CarsXE Developer

Gemini CLI Extension

Access the full suite of CarsXE vehicle data APIs directly from Gemini CLI — decode VINs, look up license plates, get market values, check history, recalls, liens, OBD codes, and more.

What is the CarsXE Extension for Gemini CLI?

Access the full suite of CarsXE vehicle data APIs directly from Gemini CLI. Decode VINs, look up license plates, get market values, vehicle history, recalls, lien and theft records, OBD codes, and more.

GitHub Repository: carsxe-gemini-extension

Features

CommandDescription
/carsxe:auth <API_KEY>Validate and set your CarsXE API key
/carsxe:specs <VIN>Decode a VIN with full vehicle specifications
/carsxe:plate <PLATE> <COUNTRY> [STATE]Look up a vehicle by license plate
/carsxe:value <VIN>Get current market value
/carsxe:history <VIN>Full vehicle history report
/carsxe:images <MAKE> <MODEL> [YEAR]Retrieve vehicle photos
/carsxe:recalls <VIN>Check for open safety recalls
/carsxe:intvin <VIN>Decode an international (non-US) VIN
/carsxe:ocr <IMAGE_URL>Extract a VIN from a photo (OCR)
/carsxe:lien <VIN>Check for liens and theft records
/carsxe:plateocr <IMAGE_URL>Extract a plate number from a photo
/carsxe:ymm <YEAR> <MAKE> <MODEL> [TRIM]Look up by Year/Make/Model
/carsxe:obd <CODE>Decode an OBD-II trouble code

All commands also have corresponding skills that Gemini auto-invokes when it detects relevant context in your conversation.

Prerequisites

Before installing the extension, make sure you have the Gemini CLI installed and your GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable set.

You can get a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio.

macOS / Linux — add to your shell profile for persistence:

macOS / Linux

echo 'export GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

If you use Zsh (default on macOS), replace ~/.bashrc with ~/.zshrc.

Windows — PowerShell (current session):

Windows PowerShell (current session)

$env:GEMINI_API_KEY="your_gemini_api_key_here"

Windows — PowerShell (persist across sessions):

Windows PowerShell (persist)

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GEMINI_API_KEY","your_gemini_api_key_here","User")

Windows — Command Prompt:

Windows Command Prompt

setx GEMINI_API_KEY "your_gemini_api_key_here"

After setx, restart your terminal for the variable to take effect.

Installation

Install the extension from the GitHub repository:

Terminal

gemini extensions install https://github.com/carsxe/carsxe-gemini-extension.git

During installation, Gemini CLI prompts you for your CarsXE API key. If you do not have a key yet, sign up and get one from the CarsXE developer dashboard.

If you skipped that prompt, or you want to change your API key after installing, run:

Configure API Key

gemini extensions config carsxe

This stores your API key securely in the system keychain.

Usage Examples

Decode a VIN

Decode a VIN

/carsxe:specs WBAFR7C57CC811956

Look up a license plate

Look up a license plate

/carsxe:plate 7XER187 US CA

Get market value

Get market value

/carsxe:value WBAFR7C57CC811956

Vehicle history report

Vehicle history report

/carsxe:history WBAFR7C57CC811956

Vehicle images

Vehicle images

/carsxe:images BMW X5 2019

Check recalls

Check recalls

/carsxe:recalls WBAFR7C57CC811956

International VIN

International VIN

/carsxe:intvin WF0MXXGBWM8R43240

VIN OCR from image

VIN OCR from image

/carsxe:ocr https://example.com/vin-photo.jpg

Lien and theft check

Lien and theft check

/carsxe:lien WBAFR7C57CC811956

Plate recognition from image

Plate recognition from image

/carsxe:plateocr https://example.com/plate-photo.jpg

Year/Make/Model lookup

Year/Make/Model lookup

/carsxe:ymm 2020 Toyota Camry LE

OBD code decode

OBD code decode

/carsxe:obd P0300

Skills (Auto-invoked)

Gemini will automatically use the CarsXE tools when it detects relevant queries. For example:

  • "What can you tell me about VIN WBAFR7C57CC811956?" — triggers the vehicle-specs skill
  • "Does this car have any recalls? VIN: WBAFR7C57CC811956" — triggers the vehicle-recalls skill
  • "My check engine light is on with code P0300" — triggers the obd-decoder skill
  • "How much is a 2012 BMW X5 worth? VIN WBAFR7C57CC811956" — triggers the market-value skill

API Documentation

Full API documentation is available at api.carsxe.com/docs.

Claude PluginSnowflake