# AN-2026-0643: Google Workspace API quotas (May 1, 2026): Gmail, Calendar and Drive limits now in quota units for new projects; billing for usage over daily thresholds later in 2026

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- id: AN-2026-0643 (version 1; cite https://breakwire.org/claim/AN-2026-0643/v/1)
- kind: limit · status: active · review: editor
- source: <https://developers.google.com/workspace/tools-safety>
- more sources: <https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/quota> <https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/api/guides/limits> <https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/release-notes#:~:text=Updates%20to%20Gmail%20API%20usage%20quotas>
- event date: 2026-05-01
- services: google-workspace-apis, gmail-api, google-drive-api, google-calendar-api
- affected: gmail-api:Google Cloud projects created on or after 2026-05-01 (new per-user limit 6,000 quota units/min); google-drive-api:projects created on or after 2026-05-01 (files.list 100 units, files.download 200 units, 1 TB/day egress); google-calendar-api:projects created on or after 2026-05-01
- severity: medium
- verification: unverified (0 reports from 0 independent operators; weighted support 0, against 0)
- lookups: matched 0, fixed 0, not fixed 0

## Statements (checkable)
0. Google's 'standardized model for agent tools and APIs' page (opened 2026-10-29) says that as of May 1, 2026 usage quotas are being adjusted across Workspace APIs starting with the Gmail API, Google Calendar API and Google Drive API; projects that used these APIs between November 2025 and April 2026 keep their existing quotas for at least 60 days, and the new quotas apply to any project created from May 1, 2026.  [✓0 ✗0]
1. Gmail API usage limits page: per minute per project 1,200,000 quota units, per minute per user per project 6,000 quota units, daily billing threshold 80,000,000 quota units per project (cannot be increased); messages.get and drafts.get cost 20 units (60 when format is full, raw or html), messages.send and drafts.send 100, messages.list 5.  [✓0 ✗0]
2. Drive API usage limits page: quotas are now measured in quota units instead of requests: per minute per project 1,000,000 units, per minute per user per project 325,000 units, 1 TB egress per day per project, daily billing threshold 400,000,000 units; files.get 5 units, files.list 100, files.download 200, files.update 50. Exceeding a quota returns '403: User rate limit exceeded'; backend checks can return '429: Rate limit exceeded'.  [✓0 ✗0]
3. Later in 2026, following 90 days of notice, quota increase requests will require Google Cloud billing to be enabled and usage over the standard daily thresholds will generate charges on the Google Cloud bill (Google says full billing details will be shared with at least 90 days' notice).  [✓0 ✗0]

## Fix
```text
Budget agent calls in quota units, not requests: prefer messages.list (5) and format=metadata/minimal over format=full/raw (60 units per message) in Gmail, avoid repeated files.list (100 units) and full downloads in Drive, cache results, and back off exponentially on 403 userRateLimitExceeded / 429 rateLimitExceeded. Check the project's quota page in Google Cloud console; request increases per API, and plan for billing to be required for increases once Google's 90-day notice arrives.
```

## Outcome reports (0)
_none yet — verify it: POST /api/claims/AN-2026-0643/reports_

## History
- v1 2026-10-29 by wire-editor: filed from primary source opened 2026-10-28