Guide · Gemini API key

How to get a Gemini API key for Chaterimo

Sign in to Google AI Studio, create a Gemini API key, set up billing for its project and connect the key to Chaterimo as your own key (BYOK).

· Founder of Chaterimo Published Updated 9 min read Čeština, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Română, Slovenčina
aistudio.google.com · API · Gemini

In short

  1. 01A Gemini API key lets your Chaterimo chatbot answer with Gemini models, and Google bills you directly for what the chatbot uses (BYOK).
  2. 02You create the key in Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com) with your Google account, not in the Gemini app.
  3. 03Set up billing for the key's project: without it, the key runs on Google's free tier, whose limits run out after a few chatbot conversations a day.
  4. 04With Prepay, the default for new users, every key of the billing account stops when the credit balance reaches zero, and so does the chatbot.
  5. 05Paste the key into Chaterimo under Account Settings, then choose a Gemini model for your chatbot.

What you need

  • A Chaterimo plan that uses your own API key (BYOK). The free trial and plans with Chaterimo API keys need no key.
  • A Google account to sign in to Google AI Studio.
  • A payment card for the Google Cloud billing account of the key's project.
Contents 5
  1. Steps
  2. How to check it works
  3. Troubleshooting
  4. Next step
  5. Frequently asked questions

To get a Gemini API key, sign in to Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com) with your Google account and create a key on the API keys page. Then set up billing for the key's project, because the free tier is not enough for a chatbot. Paste the key into Chaterimo under Account Settings and choose a Gemini model for your chatbot. This guide is for online stores whose Chaterimo plan uses their own API key (BYOK: you use your own key and pay Google directly for what the chatbot uses).

Steps

1Sign in to Google AI Studio

Go to aistudio.google.com and sign in with your Google account. There is no separate registration. On your first visit, accept the terms; Google AI Studio then creates a default Google Cloud project and an API key for you.1

Google AI Studio is not the Gemini app. The Gemini app (gemini.google.com) is Google's chat app; AI Studio is where Gemini API keys, their projects and API billing live.

With a Google Workspace work account, AI Studio is on by default, but your administrator can turn it off.2 Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are available only in some countries; Google lists them on its available regions page.3

2Create the Gemini API key

Open the API keys page of AI Studio and select Create API key. Choose the project the key belongs to. The default project from step 1 works. Billing and limits belong to the project, so every key of a project shares them.1

Copy the key and paste it into Chaterimo in step 4. If AI Studio already created a key for you in step 1, you can use that one.

If you already use Google Cloud, AI Studio creates no default project. Open Dashboard, select Projects, then Import projects, choose your project and select Import. Then create the key on the API keys page.1

Warning

Treat the key like a password. Never send it by e-mail or chat and never put it into the code of your store. Anyone who has the key can use the API at your expense. If a key leaks, create a new one, paste it into Chaterimo and then delete the old one in AI Studio.1

3Set up billing for the key's project

A key without billing runs on Google's free tier. Its limits allow only a few requests per minute and per day, and every chatbot answer needs several requests, so the limit runs out after a few conversations. With billing, much higher limits apply, and Google does not use your prompts and responses to improve its products.4

  1. On the API keys page or the Projects page, find the key's project and select Set up billing in the Billing Tier column.
  2. Choose a Google Cloud billing account, or add one: select your country, confirm your contact details and add a payment method.
  3. Buy prepaid credits when AI Studio asks for them. Prepay is the default for new users: you pay in advance and Google deducts the usage. Some accounts get Postpay instead, which bills the usage afterwards. Prepaid credits expire 12 months after purchase.4

With Prepay, all API keys of all projects on the billing account stop at once when the credit balance reaches zero, until you buy credits.4 Turn on auto-reload on the Billing page of AI Studio with Setup auto-reload, so the chatbot does not stop at night or over a weekend.

Tip

To cap the monthly spend of the project, open the Spend page of AI Studio and select Monthly spend cap, then Edit spend cap. Google marks the cap as experimental: billing data arrives with a delay of about 10 minutes, so the spend can go a little over it.4

4Paste the key into Chaterimo

In Chaterimo, open Account Settings in the menu. In the AI provider keys section, paste the key into Gemini API key and select Save. The field then shows Key saved. Chaterimo stores the key encrypted and uses it only for requests to Google. One key serves all chatbots of your organisation.

If you do not see the AI provider keys section, your plan does not need your own key: in the free trial and on plans with Chaterimo API keys, Chaterimo uses its own keys. The plans are on the pricing page.

