Use this guide to help you diagnose and resolve common issues that arise when you call the Gemini API. If you encounter API key issues, ensure you have set up your API key correctly per the API key setup guide.
Error codes
The following table lists common error codes you may encounter, along with explanations for their causes and troubleshooting steps:
| HTTP Code | Status | Description | Solution |
| 400 | INVALID_ARGUMENT | The request body is malformed. | Check the API reference for request format, examples, and supported versions. Using features from a newer API version with an older endpoint can cause errors. |
| 400 | FAILED_PRECONDITION | User location is not supported for the API use without a billing account linked. | To use the Gemini API, you will need to setup a paid plan using Google AI Studio. |
| 403 | PERMISSION_DENIED | Your API key doesn't have the required permissions. | Check that your API key is set and has the right access. |
| 404 | NOT_FOUND | The requested resource wasn't found. | Check if all parameters in your request are valid for your API version. |
| 429 | RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED | You've exceeded the rate limit. | Ensure you're within the model's rate limit. Request a quota increase if needed. |
| 500 | INTERNAL | An unexpected error occurred on Google's side. | Wait a bit and retry your request. If the issue persists after retrying, please report it using the Send feedback button in Google AI Studio. |
| 503 | UNAVAILABLE | The service may be temporarily overloaded or down. | Wait a bit and retry your request. If the issue persists after retrying, please report it using the Send feedback button in Google AI Studio. |
Check your API calls for model parameter errors
Ensure your model parameters are within the following values:
| Model parameter | Values (range) |
| Candidate count | 1-8 (integer) |
| Temperature | 0.0-1.0 |
| Max output tokens |
Use
get_model (Python)
to determine the maximum number of tokens for the model you are using.
|
| TopP | 0.0-1.0 |
In addition to checking parameter values, make sure you're using the correct
API version (e.g., /v1 or /v1beta) and
model that supports the features you need. For example, if a feature is in Beta
release, it will only be available in the /v1beta API version.
Check if you have the right model
Ensure you are using a supported model listed on our models page.
Safety issues
If you see a prompt was blocked because of a safety setting in your API call, review the prompt with respect to the filters you set in the API call.
If you see BlockedReason.OTHER, the query or response may violate the terms
of service or be otherwise unsupported.
Improve model output
For higher quality model outputs, explore writing more structured prompts. The introduction to prompt design page introduces some basic concepts, strategies, and best practices to get you started.
If you have hundreds of examples of good input/output pairs, you can also consider model tuning.
Understand token limits
Read through our Token guide to better understand how to count tokens and their limits.
Known issues
- The API supports only English. Submitting prompts in different languages can produce unexpected or even blocked responses. See available languages for updates.
File a bug
Join the discussion on the Google AI developer forum if you have questions.