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.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/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> [STATE] [MILEAGE] [CONDITION] |
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.
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:
echo 'export GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrcIf you use Zsh (default on macOS), replace
~/.bashrcwith~/.zshrc.
Windows — PowerShell (current session):
$env:GEMINI_API_KEY="your_gemini_api_key_here"Windows — PowerShell (persist across sessions):
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GEMINI_API_KEY","your_gemini_api_key_here","User")Windows — Command Prompt:
setx GEMINI_API_KEY "your_gemini_api_key_here"After
setx, restart your terminal for the variable to take effect.
Install the extension from the GitHub repository:
gemini extensions install https://github.com/carsxe/carsxe-gemini-extension.gitDuring 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:
gemini extensions config carsxeThis stores your API key securely in the system keychain.
/carsxe:specs WBAFR7C57CC811956
/carsxe:plate 7XER187 US CA
/carsxe:value WBAFR7C57CC811956
/carsxe:value WBAFR7C57CC811956 CA 45000 clean
Optional params: state (e.g. CA), mileage, condition (excellent | clean | average | rough)
/carsxe:history WBAFR7C57CC811956
/carsxe:images BMW X5 2019
/carsxe:recalls WBAFR7C57CC811956
/carsxe:intvin WF0MXXGBWM8R43240
/carsxe:ocr https://example.com/vin-photo.jpg
/carsxe:lien WBAFR7C57CC811956
/carsxe:plateocr https://example.com/plate-photo.jpg
/carsxe:ymm 2020 Toyota Camry LE
/carsxe:obd P0300
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-specsskill - "Does this car have any recalls? VIN: WBAFR7C57CC811956" — triggers the
vehicle-recallsskill - "My check engine light is on with code P0300" — triggers the
obd-decoderskill - "How much is a 2012 BMW X5 worth? VIN WBAFR7C57CC811956" — triggers the
market-valueskill
Full API documentation is available at api.carsxe.com/docs.
MIT