AI Studio projects restricted and API access denied - request for review

Gemini API
1

Hello Google AI / Gemini API support team,

I am a real individual user, not a bot or an automated account. I would like to use the Gemini API free tier for legitimate, non-commercial research and learning.

Both of my Google AI Studio projects are currently shown as “Restricted”:

  • project-dbd3a520-dbbb-4600-8..
  • totemic-inquiry-504104-..

I tested a Gemini API key with a minimal request to gemini-2.5-flash. The API returned HTTP 403 PERMISSION_DENIED with this message:

Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.

When I try to create a new project or a new API key in Google AI Studio, I receive:

The request is suspicious. Please try again.

I have not enabled billing and I only intend to use the free API quota responsibly for research. I will comply with the Gemini API Terms of Service, usage policies, and rate limits. I have also revoked a previously exposed API key and will keep future credentials private.

Could you please manually review my account and these projects, explain why they were restricted, and restore access to the Gemini API free tier if this was an automated false positive?

Thank you for your help.

2

Hello @jian_li2 ,

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. 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. You should also see a banner in AI studio prompting you to set up billing.

  2. If you are on a paid tier, 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. You can also check the email address associated with your project for information on next steps.