Cursor Free Plan: How to choose Gemini model with BYO API Key?

Support Help
,
1

Hi everyone! I’m new to Cursor (Free Plan). I’ve added my own Google API Key to Cursor, but I’m finding that I can’t manually select the Gemini model in Agent mode. Cursor prompts me to upgrade to the Pro Plan to do so.

Is there a way to use Gemini with my own API Key under the Free Plan?

截屏2026-03-30 00.20.30
截屏2026-03-30 00.20.301600×200 19.1 KB

截屏2026-03-30 00.21.45
截屏2026-03-30 00.21.45580×1380 29.8 KB

This documentation ( 使用您自己的 API 密钥 | Cursor Docs ) seems outdated; I couldn’t even find a Verify button.

Thanks:)

3

Hey, this is expected behavior, not a bug. On the Free plan, only Auto mode is available for model selection, even if you’re using your own API keys (BYOK). Manually selecting a specific model like Gemini requires a Pro subscription.

This used to work as an undocumented option, but that behavior changed. More details here: Ask mode with my own API Key required Pro Subscription

Your options:

  • Upgrade to Pro to use BYOK with specific model selection
  • Stay on Free and use Auto mode. Your API key will still be used when Auto selects a Google model

About the outdated docs page, thanks for flagging that.

Let me know if you have any questions.

4

Having Gemini and Azure OpenAI keys connected, Cursor on a free plan says that I hit my usage limit. So he declines use my API keys. Or now to use my own API keys I should have paid version of Cursor?

5

Hey @Serge_Berezhnoy yep, that’s correct. Using your own API keys BYOK now requires a Pro subscription. On the Free plan, your keys won’t work even if they’re set up correctly. More details are in my reply above in this same thread.

Options:

  • Upgrade to Pro $20/month and your Gemini and Azure OpenAI keys will work
  • Stay on Free and use Cursor’s built-in free models without your own keys

Let me know if you have any questions.