Firebase AI Logic project denied access on free tier (PERMISSION_DENIED)

[kkopi_tea]

Hello,

I’m integrating a menu chatbot into my Flutter app using Firebase AI Logic
with the Gemini Developer API. I’m using the no-cost Firebase Spark plan and
cannot add prepayment or a Google Cloud Billing account.

Project ID: kkopiconnect-2f015
Project number: 3656370246..
Model: gemini-3.8-flash
Firebase AI Logic Flutter SDK: firebase_ai 4.0.0
Android Firebase App ID: 1:365637024668:android:97d38ff3785e4b280a6659

Firebase Console shows Gemini Developer API enabled. Firebase AI Logic App
Check is enforced, and the Android app is registered with Play Integrity.
However, AI Monitoring records PERMISSION_DENIED traces, and the app receives:

“Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.”

The failure persists after the Google AI Developers Forum account hold was
lifted. The trace occurred around September 29, 2026, 5:34 PM local time.

Could you check whether this project has an access restriction and whether
free-tier access can be restored? If gemini-3.8-flash is not eligible for
this project’s free tier, could you confirm whether gemini-3.5-flash-lite is
eligible without prepayment or Cloud Billing?

Thank you.

[Mahesh_Sutar]

Hello @kkopi_tea ,

Access to the Gemini Developer API Free Tier for this project is restricted by automated account verification checks, and Free Tier access cannot be manually enabled or restored for unbilled projects. Because this restriction applies at the project level, switching to another model (such as a Flash-Lite model) on the same unbilled project will still return PERMISSION_DENIED.

To resolve this, please consider adding prepayment credits in Google AI Studio Billing and link a Google Cloud Billing account in the Google Cloud Console to unlock standard Paid Tier 1 access on this project.

For questions specific to Firebase AI Logic and Firebase Spark plan requirements, please reach out to Firebase Support or review the Firebase AI Logic FAQ & Troubleshooting guide.