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Setting Up Gemini

Google's Gemini does two separate jobs on the platform. It can answer for any AI feature, like the other providers, and it is the only provider for AI image and video generation. One key, entered once on AI Settings, serves both; what Gemini is then used for depends on the roles you point at it and on whether you switch image and video generation on.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Configuration:

  • AI Settings — the Gemini (Google) section for the key, the roles table, and the AI images and video section

Architect Panel → Activity:

  • AI Usage — Test a role, and every Gemini call with its cost

The two uses

  • As a language model. Any role can be pointed at Gemini: the sign-up wizard, the AI Builder, App Code, the Report Builder assistant, AI reading of scans, Feed Queue suggestions, or a client app's own role. Gemini is reached in prompt mode: documents go as text, there are no citations, and because it reports no token counts its calls show as not priced on AI Usage.
  • For images and video. AI image and video generation calls Google directly with the same key. Every call is a priced run on AI Usage. Nothing generates anything until Who may generate is set to something other than off.

Setting the key does neither of these on its own. A role must name Gemini before any feature uses it as a language model, and image and video generation stays off until you open it up.

Switching Gemini on as a language model

  1. Create an API key for the Gemini API in Google's console, under your organisation's Google account.
  2. On AI Settings, in Gemini (Google), paste it into API key.
  3. Enter a Default model: the Gemini text model id you want roles to use. This ships empty, and a role pointed at Gemini with no model of its own has nothing to call until it is filled in.
  4. Press Save. The status card's provider table should show Gemini's credentials as Set.
  5. In Which provider each AI feature uses, set Provider to Gemini (Google) on each role that should use it, and Save.
  6. On AI Usage, press Test beside each of those roles.

Offer in Send to AI only matters if a custom app on your installation has a Send to AI menu; the platform's own features ignore it.

Switching on images and video

  1. Enter the key as above. No role or default text model is needed for images and video.
  2. In AI images and video, set Who may generate to Architects, Administrators or Everyone signed in, and adjust the daily allowances.
  3. Read AI Images & Video for the rest: the models, the video background worker, and what the MCP tools need.

Settings that matter

  • API key: one key for both uses. Replacing it here changes both at once.
  • Default model: the text model only. Image and video models are chosen separately (Default image model, Default video model), and each has a built-in default.
  • Display name: changes how Gemini is labelled on the screens that list providers.

What goes wrong, and how to tell

  • A Gemini role shows "no model set": the Default model is empty and the role has no model of its own.
  • The test fails with not_found or bad_request: the model id is not one Google's API offers to this key. Check the id against Google's model list.
  • Images report "AI image and video generation is switched off on this system": the key is set but Who may generate is still off.
  • Images report "not set up on this system": there is no Gemini key.
  • A structured answer from Gemini is rejected: in prompt mode the answer is checked after it arrives, and a reply that does not match is refused rather than passed on. Try a stronger Gemini model for that role.

Worked example

A marketing team wants product images generated from the MCP tools, while every other AI feature stays on Claude. The architect adds a Gemini key in Gemini (Google) and saves, but points no role at Gemini, so nothing else moves. In AI images and video they set Who may generate to Administrators, cut Videos per person per day to 1, and switch on Offer to MCP clients. The team's first generated image appears on AI Usage under the image feature with its cost, and the language-model features carry on unchanged.

Recommendations

  • Treat the key as two permissions: anyone who can change it changes both text and media.
  • Always fill in Default model before pointing a role at Gemini.
  • Prefer Claude for document-heavy roles; Gemini receives documents as text only.
  • Open image and video generation deliberately, starting with a narrow audience.
  • Check Google's billing as well as AI Usage for Gemini text roles, which AI Usage cannot price.