5Choose a Gemini model for your chatbot

Open Chat Settings & Embed. Under General chatbot settings, choose a Gemini model in AI model type and select Save changes. A Gemini model always uses the Gemini key from step 4; a GPT or Claude model would need a key of its own provider.

When you select a Gemini model, Chaterimo shows a note: Google's API is sometimes overloaded, and the chatbot may then answer “AI model temporarily overloaded”. If that happens often on your store, switch to a GPT or Claude model, as the note recommends.

Which model fits your store depends on your questions and your budget. Our AI benchmark compares models on real customer-support questions, and the article how to choose an LLM for customer support explains the trade-offs.

How to check it works

  1. Open Test Chatbot and ask a question your customers often ask. If the chatbot answers, the key, the billing and the model work.
  2. On the Projects page of AI Studio, the Billing Tier column of the key's project shows a paid tier instead of the free tier.
  3. If Chaterimo showed a red warning about your Gemini key, it disappears after the next answer that works.

Troubleshooting

“You have not saved an API key for an AI provider yet”
Your plan uses your own key, but Chaterimo has no key of any provider. Paste the Gemini key in Account Settings (step 4).
“Your Google Gemini API key is on Google's free tier and has used up its request limit”
The key's project has no billing, so the chatbot used up the free limits. Set up billing for the project (step 3). Chaterimo also sends this warning to the account owner by e-mail, at most once a day.
“Your AI provider (Google) reports that your account has run out of credits or reached a spend limit”
The prepaid balance of the billing account reached zero (AI Studio shows No credits for the project), or the billing account is not active. Chaterimo uses the same warning text for every provider, which is why it also mentions a spend limit. Select Buy credits on the Billing page and turn on auto-reload (step 3).4
“Your API key for Google is invalid or has been revoked”
The key was deleted, blocked or copied incompletely. Create a new key (step 2) and paste it into Chaterimo. Chaterimo also sends this warning by e-mail, at most once a day.
An older key shows Unrestricted or Blocked in AI Studio
The Gemini API rejects unrestricted keys of the older type and blocks unrestricted keys that were not used for a long time. Create a new key (step 2); keys created in AI Studio now work only with the Gemini API. You can also select Add restrictions at the unrestricted key, choose Restrict to Gemini API only and select Restrict key.1
The chatbot answers “AI model temporarily overloaded. Please try again in a moment.”
Google's API was overloaded. Chaterimo tries the request again before it shows this answer. If it happens often, choose another Gemini model or a GPT or Claude model (step 5).
AI Studio says you do not have access to Google AI Studio
Your Google Workspace administrator turned AI Studio off for your account. Ask the administrator to turn it on, or sign in with another Google account.2
“You do not have permission to create a key in this project”
Your role in the Google Cloud project does not allow creating keys. Ask the project owner for a role such as Editor, or create the key in a project of your own.1

Next step

Compare Gemini with other models in the AI benchmark and choose the one that fits your customers' questions. To try GPT or Claude models as well, follow the guides to the OpenAI API key and the Anthropic API key. Then test the chatbot on your own questions in Test Chatbot before you show it on your store.

  1. Google, “Using Gemini API keys”, accessed 19 October 2026, https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key ↑↑↑↑↑↑

  2. Google, “Access Google AI Studio with your Workspace account”, accessed 19 October 2026, https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/workspace ↑↑

  3. Google, “Available regions for Google AI Studio and Gemini API”, accessed 19 October 2026, https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/available-regions ↑

  4. Google, “Billing”, accessed 19 October 2026, https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing ↑↑↑↑↑

TopicsIntegrations and APILLM models in customer support

Frequently asked questions

Is the Gemini API free?

Google offers a free tier, but its limits run out after a few chatbot conversations a day. For a chatbot on your store, set up billing for the key's project. On a paid tier, Google does not use your prompts and responses to improve its products.

Do I need a separate account for Google AI Studio?

No. You sign in to AI Studio with your Google account. For billing, you add a Google Cloud billing account when you set up billing for the key's project.

Is Google AI Studio the same as the Gemini app?

No. The Gemini app (gemini.google.com) is Google's chat app. Gemini API keys and API billing are in Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com).

Can I use one Gemini key for several chatbots in Chaterimo?

Yes. The key is saved in Account Settings and serves all chatbots of your organisation. Each chatbot can use a different Gemini model.

What does the Gemini API cost for a chatbot?

It depends on the model and the number of conversations. Google lists its prices on the Gemini API pricing page. The Chaterimo plan is billed separately; see the Chaterimo pricing page.

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Changelog

  1. Rewritten for the current Google AI Studio billing and Chaterimo settings, with troubleshooting.
  2. Published.
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