gemini_generate: Generate text with Google Gemini (Generative Language API) - robust w/ retries

Description

Minimal wrapper around the Generative Language API ':generateContent' endpoint for text prompts, with retries, exponential backoff, clearer errors, and optional output compilation (HTML/DOCX) with auto-open.

Usage

gemini_generate(
  prompt,
  model = "gemini-2.5-flash",
  api_key = Sys.getenv("GEMINI_API_KEY"),
  user_agent = NULL,
  base_url = "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta",
  temperature = NULL,
  top_p = NULL,
  top_k = NULL,
  max_output_tokens = NULL,
  stop_sequences = NULL,
  system_instruction = NULL,
  safety_settings = NULL,
  seed = NULL,
  timeout = 120,
  verbose = FALSE,
  max_tries = 5,
  backoff_base = 0.8,
  backoff_cap = 8,
  force_markdown = TRUE,
  compile_to = c("none", "html", "docx")
)

Value

If compile_to = "none": character scalar (raw text as returned by the API). If compile_to = "html": list(markdown = <string>, html_path = <path>), and opens the HTML. If compile_to = "docx": list(markdown = <string>, docx_path = <path>), and opens the DOCX.

Arguments

prompt: Character scalar. The user prompt (plain text).
model: Character scalar. Gemini model id (e.g., "gemini-2.5-flash", "gemini-2.5-pro"). You may also pass "models/..." and it will be normalized.
api_key: Character scalar. API key. Defaults to env var 'GEMINI_API_KEY'.
user_agent: Character scalar. If NULL, a dynamic value is used.
base_url: Character scalar. API base URL.
temperature: Optional numeric in [0, 2].
top_p: Optional numeric in (0, 1].
top_k: Optional integer >= 1.
max_output_tokens: Optional integer > 0.
stop_sequences: Optional character vector.
system_instruction: Optional character scalar.
safety_settings: Optional list passed as-is to the API.
seed: Optional integer seed.
timeout: Numeric seconds for request timeout (default 120).
verbose: Logical; if TRUE, prints URL/retries.
max_tries: Integer. Max attempts (default 5).
backoff_base: Numeric. Initial backoff seconds (default 0.8).
backoff_cap: Numeric. Max backoff seconds (default 8).
force_markdown: Logical. If TRUE, instructs the model to answer in Markdown.
compile_to: Character scalar. One of c("none","html","docx").