In a significant advancement for software development, Google has expanded the capabilities of its AI coding agent, Jules, by introducing a command-line interface (CLI) and a public API. These enhancements aim to integrate Jules more deeply into developers’ toolchains, allowing seamless interaction within terminals, continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) systems, and communication platforms like Slack. This move comes as the competition among tech giants to dominate AI-assisted coding intensifies.
Introduction of Jules Tools
Previously accessible solely through its website and GitHub, Jules now offers Jules Tools—a CLI that brings the AI agent directly into the developer’s terminal environment. This integration enables developers to delegate coding tasks without leaving their preferred development environment, thereby reducing context switching and enhancing productivity. Kathy Korevec, Director of Product at Google Labs, emphasized the goal of minimizing disruptions for developers, stating, We want to reduce context switching for developers as much as possible. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/02/googles-jules-enters-developers-toolchains-as-ai-coding-agent-competition-heats-up/?utm_source=openai))
Public API Release
In addition to the CLI, Google has made Jules’ API publicly available. This API allows developers to incorporate Jules into their existing workflows, facilitating automation and customization tailored to specific project needs. By providing this flexibility, Google aims to encourage broader adoption of Jules across various development environments.
Differentiation from Gemini CLI
While Google offers another AI-based command-line tool, Gemini CLI, both utilizing the Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model, Jules Tools is designed for more scoped tasks. Korevec explained that Jules operates with less interactivity, executing tasks independently once the user approves its plan, whereas Gemini CLI requires more iterative collaboration. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/02/googles-jules-enters-developers-toolchains-as-ai-coding-agent-competition-heats-up/?utm_source=openai))
Enhanced Features and Integrations
Recent updates to Jules include the introduction of memory, allowing the agent to retain records of user interactions, preferences, and corrections. Additional features such as a stacked layout for the diff viewer, image upload capabilities, and the ability to read and respond to comments on pull requests have also been implemented. These enhancements aim to provide a more intuitive and efficient user experience.
Expansion Beyond GitHub
Currently, Jules operates within GitHub repositories, requiring developers to connect it to an existing repository or provide a blank one. However, Google is exploring ways to reduce reliance on GitHub by enabling integration with other code hosting providers and version control systems. Korevec noted, Users want Jules to integrate with other code hosting providers… We are also looking into enabling it for people who don’t want a version control system, or they don’t care where their code is hosted. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/02/googles-jules-enters-developers-toolchains-as-ai-coding-agent-competition-heats-up/?utm_source=openai))
Background and Development
Jules was initially introduced as a Google Labs project in December 2024 and entered public beta in May 2025. Powered by the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, Jules is an asynchronous, agent-based coding tool that integrates with GitHub, clones codebases into Google Cloud virtual machines, and utilizes AI to fix or update code while developers focus on other tasks. During its beta phase, thousands of developers tackled tens of thousands of tasks, resulting in over 140,000 code improvements shared publicly. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/googles-ai-coding-agent-jules-is-now-out-of-beta/?utm_source=openai))
Structured Pricing Tiers
With the wider rollout, Google introduced structured pricing tiers for Jules:
– Introductory Access: Free plan capped at 15 individual daily tasks and three concurrent ones.
– Google AI Pro: Priced at $19.99 per month, offering 5× higher limits.
– Google AI Ultra: Priced at $124.99 per month, offering 20× higher limits.
These tiers are designed to cater to different user needs, from casual users to professional developers requiring more extensive capabilities. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/googles-ai-coding-agent-jules-is-now-out-of-beta/?utm_source=openai))
Privacy and Security
Google has updated Jules’ privacy policy to be more explicit about how it trains AI. If a repository is public, its data may be used for training, but if it is private, no data is sent. Korevec stated, We got a little bit of feedback from users that it [the privacy policy] wasn’t as clear as we thought it was, and so most of it is just responding to that. We didn’t change anything about what we’re doing on the training side, but we changed the language. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/googles-ai-coding-agent-jules-is-now-out-of-beta/?utm_source=openai))
User Adoption and Feedback
Since entering public beta, Jules has logged 2.28 million visits worldwide, with 45% of them from mobile devices. India was the top market for traffic, followed by the U.S. and Vietnam. Google did not share specifics on Jules’ user base and its top geographies. Korevec mentioned that during the beta, the team observed that many people used Jules from traditional vibe-coding tools to either fix bugs that might have been implemented or extend the vibe-coded project to make it more production-ready. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/googles-ai-coding-agent-jules-is-now-out-of-beta/?utm_source=openai))
Internal Adoption
Alongside beta testers, Google has already started using Jules to help develop some projects internally, and there is now a big push to use the tool on a lot more projects at the company. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/googles-ai-coding-agent-jules-is-now-out-of-beta/?utm_source=openai))
Conclusion
The introduction of Jules Tools and the public API marks a significant step in integrating AI into the software development process. By reducing context switching and offering more seamless integration into existing workflows, Google aims to enhance developer productivity and maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-assisted coding.
