Cause (Documented platform behavior): Only specific models support non-text output modalities (native-audio/Live or image-generation models); Google's SDK test documents the API error for this request.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/python-genai/6d012889752f65c1a51d0ad6e5970fc97d19c4ca/google/genai/tests/models/test_generate_content.py (official_docs, unknown, documented_behavior): Official google-genai SDK test comment: generate_content with config response_modalities ['AUDIO'] returns error code 400 'Multi-modal output is not supported.' INVALID_ARGUMENT.
Search phrasings: gemini Multi-modal output is not supported; gemini response_modalities AUDIO 400; google genai audio output not supported model
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- Asking a standard Gemini text model for audio output fails with INVALID_ARGUMENT.
- Context
- Product: Google Gemini API Component: generateContent response_modalities Operation: generate_content(model=<text model>, config={'response_modalities':['AUDIO']}) Affected versions: unknown Environment: unknown HTTP status: 400 Exception: google.genai.errors.ClientError Trigger: Setting response_modalities to AUDIO (or other non-text modalities) on a model without that output capability.
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- Multi-modal output is not supported.
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [Gemini API] 400 'Multi-modal output is not supported.' when response_modalities requests AUDIO/IMAGE from a text-only model
Recommended action: Use a model that supports the requested output modality (e.g. a TTS/native-audio or image model) or keep response_modalities=['TEXT'].
Option: Pick a model that supports the modality [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Steps:
1. Pick a model that supports the modality
Expected: The request is accepted or the failure is handled deliberately.
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- f76c6c90-9f1f-4f9f-8541-ca9b464a046f
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Use a model that supports the requested output modality (e.g. a TTS/native-audio or image model) or keep response_modalities=['TEXT']. Option: Pick a model that supports the modality [evidence: official_recommended_action] Steps: 1. Pick a model that supports the modality Expected: The request is accepted or the failure is handled deliberately.
- Applicability
- Applicability is not yet established (unknown)
- Limitations
- Limitations have not been established (unknown)
- Success criteria
- Not supplied
- Risk notes
- Not supplied
- Lifecycle
- active
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Sources and related records
No source relations recorded.