Premium models like Claude and Gemini not working on Cursor 0.45 with personal API keys

Bug Reports
1

Hey Cursor team and community :waving_hand:,

I’m running into a blocking issue while using Cursor Version 0.45 on Windows.

:lady_beetle: Bug Description

I’m using my own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), and Google (Gemini), and all keys are verified successfully in the Cursor settings panel (screenshot attached). However, when I try to use Claude 3.5/3.7 Sonnet or Gemini 1.5/2.5 Pro, Cursor throws this message:

“Free & free trial accounts can no longer use chat with premium models on Cursor Version 0.45 or less. Please upgrade to Pro or use Cursor Version 0.46 or later.”

This makes no sense because:

  • I’m not using a free-trial account.
  • I’m using my own API keys, not Cursor’s.
  • All models are verified and toggled ON in the settings.

:counterclockwise_arrows_button: How to Reproduce

  1. Open latest version of Cursor 0.45.
  2. Verify API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
  3. Attempt to use claude-3-7-sonnet-latest or gemini-2.5-pro-preview-03-25 in chat.
  4. Error message is shown preventing access.

:camera: Screenshots

image
image558×235 8.7 KB

:laptop: System Info

  • OS: Windows 11
  • Cursor Version: 0.45.17 (user setup)
  • Blocking Issue?: Yes, this blocks me from using premium models even with my own keys.
2

Cursor 0.45 LTS - Discussion - Cursor - Community Forum

They listened to me and avoided arguing, they even cancelled cursor 0.45. WT.F Cursor!

1 Like
3

So, @cursorbot no updates on this?

4

Hi, sorry for the delay!

This is expected, as you can only use your own API keys alongside an existing Cursor Pro or Business subscription. This is due to two reasons:

  1. We have a great in-house team working on Cursor and by enforcing a Pro subscription, it ensures the team can continue to work on the editor while still allowing API keys to be used!
  2. When using Cursor, we utilize the smaller models that are included in a subscription for various jobs behind the scenes, and you therefore need a Pro subscription to pay for the usage of these models