404 Not Found error using gemini-1.5-flash from EU region (Portugal) - Working from US

[danielSamule]

Issue Summary

I'm consistently getting 404 Not Found errors when calling gemini-1.5-flash from Portugal (EU) using @google/generative-ai@0.21.0 across all API versions. The same code works correctly from US-based servers.

Note: I understand this issue is being filed against the new @google/genai SDK repository, but I'm currently using the deprecated @google/generative-ai SDK (v0.21.0). I'm reporting this here because the deprecated repository is now read-only. If this is a regional API availability issue, it likely affects both SDKs.

Error Message

[GoogleGenerativeAI Error]: Error fetching from
https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-1.5-flash:generateContent:
models/gemini-1.5-flash is not found for API version v1beta, or is not supported for generateContent.

Environment Details

• Location: Portugal (Coimbra, PT) – EU region
• SDK: @google/generative-ai@0.21.0 (deprecated SDK)
• Model: gemini-1.5-flash
• API versions tried:
  • v1beta with grounding tools → 404
  • v1beta without tools → 404
  • v1 explicit → 404
  • Auto-detect (no apiVersion) → 404
• API key: Valid and verified (works with other Google Cloud APIs)
• Network: No VPN, direct ISP connection
• Node.js: v20.11.0
• Browser: Chrome 131 (also tested Edge, Firefox)

Steps to Reproduce

1. From Portugal (EU):

import { GoogleGenerativeAI } from "@google/generative-ai";

const apiKey = process.env.VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY;
const genAI = new GoogleGenerativeAI(apiKey);

// All of these fail with 404
const model1 = genAI.getGenerativeModel(
  { model: "gemini-1.5-flash" },
  { apiVersion: "v1beta" }
);

const result = await model1.generateContent("Test prompt");
// Error: 404 Not Found

2. From US-based server: Same code works perfectly

Additional Context

• Timeline: This was working perfectly fine last weekend (around Jan 31, 2026) and started failing without any code changes
• Model name variations tested (all return 404 from Portugal):
  • gemini-1.5-flash
  • models/gemini-1.5-flash
  • gemini-1.5-flash-002
  • gemini-flash-latest
• Network troubleshooting:
  • Disabled ad-blocker
  • Cleared browser cache/service workers
  • Tested in incognito mode
  • Tried different browsers
  • Tried direct HTTPS fetch calls → same 404

Questions for Maintainers

1. Regional availability: Is gemini-1.5-flash currently restricted in EU regions (specifically Portugal)? Are there known regional restrictions or geofencing?
2. EU DMA compliance: Could this be related to EU Digital Markets Act compliance measures?
3. Model discovery: Is there an API endpoint to query available models by region, so developers can programmatically handle regional restrictions?
4. Recommended alternatives: What model should EU users use if gemini-1.5-flash is not available?
5. Migration path: Should I migrate to the new @google/genai SDK to resolve this? Would that help with regional availability?

Any guidance on whether this is a regional restriction, temporary outage, or configuration issue would be greatly appreciated.

[shmishra99]

@danielSamule, Per the documentation, the gemini-1.5-flash model is deprecated all regions on September 24, 2025. ref. Thank you.

[github-actions]

This issue has been marked as stale because it has been open for 7 days with no activity. It will be closed in 2 days if no further activity occurs.

[github-actions]

This issue was closed because it has been inactive for 9 days. Please post a new issue if you need further assistance. Thanks!