Get a free Google AI Studio API key
Get a free Gemini API key from Google AI Studio in about two minutes and connect it to Build with AI — no credit card required.
The Build with AI agent needs an AI model to talk to. The fastest free option is a Google AI Studio API key: Google's free tier covers Gemini models like gemini-flash-latest and gemini-3.5-flash with generous daily limits and no credit card. The same key works in both places you can connect a provider — a WordPress 7.0 AI connector (Settings → Connectors) or pasted straight into the plugin, where it is stored encrypted in your Credentials Vault and never returned over the API.
Free-tier limits and fallback
Google's free tier is rate-limited per minute and per day, and the exact numbers vary per model — check Google's rate-limit documentation for the current limits on gemini-flash-latest / gemini-3.5-flash. If the agent hits a rate limit mid-build, it automatically falls back to another connected provider (if you've added one) and keeps going. For heavier use, add billing to the Google Cloud project or connect an Anthropic or OpenAI key alongside.
What the free tier cannot do
Two limits are easy to lose an afternoon to, because neither shows up until a call fails. The first: the free tier cannot generate images at all. The image models are listed by the API and look available, but every generateContent call to gemini-2.5-flash-image or gemini-3.x-*-image returns 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED with quota IDs ending -FreeTier — a hard cap of zero, not a rate limit you can wait out. A text model on the same key answers normally, which is the control test that proves it is the tier and not the key. The second: some older models are closed to new accounts. gemini-2.5-flash now returns 404 — no longer available to new users even though it is still in the model list, so if a model 404s, reach for gemini-flash-latest rather than assuming the key is broken. Both behaviours verified against a live free-tier key on 2026-08-20.
Already on WordPress 7.0 with AI connectors?
If your site has a provider configured under Settings → Connectors, Build with AI uses it directly through the WordPress AI Client — no key needs to be stored by the plugin at all. The "Auto" source prefers WordPress connectors and falls back to your own keys.
/ Setup
- Open Google AI Studio
Go to aistudio.google.com and sign in with any Google account. No Google Cloud setup is needed up front — AI Studio handles it for you.
- Open "Get API key"
Click "Get API key" in AI Studio. This is where Google manages the API keys tied to your account.
- Create and copy the key
Click "Create API key". If you have no Google Cloud project yet, AI Studio creates one automatically. Copy the generated key — you'll paste it into WordPress in the next step.
- Connect it in Build with AI
In your WordPress admin, open Webhook Actions → Build with AI. In the "Connect an AI provider" card choose Google, paste the key, and click Connect. The key is encrypted into your Credentials Vault — it is never displayed again and never returned over the API.
- Pick a Gemini model and build
The model picker is pre-filtered to the Gemini models capable of driving the agent — the flash models are the free-tier sweet spot. Pick one and describe your first integration, e.g. "When a Contact Form 7 form is submitted, send it as JSON to my n8n webhook."
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