Building a Developer Tool on Gemini's Free Tier — What's Actually Possible

All tests run on an 8-year-old MacBook Air. Most AI integration tutorials assume you're paying for API access. HiyokoLogcat is built entirely on Gemini's free tier — and designed so users bring their own free API key. Here's what's possible, what the limits are, and how to design around them. The free tier numbers (as of 2026) Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview: 15 requests per minute (RPM) 1,000,000 tokens per day 250 requests per day For a developer tool used intermittently — click diagnose, read, fix,