New Gemini API project returns 403 "Your project has been denied access" on every request

Gemini API
1

Hello,

I am trying to use the Gemini API for a graduate university class project.

I created a brand-new Google AI Studio project today (“Enron Class Project”) to filter through the Enron email corpus. I generated a new API key for that project, and updated my local environment variable to use only the new key.

The project:

  • is on the Free Tier
  • has no billing enabled
  • shows no warnings or suspension notices
  • was created today
  • has never been used before

Even the simplest API request fails.

Python example:

from google import genai

client = genai.Client(api_key=gemini_key)

response = client.models.generate_content(
model=“gemini-3.1-flash-lite”,
contents=“Reply with exactly the word OK.”
)

The response is:

403 PERMISSION_DENIED

Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.

This occurs on both:

  • my original project
  • a completely new project with a new API key

The same error occurs before any meaningful API usage, so it does not appear to be a quota or billing issue.

Could someone please help determine why my projects are being denied access?

Thank you.

2

Hello @James_Hamraie ,

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.

  2. If the issue isn’t clear from the above, contact Cloud Billing Support.