Banana Image MCP

Let Claude Generate Stunning 4K Images for You
An MCP server that brings AI image generation to Claude Desktop

Quick Start  ·  Report Bug  ·  Request Feature

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About The Project

Banana Image MCP is a production-ready MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables Claude and other AI assistants to generate high-quality images using Google's latest Gemini image models.

Simply describe what you want, and Claude will create it — from quick concept sketches to stunning 4K professional artwork.

Why Banana Image MCP?

• Zero Setup Complexity — Just add your API key and start generating
• Production Ready — Built with FastMCP framework, fully tested, CI/CD enabled
• Best Quality — Leverages Gemini's most advanced image models with 4K support
• Smart Defaults — Intelligent model selection based on your prompts
• Real-World Knowledge — Google Search grounding for accurate, factual images

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Built With

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Features

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Quick Start

Get up and running in under 2 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Get a free Gemini API key from Google AI Studio
• Have Claude Desktop installed

Installation

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "banana-image": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["banana-image-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

# Clear the cache for this package
uv cache clean banana-image-mcp

# Then restart Claude Desktop

"args": ["banana-image-mcp==1.0.1"]

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Usage

Just ask Claude to generate images naturally:

"Generate a cute cat wearing a space suit"

"Create a professional product photo of a coffee cup, 4K quality"

"Make a 16:9 YouTube thumbnail about cooking"

"Edit this image: make the sky more dramatic"

Model Comparison

| Model | Speed | Max Resolution | Best For | |-------|-------|----------------|----------| | Gemini 2.5 Flash | 2-3s | 1024px | Quick drafts, iterations, prototypes | | Gemini 3 Pro | 5-8s | 4K (3840px) | Final assets, marketing, professional work |

The server defaults to Pro model for best quality. Control it with keywords:

| Say this... | Model Used | |-------------|------------| | "quick sketch", "draft", "prototype" | Flash | | "4K", "professional", "high quality" | Pro | | (default) | Pro |

Parameters Reference

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | prompt | string | required | Image description | | model_tier | string | "pro" | "flash", "pro", or "auto" | | resolution | string | "4k" | "1k", "2k", "4k", "high" | | aspect_ratio | string | - | "1:1", "16:9", "9:16", "4:3", "21:9", etc. | | thinking_level | string | "high" | "low" or "high" (Pro only) | | enable_grounding | bool | true | Enable Google Search grounding (Pro only) | | n | int | 1 | Number of images (1-4) | | negative_prompt | string | - | What to avoid in the image |

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Default | Description | |----------|----------|---------|-------------| | GEMINI_API_KEY | Yes | - | Your Gemini API key | | IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR | No | ~/banana-images | Where to save generated images |

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What You Can Create

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Roadmap

• [x] 4K resolution output (up to 3840px)
• [x] Dual model support (Flash + Pro)
• [x] Google Search grounding
• [x] Flexible aspect ratios
• [x] Natural language image editing
• [x] GitHub Actions CI/CD
• [ ] Batch image generation
• [ ] Image-to-image transformation
• [ ] Video generation support
• [ ] Local model support (Ollama)

See the open issues for a full list of proposed features and known issues.

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Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zengwenliang416/banana-image-mcp.git
cd banana-image-mcp

# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Run in development mode
fastmcp dev banana_image_mcp.server:create_app

# Run tests
pytest

# Lint and format
ruff check .
ruff format .

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Contributing

Contributions make the open source community amazing. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

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Contact

Wenliang Zeng - @zengwenliang416

Project Link: https://github.com/zengwenliang416/banana-image-mcp

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Acknowledgments

• FastMCP - The MCP framework that powers this server
• Google Gemini - The AI models behind image generation
• Anthropic MCP - The protocol specification
• Best-README-Template - README inspiration

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