Create a Google Gemini API Key | Lakeview Lister How-Tos

What you will finish with

One Gemini API authorization key

The key connects Lakeview Lister to the Gemini API project that owns its quota and billing.

Google API Key

Before you start

Have a Google account and project ready.

A Google account that can accept the Google AI Studio terms.
Permission to create or import a Google Cloud project if your organization controls projects centrally.
A billing account only if you need paid-tier models or limits beyond the free tier available to your project.

Create an authorization key.

Google says unrestricted legacy “standard” keys will be rejected starting in September 2026. New keys created in Google AI Studio are authorization keys by default; use that current key type for Lakeview Lister.

Prepare the Google project

Open Google AI Studio.

Sign in to Google AI Studio.
Open the official Google AI Studio and accept the terms if prompted.
Review the project AI Studio selected.
New users may receive a default project and key. If you already use Google Cloud, you may need to import the project you want AI Studio to use.
Use a project you control.
A dedicated project named Lakeview Lister makes API access, billing, and later key rotation easier to manage.

Organization-managed Google accounts may be restricted.

If AI Studio cannot create or import a project, ask your Google Workspace or Cloud administrator for permission—or use an account where you are allowed to manage the API project.

Generate the credential

Create a fresh Gemini API key.

Open the API Keys page.
Go directly to Google AI Studio › API Keys .
Select Create API key.
Choose the dedicated project you prepared. If AI Studio already created a default key, a separate Lakeview Lister key is easier to identify and revoke safely.
Confirm the new key is an authorization key.
AI Studio creates new keys in this format by default. Do not substitute an old unrestricted standard key copied from Google Cloud Console.
Copy the complete key.
Keep the page open until you have pasted the value into Lakeview Lister and confirmed that Test Key succeeds.

Keep the key private.

Do not post it in a listing, email, support message, or screenshot. If it is exposed, create and test a replacement, then delete the old key.

Choose free or paid usage

Confirm the project’s billing status.

Start on the free tier if it covers your needs.
Some Gemini models and rate limits are available without paid billing. Availability depends on the model, account, project, and region.
Use Set up billing when paid access is needed.
In AI Studio, link the same Google Cloud project to billing and complete the payment flow shown for your account.
Verify the project shows the intended tier.
Make sure you funded or linked billing to the project that owns the key—not a different project under the same Google account.
Monitor usage in AI Studio.
Review API usage and rate limits after your first listings so you understand normal consumption for your workflow.

Prepay may be required.

Google currently documents a minimum prepayment for accounts placed on the prepay plan. Follow the amount and payment options shown in AI Studio, because account eligibility and billing modes can differ.

Return to the app

Add, test, and save the key.

Open your Profile.
Under Tools, select Profile, then expand AI Providers.
Expand Gemini.
The provider card is named Gemini in Lakeview Lister.
Paste the new authorization key into Google API Key.
Paste only the complete value, without quotation marks or spaces before or after it.
Select Test Key.
Wait for Lakeview Lister to confirm that Google accepted the credential and project access.
Choose Gemini under Active AI Provider if it should be your default for runs.
This choice is separate from saving the key. You can keep keys saved for other providers without making them the default.
Select Save Profile.
Lakeview Lister saves the credential securely on your computer.

Provider Gemini

Google API Key Your complete Gemini authorization key

Only the API key is required.

Lakeview Lister supplies the model and service connection settings. The model shown below the field is informational; you do not enter a model or URL.

You are finished when:

Test Key succeeds and, after you save the profile, the Gemini card shows Key saved or Selected when it is the default provider for runs.

Troubleshooting

Check key type, project, and quota.

Google rejects the key or reports permission denied.

Create a fresh key from Google AI Studio and confirm it is an authorization key. Recopy it without spaces and verify the key was not deleted.

The key is labeled Standard.

Replace it with a new authorization key in AI Studio. Google’s migration guidance says to update the application with the new key, test it, and then revoke the old standard key.

Lakeview Lister reports quota exceeded or 429.

Check the project’s rate limits and usage tier in AI Studio. Wait for the rate window to reset, reduce request frequency, or configure paid billing for higher limits when available.

Billing is active but the API test still fails.

Confirm billing is attached to the exact project that created the key. A billing account linked to a different Google Cloud project does not fund this key.

The key may have been exposed.

Create a replacement in AI Studio, update and test Lakeview Lister, then delete the exposed key.

Official references

Google documentation used for this guide

Google can change AI Studio labels, key requirements, and billing eligibility. If the portal differs from this page, follow Google’s current instructions and contact Lakeview Lister support without sharing your key.

Create a Google Gemini API key for Lakeview Lister.