403 PERMISSION_DENIED "Your project has been denied access" on generateContent — persists across two fresh projects, no billing

Gemini API
1

Hi,

I’m getting a persistent 403 PERMISSION_DENIED error on every generateContent call, with no ability to use the Gemini API at all.

Error:
{
“error”: {
“code”: 403,
“message”: “Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.”,
“status”: “PERMISSION_DENIED”
}
}

What I’ve tried:

  • Created an API key via Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com/apikey), linked to an existing Google Cloud project (“StageLab”). Result: 403 on generateContent for every model I tried (gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-flash-latest).
  • Created a second API key in a brand-new Google Cloud project (via “Create API key in new project”), specifically to rule out a project-specific issue. Same 403 error, identical message.
  • The key itself authenticates correctly — the models list endpoint (GET /v1beta/models) works fine and returns the expected model list. The 403 only happens on generateContent.
  • No billing account attached in either project (free tier / AI Studio default).
  • This is a brand-new use case — no prior API usage, no policy violations that I’m aware of, no automated/bulk traffic.

Since the error follows my account across two separate projects and fresh keys, it looks like the restriction is tied to my Google account rather than a specific project.

Could someone from the team take a look and let me know what’s needed to restore access? Happy to provide the project number(s) or any other details in a DM if that’s easier than posting them here.

Thanks!