# How to write source-backed WordPress drafts with Google Gemini

> Get a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio, add it to WordPress, choose a model, and write a cited first draft from your own sources, with free-tier caveats.

Source: https://sourcedwriter.com/blog/google-gemini-wordpress-blog-drafts/

[AI Blog Writer with Sources](https://sourcedwriter.com/) is a free WordPress plugin that turns a brief and the pages you trust into a cited draft, on your own AI key. This tutorial sets it up with Google's Gemini models: getting a key, adding it to WordPress, choosing a model, and writing a first draft. It takes about ten minutes.

## 1. Get an API key

You need a Google API key, from [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/):

1. Sign in to [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/) with your Google account.
2. Choose **Get API key** and create a key. Keys belong to a Google Cloud project; AI Studio can create one for you.
3. Copy the key.
4. For anything beyond testing, turn on billing for the project (see *Data and privacy* below), and consider a budget alert in Google Cloud.

Treat the key like a password: anyone who has it can spend your credits.

## 2. Add the key to WordPress

1. Install and activate **AI Blog Writer with Sources** from Plugins → Add New Plugin.
2. Open **AI Blog Writer → Settings**, choose **Google** as the AI provider, and click **Save Changes**.
3. Paste the key into the API key field and save again. It is encrypted before it is stored, and never shown again or sent to the browser.
4. Click **Test connection**. This sends only the key and a request for the list of models, no content.

To keep the key out of the database, define it in `wp-config.php` instead:

```php
define( 'AIBCG_GOOGLE_API_KEY', 'your-key' );
```

## 3. Choose a model

Pick the model under **Default model** in Settings. The plugin offers:

| Model | Described in Settings as |
| --- | --- |
| Gemini 4 Argon | Highest capability |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | Newest Flash model |
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | Recommended balance |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Fast and economical |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | Complex work |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Previous stable model |

Start with **Gemini 3.6 Flash**, the default: fast, inexpensive, and good at working from long source notes. **Gemini 3.8 Flash** is the newer Flash model at the same price, and **Gemini 4 Argon** Google's flagship; we haven't evaluated either with the plugin's prompts yet. Google has announced price increases for Argon (1 December 2026) and both Flash models (1 January 2027); the plugin's estimates follow them. Use **Flash-Lite** to keep costs lowest; preview models can change or be withdrawn at short notice. Which models you can use also depends on your Google account.

## 4. Write your first draft

1. Open **AI Blog Writer → New article** and give it a topic.
2. Paste three to five pages you would cite yourself under **Source URLs**.
3. Choose **Guided** to review the sources and the outline before anything is written.
4. Create the draft, then open it in the block editor. Each claim cites the source it came from.

The [getting started guide](https://sourcedwriter.com/docs/getting-started/) walks through the brief in detail.

## Costs and limits

Google bills your account for every request: the outline, the draft, and tools such as section rewrites. The plugin records the usage of each job and estimates its cost from the model's list price, and **Usage and cost** shows the month's estimate for the site. Set a **monthly cost ceiling** in Settings, and a spending limit with Google, so neither can surprise you; Google's invoice is the final figure. See [usage and cost ceilings](https://sourcedwriter.com/docs/usage-and-cost-ceilings/).

## Data and privacy

When a job runs, the plugin sends Google the brief, the writer profile, and the notes extracted from your selected sources. It never sends WordPress credentials, other database content, or visitor data. **The free tier is not private.** Google's Gemini API terms allow content sent on the free tier to be used to improve Google's products, and people may review it; on the paid tier it isn't. Don't send client material or unpublished work through a free-tier key. Read the current [Gemini API terms](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms) before choosing. The full list of what is sent is in [Privacy and external services](https://sourcedwriter.com/docs/privacy-and-external-services/).

## If something goes wrong

- **The key is rejected (`provider_http_401`)**: create a new key and save it again.
- **Rate limit or quota (`provider_http_429`)**: check your balance and limits with Google.
- **"Selected model is unavailable"**: choose another model, save, and test again.

More fixes are on the [troubleshooting page](https://sourcedwriter.com/docs/troubleshooting/).