Nanobanana

Generate and manipulate images with Google's Gemini models from your terminal.

npx nanobanana generate "a sunset over mountains" --json

Install

npm install -g nanobanana

Requires Node.js 18+.

Authentication

Set your Gemini API key using one of these methods:

# Store credentials (recommended)
nanobanana login --api-key YOUR_KEY

# Or use environment variables
export GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY"

Remove stored credentials with nanobanana logout.

Commands

generate

Create images from text prompts.

nanobanana generate "a watercolor painting of a fox"
nanobanana generate "mountain landscape" -n 3 --styles watercolor,sketch
nanobanana generate "coffee shop" --aspect 16:9 --resolution 2K --json

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | -n, --count <n> | Number of variations (1-8) | 1 | | --styles <list> | Comma-separated styles (photorealistic, watercolor, sketch, ...) | - | | --variations <list> | Variation types (lighting, angle, mood, ...) | - | | --format <type> | separate or grid | separate |

edit

Modify existing images with text instructions.

# Single file
nanobanana edit photo.png "make it black and white" --json

# Batch: same edit to multiple files
nanobanana edit *.png "add a vintage filter" --json

# Multi-reference: combine images as context
nanobanana edit --ref logo.png --ref style.png "create a banner" --json

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --ref <file> | Reference image for combined context (repeatable) |

restore

Enhance or repair damaged/old images.

nanobanana restore old-photo.png "enhance and colorize" --json
nanobanana restore scan1.png scan2.png "restore these photos" --json

icon

Generate app icons, favicons, and UI elements.

nanobanana icon "rocket ship logo" --sizes 64,128,256,512 --json

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --sizes <list> | Comma-separated pixel sizes | - | | --type <type> | app-icon, favicon, ui-element | app-icon | | --style <style> | flat, skeuomorphic, minimal, modern | modern | | --file-format <fmt> | png or jpeg | png | | --background <bg> | transparent, white, black, or color | transparent | | --corners <type> | rounded or sharp | rounded |

pattern

Generate seamless patterns and textures.

nanobanana pattern "geometric hexagons" --style geometric --colors duotone --json

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --size <WxH> | Tile size (e.g. 256x256) | 256x256 | | --type <type> | seamless, texture, wallpaper | seamless | | --style <style> | geometric, organic, abstract, floral, tech | abstract | | --density <level> | sparse, medium, dense | medium | | --colors <scheme> | mono, duotone, colorful | colorful | | --repeat <method> | tile or mirror | tile |

story

Generate sequential images that tell a visual story.

nanobanana story "a seed growing into a tree" --steps 4 --json

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | -n, --steps <n> | Images in sequence (2-8) | 4 | | --type <type> | story, process, tutorial, timeline | story | | --style <style> | consistent or evolving | consistent | | --layout <layout> | separate, grid, comic | separate | | --transition <type> | smooth, dramatic, fade | smooth |

diagram

Generate technical diagrams and flowcharts.

nanobanana diagram "CI/CD pipeline" --type flowchart --json

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --type <type> | flowchart, architecture, network, database, wireframe, mindmap, sequence | flowchart | | --style <style> | professional, clean, hand-drawn, technical | professional | | --layout <layout> | horizontal, vertical, hierarchical, circular | hierarchical | | --complexity <level> | simple, detailed, comprehensive | detailed | | --colors <scheme> | mono, accent, categorical | accent | | --annotations <level> | minimal or detailed | detailed |

Global Options

Available on all image commands:

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --aspect <ratio> | Aspect ratio (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:2, 21:9, ...) | - | | --resolution <res> | Image resolution: 512px, 1K, 2K, 4K | 1K | | --model <model> | Gemini model | gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview | | --seed <n> | Seed for reproducible output | - | | --temperature <n> | Sampling temperature (0.0-2.0) | model default | | --thinking <level> | Thinking mode: off, low, medium, high | off | | --preview | Open result in system viewer | - | | -o, --output <dir> | Output directory | nanobanana-output/ | | --json | Structured JSON output | - | | --api-key <key> | API key override | - |

JSON Output

All commands support --json for structured output:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Successfully generated 1 image variation(s)",
  "files": ["/path/to/nanobanana-output/filename.png"]
}

File Management

• Images save to ./nanobanana-output/ by default
• Filenames are derived from prompts (e.g. sunset_over_mountains.png)
• Duplicates get auto-numbered (_1, _2, ...)
• Input files are searched in: current directory, ./images/, ./input/, ./nanobanana-output/, ~/Downloads/, ~/Desktop/

License

Apache-2.0