Request for manual review — Gemini API 403 PERMISSION_DENIED on a new project

Gemini API
1

Hello Google Gemini API team,

Please manually review Gemini API access for my new project.

Project name: Paseo Gemini API
Project ID: paseo-gemini-20260804-2…
Project number: 109372267..
Billing account: None

All GenerateContent requests return:

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

I have verified:

  • The project is ACTIVE.
  • generativelanguage.googleapis.com is enabled.
  • The API key is valid and restricted to the Gemini API.
  • ListModels returns HTTP 200.
  • GenerateContent returns 403 for gemini-3.6-flash, gemini-2.5-flash, and gemini-2.5-flash-lite.
  • Raw REST requests return the same error, independently of Paseo or Gemini CLI.
  • Google AI Studio and Gemini web work normally.
  • No suspension or appeal banner appears in Google Cloud Console or AI Studio.
  • Billing Support cannot create a case because the account has no billing account.

This is a low-volume personal development setup. Please confirm whether an automated account/project risk flag was applied and restore GenerateContent access, or provide the correct appeal path.

I will not post the API key publicly.

Thank you.

2

Hi,
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.

3

@Payal_Sharma2 Thank you for the explanation.

I would like to remain on the Free Tier and do not want to enable Cloud Billing at this time.

This is a new, low-volume personal development project. There has been no intentional abuse or policy violation. The API key is restricted to the Gemini API, ListModels returns HTTP 200, but every GenerateContent request returns 403 PERMISSION_DENIED.

Could a Google staff member please manually review and remove the risk flag from this project, or provide a non-billing appeal path for restoring Free Tier access?

Project ID: paseo-gemini-20260804-28..
Project number: 1093722677..

I can provide additional redacted diagnostics privately if required. I will not post the API key publicly.

Thank you.