Google AI Studio API key setup
Google's free-tier LLM API at aistudio.google.com. ~500 requests/day on hosted open + proprietary models (rate caps vary per model; check the provider's docs for the exact cap on the model you plan to call), no card required. Separate from the paid Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra consumer plans.
Get your key
- Open the Google AI Studio API keys page: aistudio.google.com/apikey
- Create an account and generate an API key.
- Paste it into the Dracon BYOK provider keys — stored encrypted (AES-256-GCM), used browser-direct, works in every Dracon tool.
Free tier
Yes. Hosted free endpoint with open and proprietary models. The model list rotates — check the provider's pricing page for the current numbers. no credit card required
Rate limits: Free: limited daily quota. No paid tier — the consumer Google AI Plus / Pro / Ultra plans are listed under the Google AI entry. API-key usage is on a separate billing lane for paid model access.
Connection details
- Base URL
https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai- API shape
- OpenAI-compatible
- Env var
GOOGLE_API_KEY- Models
- gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- Model lineup
- Gemini (Pro), Gemini (Flash), Gemini (Deep Think), Hosted open models
Gotchas
Browser-direct via native Gemini listing (v1beta/models?key=) — the OpenAI compat route 404s on /models but the native endpoint is live (wired 2026-08-26b). Chat still falls back to curated Gemini seeds when listing is not_testable.
Our verdicts on this kind of provider
Independent comparisons we keep current as pricing and free tiers shift. A guide is setup; a verdict is whether it's worth setting up.