Getting set up

Everything you need to get your AI tutor running on Windows.

About 15–20 minutes — and most of that is just waiting for things to download.

Mac guide coming soon
Before you start You don't need to understand the commands — just follow along. If you get stuck at any point, message Becky or the WhatsApp group. Tell us which step you're on and copy in anything you see on screen. There are no silly questions here.
A quick heads-up about your data Free Gemini may use your chats with the tutor to improve Google's AI, by default. If you'd rather it didn't, you can turn off "Keep Activity" for Gemini at myactivity.google.com/product/gemini. The tutor will never ask you to paste passwords or anything sensitive, but it's worth knowing.

A few steps ask you to type a command into a window. Step 1 installs that window (it's called Git Bash), and from then on everything happens in that one window. Don't worry if it looks intimidating — you'll only ever copy, paste, and press Enter.

1Install Git — this also gives you the window you'll type into

  1. Go to git-scm.com/download/win
  2. The download should start on its own. If it asks, choose the 64-bit standalone installer.
  3. Open the downloaded file. The installer asks a lot of questions — you can safely click Next on every screen, then Install. The standard choices are exactly what we want.
  4. When it finishes, untick "View Release Notes" if it's ticked, and click Finish.
Check it worked Click the Windows Start menu, type Git Bash, and click it. A small dark window should open. That's your terminal — leave it open, you'll use it for everything from here.

2Install Node.js — the engine the tutor runs on

  1. Go to nodejs.org
  2. Download the button labelled LTS (it'll show a number like 20.x.x LTS or higher — anything 20 or above is fine).
  3. Open the downloaded file and click Next / Install through it, accepting the standard choices.
  4. Important: close your Git Bash window and open it again (Start menu → Git Bash). This lets it notice that Node is now installed.

In Git Bash, type this and press Enter:

node --version
Check it worked You should see a number like v20.x.x or higher. If it says "command not found", close and reopen Git Bash and try again. If it still won't work, message Becky or the group.

3Install the tutor's engine — Gemini CLI

In Git Bash, type this exactly and press Enter:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

It'll print several lines and take a minute or so. Wait until the typing cursor comes back and sits there ready.

Then check it's there:

gemini --version
Check it worked You should see a version number.

4Sign in with Google

In Git Bash, type this and press Enter:

gemini
  1. The first time, it asks how you'd like to sign in. Choose Sign in with Google.
  2. Your web browser will open. Pick your Google account and allow access.
  3. Once it's done, come back to the Git Bash window — Gemini is now running.
Good to know This is free to use — up to 1,000 messages a day, far more than you'll need for learning.

5Get your tutor

In Git Bash, paste this exactly and press Enter:

curl -fsSL https://learn.fieldleveltech.org/setup.sh | bash

It'll print a few lines as it works. When you see "All set." your tutor is on your computer and ready.

What that command does, in plain words
  1. Downloads a small setup script from this tutor's GitHub repository.
  2. The script creates two hidden folders in your home folder (.gemini and .gemini-tutor) where the tutor lives.
  3. It downloads four files into those folders — the tutor itself, plus its teaching material.
  4. It sets one preference so the tutor doesn't pop up a confirmation box for every small file change — it pauses in the chat instead, which is the review moment.
  5. If you've used Gemini before, anything already in those folders is quietly backed up before being replaced. Nothing is lost.

6Say hello to your tutor

In Git Bash, type this and press Enter:

gemini

Your tutor will introduce itself and take it from there.

Starting and stopping — two phrases to save

Once you're set up, two simple phrases run everything. Worth saving them somewhere (a sticky note or Notepad) — your tutor also reminds you at the end of every session.

To stop for the day — type this and press Enter:

End lesson

Your tutor saves where you got to and tells you it's safe to close the window. (A full stop on the end is fine — End lesson. works too.)

To come back next time — open Git Bash and paste:

cd ~/Documents/my-gemini-project && gemini

Then, once it's running, type Continue learning and press Enter.