What you'll need
- A Google Account (Gmail or Workspace).
- A credit card to verify your identity with Google Cloud (even for free trials).
Create a Project
Everything in Google Cloud lives inside a "Project". Let's create one for testing.
Go to the Google Cloud Console.
Click the project dropdown in the top-left (it might say "My First Project").
Click New Project. Name it StoryDirector-Test and click
Create.
Enable Billing
Note: Google requires an active billing account to use AI models, even if you are using free trial credits.
Which situation matches yours?
In the left sidebar menu (☰), click Billing.
Click Link a billing account or Manage billing accounts.
Follow the prompts to add your payment method. Once finished, ensure it says "Billing
account linked" for your StoryDirector-Test project.
Go to Billing Management
Open the Menu (☰) > Billing.
Select Account Management
Click Account Management in the sidebar.
Attach to Project
Find StoryDirector-Test in the list.
Click the three dots (⋮) next to it and select Change
billing account.
Enable AI APIs
Important: You must enable BOTH APIs below to avoid the "API disabled" error.
A. Enable "Vertex AI API"
- Search for Vertex AI API.
- Select it and click the blue ENABLE button.
B. Enable "Gemini API"
- Search for Gemini API.
-
Look for the one labeled Marketplace Product (usually the first
result).
Do NOT click results labeled "Documentation".
- Click the blue ENABLE button.
Get your API Key
Wrong Screen Alert!
If you see a screen asking "Which API are you using?" or "User data vs Application data", you are in the wrong place.
Click here to fix this >
How to fix:
- Click Cancel at the bottom of that wizard.
- Click + CREATE CREDENTIALS again.
- Explicitly select API key from the dropdown list.
Navigate to Credentials:
1. Click + CREATE CREDENTIALS at the top.
2. Select API key.
Success!
A popup will show your key (starts with
AIza...). Copy this key immediately.
You're ready to connect!
Head back to the StoryDirector app and paste your new key into the settings.