image-generation - Image Generation

A general-purpose image generation and editing skill supporting six providers: OpenAI, Gemini, Seedream (Volcengine Ark), Qwen (DashScope), MiniMax, and LinkAI. No need to choose a model manually — the script automatically selects a configured provider based on a fixed priority order.

Model Selection

image-generation uses a "fixed priority + automatic fallback" strategy — just configure your keys and it works:

1. Priority order: OpenAI → Gemini → Seedream → Qwen → MiniMax → LinkAI
2. Unconfigured providers are skipped: only providers with an API key participate
3. Automatic fallback on failure: on errors like 401, model not enabled, or network issues, the next provider is tried
4. Specified model goes first: if a specific model name is provided, its provider is promoted to the front

Supported Models

Custom Configuration

API Key Setup

You need at least one provider key. Configuring multiple providers enables automatic fallback. There are three ways to set up keys:

Option 1: Automatic Reuse of Existing Keys

If you have already configured model keys in the web console or config.json (e.g. openai_api_key, gemini_api_key, etc.), these keys are automatically synced to the corresponding environment variables at startup. In other words, if your chat model works, image generation can use the same key with zero extra configuration.

Option 2: Configure in config.json

Add the key fields directly to config.json:

{
  "openai_api_key": "sk-xxx",
  "openai_api_base": "https://api.openai.com/v1",
  "gemini_api_key": "AIza-xxx",
  "ark_api_key": "xxx",
  "dashscope_api_key": "sk-xxx",
  "minimax_api_key": "xxx",
  "linkai_api_key": "xxx"
}

A restart is required after changes. Each key also has a corresponding *_api_base field for custom endpoints.

Option 3: Configure via Conversation

Send an API key in the chat and the Agent will save it to ~/cow/.env using the env_config tool — no restart needed. For example:

Set OPENAI_API_KEY to sk-xxx

Or:

Configure ARK_API_KEY as xxx

API Key Reference

Pinning a Default Model

To force all image generation through a specific provider's model, add this to config.json:

"skill": {
  "image-generation": {
    "model": "seedream-5.0-lite"
  }
}

At startup, this is automatically converted to the environment variable SKILL_IMAGE_GENERATION_MODEL, and the script will always use this model's provider for generation.

Enabling and Disabling

image-generation is a built-in skill that automatically adjusts its status based on API keys:

• Key configured: the skill is active — the Agent will invoke it when asked to draw
• Key not configured: the skill still appears in context (marked as "needs configuration") — the Agent will guide the user to set up a key rather than failing silently

To control it manually:

/skill disable image-generation    # Disable (won't be invoked even if keys are present)
/skill enable image-generation     # Re-enable

In the terminal: cow skill disable image-generation / cow skill enable image-generation.

Parameters

• For everyday conversations and quick previews, use the defaults (auto) or quality=low + size=1K — roughly 20 seconds
• For posters or when the user explicitly asks for high resolution, use quality=high + size=2K/4K — may take 1–5 minutes depending on the model </Warning>

Output

On success:

{
  "model": "doubao-seedream-5-0-260128",
  "images": [
    {"url": "/path/to/output.png"}
  ]
}

On failure: { "error": "..." }. After an error, do not retry directly — it is almost always a configuration issue (wrong key, incorrect API base, model not enabled). Have the user fix the configuration first.

Common Use Cases

• Text-to-image: generate illustrations, posters, icons, avatars, storyboards, etc. from a description
• Image-to-image: change styles, swap elements, add decorations or text on an existing image
• Multi-image fusion: combine multiple reference images into one (outfit swaps, character group photos, etc.)