All Articles
The Day /models Returns 200 but generateContent Returns 403 — Decide Your Triage Order Before It Happens
A triage order for the case where listing models succeeds with 200 but generation fails with 403 permission_denied. Includes a small diagnostic script that checks key, project, and billing in turn, why you should not retry a 403, and how to assemble what support needs.
When Your config Raises "Extra inputs are not permitted", Check the Spelling of Every Key
If a google-genai call fails with a pydantic ValidationError (extra_forbidden) the moment you pass a config, it is almost always a one-letter typo. Here is the output I reproduced, a small function that checks keys before the call, and how to tell why response.text came back as None.
When a Deprecation Has No Shutdown Date: Re-Picking an Image Model on Three Conditions
gemini-nano-banana-2.1 went GA on October 6, and gemini-3.1-flash-image was deprecated with no shutdown date. Here is a table and a short script for choosing a replacement by resolution, reference images, and search grounding.
The Size Column Said 'F6' and 'About A4' — I Let Gemini Read It, and Let a Table Do the Math
An artist's spreadsheet mixed 'F6', '41×31.8cm', and 'about A4' in one size column. Here is the small tool I built: Gemini reads each cell, a lookup table converts to centimeters, and the artwork image decides the orientation. Working code, step by step.
When Function Calls Turn Into Plain Text, Suspect the Property Names in Your Tool Declarations
A record of chasing MALFORMED_FUNCTION_CALL after output limits and schema conflicts were ruled out, bisecting nine tool declarations down to one property name, and adding a linter that stops bad names before they ship.
gemini-2.5-flash-image stops on October 2, and the replacement the table names retired in June
gemini-2.5-flash-image shuts down on October 2, 2026, but the recommended replacement listed in the official table, gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview, was already retired on June 25. Here is the script I wrote to follow replacement chains to their end, and what it found across every row of the table.
When Transcription Keeps Mangling Proper Nouns: Choosing What Earns a Custom Vocabulary Slot
gemini-3.5-transcribe accepts up to 1,000 custom_vocabulary entries, but filling the list is not the goal. Here is a 60-line script that picks entries from your own reference-and-hypothesis pairs, plus the rules I use to decide what to leave out.
Writing my first Gemini cost estimate in two columns, one for now and one for January
Introductory pricing for Gemini Flash ends on December 31, 2026, and standard pricing starts on January 1, 2027. Staying on an older generation does not avoid it. Here is the small, working estimator I use to see both prices at once.
The day Lyria 3.5 landed, I changed how my audio folders are laid out
When Lyria 3.5 brought full-length generation, my generated takes were sitting in the same folder as the tracks I had chosen by hand. Here is the forty-line ledger gate that draws the line by hash, not by filename.
Two Ways to Make a Longer Shot in Gemini Omni 1.1, and Two Different Ways They Break
Omni 1.1 extends scenes in 10-second steps up to 40 seconds cumulative, and interpolates between a pinned first and last frame. Which one you use is decided before your first generation, not after. Here is the planner I run first and the drift check I run last.
Gemini 3.8 Flash Costs the Same Per Token and Can Still Raise Your Bill
Gemini 3.8 Flash carries the same per-token price as 3.7 Flash, but it is designed to work harder, so output tokens can grow and your bill with them. Here is what to measure before you switch, and how to price it across the January boundary.
Screen Loop Seam Clicks With Numbers Before You Hand the Audio to Gemini
An ambient loop that clicks only at the wrap point. Here is the numeric prescreen I run before sending anything to audio understanding, why an absolute threshold fails, and how AAC encoding quietly rebuilt the seam I had just repaired.