Persistent 429 Errors (Quota Exceeded) for all Gemini Models except 2.5 Flash on Free Tier

Gemini API
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1

I am consistently encountering HTTP 429 “Quota Exceeded” errors for all Gemini models except Gemini 2.5 Flash, despite being on the free tier and confident that I am not exceeding any usage limits.

I have reviewed my usage in the Google Cloud Console and it shows very minimal, well within the free tier limits. I am able to successfully make requests to the Gemini 2.5 Flash model without any issues. However, attempts to use any other Gemini model consistently result in a 429 error.

This issue has been persistent for some time now, and I have already tried:

  • Checking my API key for validity.
  • Ensuring my project billing status is active (even though I’m on the free tier).
  • Reviewing the official documentation for free tier quotas.

Could you please investigate why I am receiving these 429 errors for specific models while being on the free tier and not exceeding documented limits? Any guidance or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.

3

It’s the same in the studio

5

Hi @liaojie_kuai, @user1157,

Welcome to the Forum,

A 429 error generally triggers when you send too many requests per minute using the free tier Gemini API.

To help troubleshoot, could you provide more details about your setup when you’re encountering the errors?

  • What specific Gemini models are you trying to use (other than 2.5 Flash)?
  • Are you using the API directly, or are you using the Google AI Studio?
  • Could you share a snippet of the code you are using to call the API ?

Thank you!

6

Hi @liaojie_kuai, @user1157,

We have recently updated error message for 429 error that specifies which rate limits are being exceeded. Could you please retry and verify on your end?

If you still face any issues, please feel free to post entire error message, so we can help you better.