403 PERMISSION_DENIED: "Your project has been denied access" with a new API key

Gemini API
1

My Gemini API requests return HTTP 403 with this error:

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

I created a replacement API key in the same Google AI Studio project on October 7, 2026, updated the GEMINI_API_KEY user environment variable, and restarted the application. I verified that the process reads the updated value without extra whitespace. A minimal SDK request still returns the same error.

Environment:

  • Windows desktop application (Electron)
  • @google/genai 2.27.0, with the key used only in the main process
  • The project is shown as Free tier in AI Studio
  • A minimal generateContent request to gemini-3.8-flash with the prompt “Reply with OK.” also fails

Could the team explain this project-access denial and the official steps to request a review or restore access? I can provide the project identifier through a private support channel if needed.

2

Hello @tamilselvan ,

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:

If you’re on the free tier with no billing attached, please try the below steps:

  1. Check Model Availability & Rate Limits:

    • Ensure that the model you are requesting is available on your current plan. For example, not all models are available on the free tier. You can verify model availability, quotas, and limits on the AI Studio Rate Limit dashboard.

  2. Ensure you have completed age verification by navigating to Google Account Age Verification and verifying date of birth in Google Account Personal Info.

  3. Once age verification is configured, retry your request or create a new API key in Google AI Studio.

  4. If completing these steps still does not restore access (or if using a model requiring a paid tier), you might want to consider adding prepayment credits directly in Google AI Studio and/ or attaching a Google Cloud Billing account in the Google Cloud Console. Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota.