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Gemini API error 429 (RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED): what it means and how to fix it

The message you're seeing

• 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED
• rate_limit_exceeded
• quota_exceeded

Rate limit or daily quota?

Google's Gemini API error documentation splits 429 into two cases:

• rate_limit_exceeded: you've exceeded the per-minute or per-second request or token limit. Wait and retry with exponential backoff.
• quota_exceeded: you've exceeded your daily quota. Wait until the quota resets, or request a quota increase.

How to fix it

1. Retry with exponential backoffWait briefly before the first retry, then increase the delay each time, add random jitter, and cap the number of attempts. Google recommends exactly this for 429 and 503 errors.
2. Let the SDK retry for youGoogle's official SDKs, such as the Python SDK, automatically retry 429 and 503 errors.
3. Send fewer, smaller requestsLimits count tokens as well as requests. Trimming long prompts and spacing out requests keeps you under per-minute limits.
4. Check your project's quota and billingFor daily quota errors, look at your project's limits and billing status. A disabled billing account shows up as a separate FAILED_PRECONDITION error.
5. Don't retry client errorsGoogle advises against retrying 400, 402 or 403 errors. These point to a bad request, depleted prepaid credits or an API key problem, so fix the cause instead.

429 vs 503 UNAVAILABLE

A 503 UNAVAILABLE is different: Google describes it as the service being temporarily overloaded or down. It's on Google's side, not about your limits, and the fix is to wait and retry with backoff. If 503s are widespread, the live status above will usually show it.

The Gemini app (gemini.google.com) and the Gemini API are separate services, so an API limit doesn't affect your use of the app, and the other way round.

Questions

Is RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED a Gemini outage?

No. It means your project hit a rate limit or daily quota. Outages show up as 503 UNAVAILABLE or 500 errors and in the live status at the top of this page.

When does the Gemini API daily quota reset?

Google's error docs say to wait until the quota resets or request an increase. Check your project's quota page for the exact limits that apply to you.

Should I retry a 403 PERMISSION_DENIED?

No. Google says a 403 means your API key lacks permission for the resource. Check the key and project access instead of retrying.

Based on official documentation, checked 18 October 2026: Google AI for Developers: Gemini API errors · Google AI for Developers: Troubleshooting. Error messages and limits change over time, so the provider's own docs are the final word.