Introduction

Over the past few years, the way developers write and manage code has changed dramatically. Artificial intelligence is no longer limited to suggesting functions or autocompleting a line of code. Today, we are entering the era of agentic AI systems that can think, plan, and act on tasks with autonomy.

Google Jules is one of the most powerful examples of this new generation of tools. Unlike traditional AI assistants such as GitHub Copilot, which stay inside your editor and wait for your instructions, Jules behaves like a coding teammate. It can read your repository, understand tasks, create a plan, run code inside a virtual machine, test changes, and even open pull requests for you.

This guide will help you understand how Google Jules works, why it is different from other tools, and how you can use it effectively. The explanations are written in an educational, step-by-step style suitable for students, beginner developers, and anyone learning about agentic AI systems.

What Makes Google Jules Different?

Most AI coding tools provide suggestions or assist with small patches. They work inside your IDE and require constant human supervision.

Google Jules is different because it is:

Agentic

It does not wait for you to type; it acts independently based on your request.

Asynchronous

You can close your laptop Jules will continue working in the cloud.

Cloud-Executed

Every task runs inside a secure virtual machine, not your local computer.

GitHub-Integrated

It interacts with your repo just like a teammate:
• Reads documentation
• Creates branches
• Commits changes
• Opens pull requests

This workflow allows Jules to finish tasks you normally don’t want to spend time on, like:

• fixing forgotten documentation

• updating dependencies

• running build/test pipelines

• refactoring repetitive code

• resolving minor bugs

While you focus on architecture or design, Jules handles the maintenance tasks in the background.

How Google Jules Works The Architecture Explained

Google Jules combines planning, reasoning, and automated execution. The agent is powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s advanced reasoning model.

The full workflow includes:

1. Task Initialization

2. Environment Setup inside a cloud VM

3. Reasoning and Planning using Gemini

4. Code Generation and Test Execution

5. Diff Review and Explanation

6. Commit + Pull Request creation

Let’s break each of these stages down.

1. Task Initialization

When you describe a task such as:

Add authentication tests for login.js

Jules:

• Creates a new session

• Reads your project structure

• Loads README, docs, or AGENTS.md

• Analyzes context before doing anything

This step ensures that the agent understands what it needs to do and how your project is organized.

2. Environment Setup

Jules runs every session inside a temporary Ubuntu virtual machine. The VM includes:

• Node.js

• Python

• Java

• Rust

• Go

• Docker

Because the environment is isolated, your project stays safe. Once Jules finishes:

The VM is deleted
No data is stored
No dependencies leak into other sessions

This model guarantees security and reproducibility.

3. Reasoning and Planning

Before modifying your code, Jules generates a structured project plan.

A typical plan may look like:

Plan:
1. Locate login.js and analyze the authentication logic
2. Create a new test file test/login.test.js
3. Write test cases for:
   - Successful login
   - Failed login due to incorrect password
4. Run npm test to validate
5. Provide diff for review

You can approve or edit this plan.

Nothing happens to your repository until you approve.

4. Code Generation + Testing

Once the plan is approved, Jules starts working inside the VM:

• edits files

• writes new code

• runs commands like npm install or pytest

• executes tests

• logs every action

You can watch its activity feed to see exactly what is happening.

5. Diff + Review

Every code change comes with:

• a Git diff

• an explanation for each modification

• a summary of which plan step produced the change

This makes the process transparent and easy for students to understand.

6. Commit + Pull Request

Finally, Jules:

• pushes a new branch

• commits the code

• opens a pull request for review

You remain in control. Jules only works inside branches not your main branch.

How To Get Started With Google Jules

Now let’s go through the practical steps.

Step 1: Log in and Connect GitHub

1. Go to jules.google

2. Sign in

3. Connect your GitHub account

4. Select which repositories Jules can access

Once connected, your repos and branches will appear in the dashboard.

Step 2: Write a Clear Task Prompt

The prompt is where you tell Jules what to do.

Good examples:

Fix the failing build in utils.js and provide tests.

Add TypeScript definitions for the API folder.

Refactor database.js to use async/await and update docs.

You can also attach:

• screenshots

• mockups

• error logs

These help Jules understand the problem context.

Step 3: Review the Plan

Before executing anything, Jules shows you a detailed plan.

You can:

• accept it

• ask for changes

• add comments

Only after approval does the agent begin execution.

Step 4: Watch Jules Work

Jules displays real-time logs:

• “Installing dependencies…”

• “Analyzing auth.js…”

• “Running unit tests…”

• “Generating diffs…”

You don’t have to stay online Jules will continue running asynchronously.

Step 5: Publish the Pull Request

When Jules finishes:

• review the code

• approve the diff

• click Publish PR

• merge into your main branch

This is especially helpful for students who want to automate repetitive tasks.

Using the Jules CLI (Command Line Tool)

Google also provides the Jules Tools CLI, giving you full control from your terminal.

Installation

npm install -g @google/jules

Login

jules login

A browser window will open for authentication.

List Repositories and Sessions

jules remote list --repo
jules remote list --session

Start a New Task

jules remote new --repo . --session "Add TypeScript definitions to utils/"

Pull Results

jules remote pull --session 123456

Launch the Terminal UI

jules

This shows a minimal dashboard inside your terminal.

Plans, Limits, and Pricing

Google Jules is available in multiple tiers:

• Free

• Essentials

• Premium

Each plan has:

• daily task limits

• concurrency limits

• execution time limits

All tasks are measured using a rolling 24-hour window.
Limits help keep workloads safe and predictable.

Security, Privacy, and Data Protection

Students and developers often worry about giving AI tools access to private code. Jules was built with strict safety rules:

Short-lived VMs (deleted after every session)

No training on private code

Explicit GitHub permission required

Isolated environments

Full logs and audit trails

This makes Jules safe to use even in academic or professional settings.

Simple Example Task for Students

Let’s see how a student might use Jules to fix a simple JavaScript project.

Task Prompt:

Fix the broken function in math.js and add two new tests.

Jules Plan (example):

1. Review math.js and identify failing logic.
2. Correct the arithmetic error in addNumbers().
3. Create tests in test/math.test.js.
4. Run npm test.
5. Provide diff.

Fixed Code Example

math.js

export function addNumbers(a, b) {
  return a + b; // corrected logic
}

math.test.js

import { addNumbers } from '../math.js';

test("adds positive numbers", () => {
  expect(addNumbers(2, 3)).toBe(5);
});

test("adds negative numbers", () => {
  expect(addNumbers(-2, -3)).toBe(-5);
});

Jules would:

• implement this

• run the tests

• provide diff

• open a pull request

This demonstrates how the agent handles tasks independently.

Conclusion

Google Jules marks a major shift in how developers interact with code. It is not just an assistant it is an autonomous coding agent capable of understanding tasks, planning solutions, running tests, and pushing results to GitHub.

For students, it offers a powerful way to learn modern development workflows. Instead of spending hours on repetitive tasks, you can focus on high-level problem-solving while Jules handles the routine work.

Whether you are refactoring, debugging, writing tests, updating dependencies, or exploring agentic AI for the first time Jules provides an efficient, secure, and transparent system to support your workflow.

If you're ready to experience the future of software development, explore Google Jules at:

Link: https://jules.google