403 PERMISSION_DENIED on generateContent with uploaded file (text-only requests work fine)

Account: si.....@gmail.com

Symptoms:

  • Plain text-only prompts work fine (tested successfully in AI Studio Playground)
  • But requests with an uploaded file (client.files.upload() followed by generate_content with the uploaded file reference) always return 403 PERMISSION_DENIED
  • Reproduced identically across multiple projects, including a brand new project created today
  • Same result with both old “AIzaSy…” format keys and new “AQ.” format keys
  • Same result even with prepaid credits available (confirmed via a different project, which returned 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED before credits were added, then switched to 403 after credits were added)

What I’ve tried:

  • Regenerated API keys (both AIza and AQ. formats)
  • Tried multiple projects and multiple billing accounts
  • Settled an overdue payment, switched to prepay billing, and purchased credits

Timeline: Issue started around 2026-08-14, after my payment card was temporarily blocked and then reactivated the same day.

Question: Is there a block/flag on my account that’s causing this? How can it be resolved?

Hello @sinzinchem ,
We recently rolled out a fix that should have resolved this issue. Request you to retry and let us know if you still face the issue.