistant for IDEs, with code completion, chat and an agent mode, and as of October 2026 it is being wound down in favor of Google Antigravity. The free individual edition stopped working on 18 June 2026, and new Standard and Enterprise subscriptions stopped on 9 October 2026. Existing business customers keep it until their contracts end.
Google's developer overview describes it as "AI-powered assistance to help your development team build, deploy, and operate applications." It runs in these places, per the Standard and Enterprise overview:
- VS Code
- JetBrains IDEs, such as IntelliJ and PyCharm
- Android Studio
- Cloud Shell Editor
- Cloud Workstations
If you are deciding what to install today, read the next section first.
What changed for Gemini Code Assist in 2026?
Google's deprecations page lists the changes:
| Change | Date | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer accounts shut down | 18 June 2026 | Gemini Code Assist for individuals, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra users |
| Consumer Gemini Code Assist on GitHub shut down | 17 July 2026 (deprecated 18 June) | People using the free GitHub code review app |
| No new Standard or Enterprise subscriptions | 9 October 2026 | New business customers |
| No new licenses or annual renewals | 31 January 2027 | Existing annual customers |
| No monthly renewals | 31 December 2027 | Existing monthly customers |
For consumer users, the individuals deprecation page says: "Starting June 18, 2026, Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions stopped serving requests." The Login with Google option no longer works for the IDE extensions or Gemini CLI on those tiers. The same date ended free access to Gemini CLI, whose README now reads: "Free individual access and Google AI Pro / Ultra (Google One) moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026." The README adds that organizations with Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses or Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud keep their access.
For business customers, the sunset page says current subscriptions keep working and stay supported until the end of the contract term. The consumer GitHub sunset page adds that the enterprise version of Gemini Code Assist on GitHub is not affected by that shutdown.
The replacement Google names is Antigravity. The sunset page says agentic coding moves to Antigravity, which is included in Gemini Enterprise editions, and asks customers to plan the move before their final renewal.
What are the Gemini Code Assist editions and prices?
There are two editions left, both managed through Google Cloud. Google's product page lists these prices as of October 2026:
| Edition | Monthly term | Annual commitment | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $22.80 per user per month | $19 per user per month | Code completion, chat, agent mode, smart actions, source citations, IP indemnification, Gemini CLI quota |
| Enterprise | $54 per user per month | $45 per user per month | Everything in Standard, plus code customization from private GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket repos, and integrations with Apigee and Application Integration |
These prices only matter for existing customers adding licenses or renewing, because new purchases closed on 9 October 2026. The product page still shows a buy button, but the docs carry a notice that new subscriptions are "no longer available for purchase."
Google's data governance policy, quoted on the product page, says customer code, inputs and generated recommendations "will not be used to train any shared models nor used to develop any products."
How do you set up the IDE extension?
If your organization already has licenses, the setup guide has three admin steps and a few user steps.
An admin assigns licenses in the Google Cloud console, enables the Gemini for Google Cloud API in at least one project, and grants users the Gemini for Google Cloud User and Service Usage Consumer roles:
gcloud services enable cloudaicompanion.googleapis.com
Then each developer:
- VS Code: opens the Extensions view, searches for "Gemini Code Assist" and installs it. JetBrains: opens Plugins, then the Marketplace tab, searches for "Gemini Code Assist", installs it and restarts the IDE.
- Signs in with Login to Google Cloud (VS Code) or Log in to Google (IntelliJ).
- Picks a Google Cloud project with the API enabled. In VS Code, use the Gemini Code Assist menu in the status bar and choose Select Gemini Code project.
Once set up, you get inline completions as you type, a chat pane that uses your open files as context, and smart actions on selected code, such as explaining it or generating tests.
How does agent mode work?
Agent mode lets Gemini take on multi-step tasks instead of answering one message at a time. The agent mode docs say it can use built-in tools (file search, file read and write, terminal commands) and MCP servers, and generate code from design docs, issues and TODO comments. You can comment on, edit and approve its plan and tool calls as it works.
To turn it on:
- VS Code: open Gemini Code Assist chat and click the Agent toggle.
- IntelliJ: click the Gemini icon in the tool window bar and select the Agent tab.
In VS Code, agent mode is built on Gemini CLI, so it shares Gemini CLI's configuration. MCP servers go under mcpServers in ~/.gemini/settings.json, followed by Developer: Reload Window. The same file takes coreTools and excludeTools to limit what the agent may run:
{
"coreTools": ["ShellTool(ls -l)"]
}
That example, from Google's docs, limits shell use to ls -l. A tool listed in both coreTools and excludeTools is excluded, and IntelliJ does not support these settings. Google's docs also warn that MCP servers "can run arbitrary code with the permissions available to your user account."
Context comes from GEMINI.md files: ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md for every project and files in the working folder or its parents for narrower scopes, with more specific files winning. The GEMINI.md guide covers what to write, and the Gemini CLI MCP guide covers server options. IntelliJ uses an mcp.json file in the IDE configuration folder instead, and reads GEMINI.md or AGENT.md at the project root.
To skip approvals, VS Code has "geminicodeassist.agentYoloMode": true, which the docs say "can only be used in a trusted workspace." IntelliJ has an Auto-approve changes checkbox under Agent options. The docs warn there is no undo for changes made outside your IDE.
Two caveats from the same page: agent mode is a preview feature, and Google says "Agent mode in VS Code uses the Gemini CLI, which is not optimized for the latest Gemini models." Google recommends Antigravity CLI for the best results with current models.
Should you move from Gemini Code Assist to Antigravity?
If you used the free edition, you already had to: the extensions stopped answering consumer accounts in June. Antigravity has a $0 plan for individuals and higher quotas with Google AI Pro and Ultra, per its pricing page. The Antigravity guide covers install, plans, rules and skills, and the Antigravity CLI guide covers the terminal side, including agy plugin import gemini for converting Gemini CLI extensions.
If you are a Standard or Enterprise customer, nothing breaks before your contract ends, but there is no renewal after the dates above. The sunset page recommends planning the move to Gemini Enterprise before your final renewal, and points to the Antigravity IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains and to the migration guide from Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI.
Most of your setup carries over. Antigravity reads GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md as rules, uses the same Agent Skills format, and accepts MCP servers, though remote servers move from httpUrl to serverUrl.
How do you keep prompts and skills when you switch tools?
Moving from one Google tool to another is a good moment to pull your reusable prompts and skills out of any single editor. Kipt keeps prompts and Agent Skills as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own, so the same files work whether you end up in Antigravity, Gemini CLI or another agent. For skill folders, see Gemini CLI skills and Agent Skills.