I am currently attempting to develop locally using the Gemini API and the Agent Development Kit (ADK), but my project is completely blocked by a 401 UNAUTHENTICATED error (ACCESS_TOKEN_TYPE_UNSUPPORTED).
I noticed that all API keys generated in my AI Studio account are automatically coming out with the AQ. prefix instead of the standard AIza prefix. Because of this, local developer tools and standard API endpoints are rejecting my credentials and expecting OAuth2 flows.
This is for personal/local development purposes, and I am not intentionally running an enterprise configuration that requires strict OAuth. Could a community manager or engineer please review my account restrictions and restore my ability to generate standard AIza keys?
We are moving away from Traffic keys (Alza) and towards a more secure Authentication Key (AQ). AI Studio will now only generate Authentication Key (AQ) keys. More information on key usage can be found in the Using Gemini API keys documentation.
Please submit any compatibility issues with services / SDKs etc. in this form for our engineering team to review. Thanks!
Subject: Request AIza prefix key restoration for Gemini API
Message:
Hello Google AI Team,
My Google account is currently restricted to generating AQ prefix API keys only.
These AQ keys return “ACCESS_TOKEN_TYPE_UNSUPPORTED” errors when used with the
Gemini API endpoints, blocking my development work.
I am developing a web application that uses the Gemini API for accessibility auditing.
The AQ auth keys require OAuth 2.0 setup which is complex for my use case.
Could you please restore my account’s ability to generate standard AIza prefix API keys?
These work as simple API keys without requiring OAuth 2.0 authentication.