Hello Google AI Studio Team and Moderators, I am requesting a manual review of my account access for the Gemini API Free Tier. Issue Summary: When attempting to use Google AI Studio and generate an API key, I am unable to create a default project and receive prompts to configure a project via Google Cloud Console. However, my project creation quota is restricted, and any newly initialized environment defaults to requiring paid billing rather than granting standard Free Tier access. Account Details: - Account Type: Personal Gmail - Intended Use: Personal development, testing, and learning with Gemini models - Target Tier: Free Tier (unbilled / non-commercial evaluation) I have no history of policy violations and would like to respectfully request a review to clear any automated restrictions on my account so I can access the Gemini API Free Tier as intended. Thank you very much for your support and assistance.
Hello @Leonardo_Davinci ,
Can you share the exact error message and a screenshot of the error?
Hello @Mahesh_Sutar,
Thank you for your response!
An update on the project creation: The GCP project creation quota has now been resolved (I currently have 11 project slots available).
However, the core issue remains inside Google AI Studio regarding the Gemini API Free Tier:
- When creating an API key for my project, I am unable to access or utilize the standard unbilled Free Tier.
- The project shows “Billing Tier: Unavailable” (or prompts me with a mandatory “Set up billing” requirement to activate the API key).
- Any API call returns:
403 PERMISSION_DENIED: “Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.”
My account is a personal account with an active Google One / Gemini Pro subscription, and I am only looking to use the standard Gemini API Free Tier for personal testing, evaluation, and development.
I have attached a screenshot from Google AI Studio showing the current billing tier status and the prompt/restriction.
Could you please review or escalate this so the automated restriction on my project/account can be cleared and the Free Tier quota enabled?
Thank you so much for your assistance!
Hello @Leonardo_Davinci ,
- We cannot lift the automated restrictions on free tier accounts.
- Gemini API quota is not linked to the consumer subscriptions such as Google AI Pro. Those subscriptions are for using consumer products like Google AI Studio etc… If you wish to use Gemini API and are getting blocked due to the 403 error, consider linking a billing account and adding prepaid credits to your AI Studio wallet at aistudio.google.com/billing