Jules Tools: Command Line Integration for Google's Async Coding Agent

Jules Tools: A Command Line Companion for Google’s Async Coding Agent

October 2, 2025

By Jiahao Cai, Staff Software Engineer, Labs and AK Kulkarni, Product Manager, Google Labs

Google’s asynchronous coding agent, Jules, has been a game-changer for developers, handling tasks like writing tests, building features, providing audio changelogs, fixing bugs, and managing dependencies. Until now, Jules was primarily accessible through a web interface. But we know that developers live in the terminal-where they test, build, debug, and ship code. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Jules Tools, a lightweight command-line interface (CLI) that brings Jules directly into your workflow.

Why a Command Line Toolkit?

Jules already operates in the background, executing tasks on remote VMs and syncing with your repositories. When you initiate a task, it spins up a temporary VM, performs the work, and submits a pull request. The process is entirely asynchronous, meaning nothing runs until you explicitly ask for it. The command line interface adds an extra layer of control and visibility, making Jules programmable, scriptable, and highly customizable.

Key Features of Jules Tools

• Direct Control: Spin up tasks, inspect what Jules is doing, and manage the agent without leaving your terminal.
• Programmability: Integrate Jules into your existing automation scripts or create new workflows.
• Customization: Use flags to tailor Jules’ actions to fit your specific needs.

Installation

Getting started with Jules Tools is straightforward. The easiest way to install it is via npm:

npm install -g @google/jules-tools

This command installs the global package, making jules available in your terminal. Running jules --help will display a guide and show you how Jules Tools works.

Core Concepts: Commands and Flags

Commands

Commands tell Jules what to do. For example:

• List Remote Tasks:

  jules tasks list
  

  This command fetches and displays all the remote tasks currently managed by Jules.

• Start a New Task:

  jules task start --repo=your-repo-url --branch=feature-branch --description="Add new feature"
  

  This initiates a new task, specifying the repository, branch, and a brief description of the task.

Flags

Flags allow you to customize Jules’ behavior. For example:

• Specify Repository:

  jules task start --repo=your-repo-url
  

  This flag tells Jules which repository to work on.

• Set Task Priority:

  jules task start --priority=high
  

  This flag sets the priority of the task, ensuring it gets processed faster.

Example Workflow

Let’s walk through a simple example of using Jules Tools in your development workflow:

1. List All Tasks:

   jules tasks list
   

2. Start a New Task:

   jules task start --repo=https://github.com/yourorg/yourproject --branch=bugfix-123 --description="Fix critical bug"
   

3. Check Task Status:

   jules task status <task-id>
   

4. Review Pull Request: Once Jules completes the task, it will submit a pull request to your repository. You can review and merge it as usual.

Advanced Use Cases

• Automate with Scripts: Integrate Jules Tools into your CI/CD pipelines or custom scripts.

  # Example script to start multiple tasks in parallel
  jules task start --repo=https://github.com/yourorg/project1 --branch=feature1 &
  jules task start --repo=https://github.com/yourorg/project2 --branch=feature2 &
  wait
  

• Custom Workflows: Create custom workflows using Jules Tools and other CLI tools.

  # Example