--- title: "Can Gemini CLI make phone calls? Give it a phone with MCP" description: "Gemini CLI has no phone of its own, but it runs MCP tools. Add CallForMe with one command and it calls businesses, even from a headless gemini -p script." url: https://callforme.tel/guides/can-gemini-cli-make-phone-calls published: 2026-10-09 updated: 2026-10-09 author: CallForMe team, Great Work LLC --- # Can Gemini CLI make phone calls? Give it a phone with MCP > Not on its own. Gemini CLI runs in your terminal and can't dial out, but it supports remote MCP servers. Run gemini mcp add --transport http callforme https://callforme.tel/mcp, sign in once with /mcp auth callforme, and Gemini CLI can call businesses for you, ask your questions, and bring back the answers and a transcript. ## The short answer Gemini CLI is an agent in your terminal. It reads files, runs commands and calls tools, but it has no phone line, so it can't place a call by itself. It does support MCP servers over streamable HTTP ([Gemini CLI MCP docs](https://geminicli.com/docs/tools/mcp-server/)). CallForMe is one: its tools place real calls to businesses. Add it, and Gemini decides what to ask while CallForMe's voice assistant dials, works the phone menu, waits on hold and reports back. Not to be confused with Google's own [Gemini Call for Me](/compare/gemini-call-for-me), which runs on Pixel phones. ## Add it in one command ```bash gemini mcp add --transport http --scope user callforme https://callforme.tel/mcp ``` Start Gemini CLI and, if it asks you to sign in, run `/mcp auth callforme`. A browser tab opens and closes. No email, form or card. If you edit `~/.gemini/settings.json` by hand, the field is `httpUrl`, not `url`. Key-based setup for servers and CI is on the [Gemini CLI install page](/agents/gemini-cli). ## What to ask it Gemini CLI is at its best when the job has a list, a file, or a repeat: - **Call a list from a file.** "Read caterers.txt and call each one about a lunch for 30 on November 14. Write price per person, delivery fee and whether they do vegetarian into caterers.md." - **Call around for you.** `call_around` finds 1 to 100 places of a kind near you, calls them up to 10 at a time with the same questions, and can stop at the first one that says yes or at a spending limit. - **Check something on a schedule.** A headless run each morning can ask a shop whether your part came in and append the answer to a log. Start with a free call to a fictional business, so you can see the whole loop: > Call Maple Street Pizza at (469) 770-7412. Ask what their large pepperoni costs, whether they deliver to 75024, and how long delivery takes tonight. Tell me what they said. Then a real one ($1 if answered, nothing if not): > Call the three closest tire shops to 80211 and ask which can mount and balance four 225/65R17 tires I'm bringing myself, the price, and the soonest slot this week. Give me a table. ## Running it headless `gemini -p "..."` runs one prompt with no interactive screen ([headless mode docs](https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/headless/)), and the CallForMe tools come along. Two things change when nobody is watching: 1. **Questions from the business go unanswered.** The assistant waits about 45 seconds, tells the business you'll follow up on that point, and continues. Give the likely answers in the prompt ("any weekday after 3 is fine; budget up to $150") so Gemini passes them as `if_asked`. See [when the business asks something your agent doesn't know](/guides/when-the-business-asks-something-unknown). 2. **The first real call needs you once.** It returns a setup link to add a $10 balance. Do that once in a normal session, or use an API key from the [account page](https://callforme.tel/account), and headless runs just call. ## What it costs $1 per answered call, including the first 2 minutes, then $0.40 a minute, up to 30 minutes. Unanswered and busy calls are free. A call-around to 6 shops where 4 answer in under 2 minutes is $4. See [pricing](/docs/pricing). ## Related - [Install CallForMe in Gemini CLI](/agents/gemini-cli) - [Can Codex make phone calls?](/guides/can-codex-make-phone-calls) - [How to get Claude to make a phone call](/guides/give-claude-a-phone) - [Can AI call around to every business near me?](/guides/call-around) ## FAQ ### Is this Google's Call for Me feature? No. Google's Call for Me is a Gemini feature on Pixel phones that calls from your own number. CallForMe is a separate service that works from Gemini CLI and other agents, and calls from CallForMe's number. ### Has this been tested with a real call? Yes. We ran Gemini CLI against CallForMe on October 2, 2026, signed in with a Gemini API key, and it completed real calls to our demo line. ### Can I run it from a script or cron job? Yes. Gemini CLI's headless mode (gemini -p) uses the same MCP servers. Put any answers the business might need in the prompt, since nobody is there to answer a question mid-call. ### What does it cost? Gemini CLI is billed by Google under its own plan or key. The phone calls are $1 per answered call including 2 minutes, then $0.40 a minute, and nothing when nobody answers. ## Related - [Can AI make phone calls for me?](https://callforme.tel/guides/can-ai-make-phone-calls-for-me.md) - [Can ChatGPT make phone calls? How to let it call a business](https://callforme.tel/guides/let-chatgpt-call-a-business.md) - [Using AI to make phone calls when you hate the phone](https://callforme.tel/guides/ai-calls-for-phone-anxiety.md) - [PhoneBooth MCP vs CallForMe](https://callforme.tel/compare/phonebooth-mcp.md) - [FAQ](https://callforme.tel/docs/faq.md)