Setup and IDE Integration

Getting Gemini Code Assist running is a fifteen-minute task if you know the steps. This lesson walks through VS Code and JetBrains installation, Google Cloud authentication, and the workspace settings that control what the model can read.

Prerequisites

Before installing, confirm you have:

• A Google account. A personal Gmail account works for the Standard tier. Enterprise customers use a Workspace account with a Cloud Identity license granted by their admin.
• VS Code 1.75 or later, or a JetBrains IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, or Rider) running version 2023.3 or later.
• Internet access. Gemini Code Assist sends code context to Google's servers to generate completions. If your organization uses an air-gapped network, you will need the Enterprise offline configuration instead - see Lesson 7.

Installing in VS Code

1. Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X) and search for "Gemini Code Assist". The publisher should be Google. Install it.
2. Sign in. After installation, a Gemini icon appears in the Activity Bar on the left. Click it, then click "Sign in with Google". Your browser opens a Google OAuth page. Complete the sign-in and grant the requested permissions.
3. Accept the terms. On first use you will see a Terms of Service prompt inside VS Code. Review and accept to proceed.
4. Verify the connection. Open any code file. Start typing a function definition and wait one to two seconds. You should see grey ghost text appear as a completion suggestion. If it does not appear, check the status bar at the bottom of VS Code for a Gemini Code Assist indicator - a warning icon means the connection failed. Check your network and try signing out and back in.

{
  "gca.inlineCompletionEnable": true,
  "gca.chatSendMessageOnEnter": false,
  "gca.suggestionDelay": 500
}

The suggestionDelay setting (in milliseconds) controls how long the extension waits after you stop typing before sending a request. The default is 0, which triggers on every keystroke. Setting it to 300-500ms reduces unnecessary API calls and feels less distracting while typing quickly.

Installing in JetBrains IDEs

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+Alt+S / Cmd+comma) and navigate to Plugins. Search the marketplace for "Gemini Code Assist". Install the plugin and restart the IDE when prompted.
2. Open the Gemini Code Assist panel from the right-side tool windows. Click "Log in with Google" and complete the browser OAuth flow.
3. Verify completions. Open a code file and type a comment describing a function. Pause for one second. Ghost text should appear below the cursor offering an implementation. Press Tab to accept.

Workspace Context and Trust Settings

Gemini Code Assist generates completions and chat responses based on context it reads from your workspace. Understanding what it reads helps you control privacy and improve suggestion quality.

By default, the extension reads:

• The currently open file
• Files you have recently opened in the same session
• Imports and references visible in the current file

With @workspace chat syntax (Lesson 4), you can explicitly tell it to read your entire repository. That broader context produces better answers for questions like "where is this function called?" or "show me all files that use this interface" - but it also means more code is sent to Google's servers. If your codebase contains secrets or proprietary logic, configure your .gitignore and review the extension's workspace exclusion settings before enabling full @workspace access.

# Exclude secrets and configs
.env
.env.*
config/secrets/

# Exclude vendor code (not yours to share)
vendor/
node_modules/

# Exclude generated files (low signal for the model)
dist/
build/
*.pb.go

The .geminiignore file follows the same glob syntax as .gitignore. Place it at the root of your workspace. Files matched by this pattern will not be indexed for @workspace queries or used as context for completions.

Confirming Everything Works

Run this quick check after installation:

If completions appear but the chat panel cannot read your file, you may have a workspace trust conflict. VS Code requires you to trust the workspace before extensions can read its files. Check the status bar for a "Restricted Mode" warning and click it to grant trust.

Subscription Tiers at a Glance

Check current pricing and feature availability at cloud.google.com - tier definitions evolve. This table reflects the structure as of mid-2026.