Gemini API project denied access (403 PERMISSION_DENIED) on a freshly created project

Gemini API
1

Hello Google AI team,

I am experiencing a 403 PERMISSION_DENIED error on Gemini API requests (e.g., gemini-2.5-flash) on a freshly created project with no prior usage history.

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

Details:

  • Listing available models works fine (HTTP 200).
  • generateContent calls fail with the above error.
  • The Free tier status in AI Studio now shows as “Unavailable” for this project.
  • No billing account is attached yet (still on free tier).

Project ID: gen-lang-client-06434954..
Project Number: 1017060289..
Account: Google Workspace (tech@autoxmart…)

I believe this project has been incorrectly flagged by the automated abuse detection system. Could someone please review and restore Gemini API access for this project?

Thank you.

2

Hello @Tech_Team ,

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. 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.

  2. 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.

We apologise if the above doesn’t resolve the problem for you. We’re working to improve our messaging in AI Studio and support processes to handle this better.