Cannot Use Gemini API – 429 Error on First Request Despite 0% Usage, No Support Contact Available

[Tarocchi0213]

Description of the bug:

I created a new Google Cloud project and enabled the Gemini API via Makersuite. My intended usage is extremely light: 1–2 requests per day with a maximum of 500 characters per request.

According to the documentation, this usage is well within the free-tier quota limits. In fact, there is even a clear summary on the API onboarding page confirming that this level of usage should pose no problem.

However, on my very first API call, I received the following error:

Actual vs expected behavior:

What makes this worse is that:

• Quota usage still shows 0%, even after the failed request.
• I am the owner of the project, yet I am told I have no permission to contact support.
• There is no clear way to resolve this or find any direct support channel for Gemini API developers under the free tier.
• Gemini chat is also unstable, making it difficult to even explore the service.

I have not made any other API calls. This happened on the first attempt, after following all setup steps precisely.

At the very least, I request:

1. That this issue be escalated to your technical team.
2. That the documentation be clarified if free-tier access is no longer reliably available.
3. That users are not told they "should be fine with the free tier" if in reality they will immediately hit usage limits.

Screenshots and logs can be provided upon request.

Please advise. Thank you.

Any other information you'd like to share?

No response

[kiransair]

Hi @Tarocchi0213, I don't think it's related to docs. It was related to the rate limits. Could you please let us know if you are facing this error while making an API call or using vertex ai. Also may I know the programming language you are using. Thank You.