Gemini API Configuration Guide

Overview

Gemini API is Google's AI interface provided through Google AI Studio. Compared to Google Cloud's Vertex AI, AI Studio offers a simpler API Key authentication method, ideal for rapid development and personal integration.

Gemini offers multiple model series for different performance and cost scenarios:

Model	Features	Use Cases
gemini-2.0-flash	Fast, low cost	High concurrency, daily conversations
gemini-1.5-pro	High-quality multimodal	Complex tasks, long context understanding
gemini-1.5-flash	Balanced performance & cost	General use cases

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Getting API Key

Step 1: Visit Google AI Studio

Go to Google AI Studio and log in with your Google account.

Step 2: Generate API Key

1. Click "Get API key" in the left navigation bar
2. Click "Create API key in new project" (or select an existing Google Cloud project)
3. Copy and save your API Key

⚠️ Note: Keep your API Key secure and do not expose it in public code repositories.

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Configuring PicoClaw

Option 1: Using WebUI (Recommended)

PicoClaw provides a WebUI interface where you can easily configure models without manually editing configuration files.

Edit preset settings, or click the "Add Model" button in the top right corner:

Field	Value
Model Alias	Custom name, e.g., gemini-flash
Model Identifier	google/gemini-2.0-flash (or other supported models)
API Key	Google AI Studio API Key
API Base URL	Leave empty (uses default)

Option 2: Edit Configuration File

Add Gemini models in config.json and set auth_method to api_key:

{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "gemini-flash",
      "model": "google/gemini-2.0-flash",
      "auth_method": "api_key",
      "api_key": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY_HERE"
    },
    {
      "model_name": "gemini-pro",
      "model": "google/gemini-1.5-pro",
      "auth_method": "api_key",
      "api_key": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY_HERE"
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "gemini-flash"
    }
  }
}

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Limits & Quotas

Free Tier

Google AI Studio offers a free tier for developers:

• Free Quota: Daily free request allowance
• Rate Limits: Requests per minute (RPM) limits on free tier
• Data Privacy: On free tier, Google may use input/output data to improve models

Paid Tier

For higher quotas or enterprise-level privacy protection, upgrade to paid tier or use Google Cloud Vertex AI.

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Common Issues

Invalid API Key

Cause: API Key expired or revoked

Solution: Regenerate API Key in Google AI Studio

Request Timeout

Cause: Network issues or too many requests

Solutions:

• Check network connection
• Reduce request frequency
• Use proxy if needed

Model Unavailable

Cause: Some models are not available in certain regions

Solutions:

• Check if the model is supported in your region
• Try using other Gemini models