403 PERMISSION_DENIED - Brand new Gemini API project denied access

Gemini API
1

Hello,

I’m experiencing a persistent 403 PERMISSION_DENIED error when calling the Gemini API.

Error message:

403 PERMISSION_DENIED
Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.

I have already completed the following troubleshooting steps:

  • Created a brand new Google Cloud project.
  • Enabled the Gemini API.
  • Generated a brand new API key in Google AI Studio.
  • Verified that the API key belongs to the correct project.
  • Tested using the official Python SDK (google-genai).
  • Tested using direct REST API requests (without any SDK).
  • Both methods return the exact same 403 PERMISSION_DENIED error.
  • Google AI Studio chat works normally under the same Google account.

Based on these tests, this appears to be a backend permission issue rather than a client-side configuration problem.

For privacy reasons, I have omitted my Project ID and Project Number from this public post.

I can provide my Project ID and Project Number privately if needed.

Could you please review my project and account to determine why access has been denied and, if possible, remove the restriction?

If you need any additional information, logs, or screenshots, I’d be happy to provide them.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

2

Hello @Yihan_Wang1 ,

Getting a 403 API error response and / or seeing “Unavailable” next to your project in AI audio indicates a flag has been placed on your account. To proceed:

  1. Check for banners / error callouts in the AI Studio Projects page & the Billing page. Mostly these flags cause visible banners or other errors on these pages with concrete next steps / appeal links.

  2. If you’re on the free tier with no billing attached, you should consider setting up billing. In most cases this is enough to clear any flag on your account. Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota.

We apologise if the above doesn’t resolve the problem for you. We’re working to improve our messaging in AI Studio and support processes to handle this better.