diff --git a/crates/goose/src/providers/gemini_cli.rs b/crates/goose/src/providers/gemini_cli.rs
index 6308f9024056..044d2ba9ca23 100644
--- a/crates/goose/src/providers/gemini_cli.rs
+++ b/crates/goose/src/providers/gemini_cli.rs
@@ -109,7 +109,11 @@ impl GeminiCliProvider {
 
         let mut child = cmd
             .spawn()
-            .map_err(|e| ProviderError::RequestFailed(format!("Failed to spawn command: {}", e)))?;
+            .map_err(|e| ProviderError::RequestFailed(format!(
+                "Failed to spawn Gemini CLI command '{}': {}. \
+                Make sure the Gemini CLI is installed and in your PATH.",
+                self.command, e
+            )))?;
 
         let stdout = child
             .stdout