The problem

Every AI image generator embeds invisible fingerprints into your images. EXIF tags, XMP markers, C2PA Content Credentials, PNG text chunks, pixel-level signatures. Platforms like Twitter/X, Facebook, and Adobe read these markers and label your images as AI-generated.

Existing tools only strip some metadata. A single leftover APP1 marker or a C2PA manifest buried in a JFIF segment is enough to flag you.

The solution

clean-image does not just strip metadata. It destroys and rebuilds the image from the ground up. Four-pass pipeline. Two re-encodes. Two nuclear strips. Nothing survives.

ExifTool alone misses embedded C2PA manifests and PNG text chunks. FFmpeg alone misses residual XMP and IPTC tags. Online tools re-compress at garbage quality and keep your images.

clean-image runs all four passes because no single tool catches everything.

What it kills

| Metadata | Embedded by | Detected by | Killed? | |:---|:---|:---|:---:| | EXIF (software, AI tool tags) | All generators | Most platforms | Yes | | XMP (ai:generative, creator tools) | Adobe, Midjourney | Twitter/X, Facebook | Yes | | IPTC (digitalSourceType) | News tools, Adobe | AP, Reuters | Yes | | C2PA / Content Credentials | Adobe, OpenAI, Google | Twitter/X, Adobe CAI | Yes | | PNG text chunks (prompt, params) | ComfyUI, A1111, SD | Detection tools | Yes | | ICC color profiles | Various | Forensic tools | Yes | | JFIF / APP markers | JPEG encoders | Forensic tools | Yes | | Pixel-level AI fingerprints | Generators | Advanced detection | Yes* |

* Aggressive mode only: applies imperceptible gaussian blur (σ=0.3)

Install

npm install -g clean-image

Or run without installing:

npx clean-image

| Platform | Command | |:---|:---| | macOS | brew install exiftool ffmpeg | | Ubuntu / Debian | sudo apt install exiftool ffmpeg | | Arch | sudo pacman -S perl-image-exiftool ffmpeg | | Windows (WSL) | sudo apt install exiftool ffmpeg |

Usage

Interactive TUI

Run with no arguments to launch the interactive terminal UI:

clean-image

    ██████╗██╗     ███████╗ █████╗ ███╗   ██╗
   ██╔════╝██║     ██╔════╝██╔══██╗████╗  ██║
   ██║     ██║     █████╗  ███████║██╔██╗ ██║
   ██║     ██║     ██╔══╝  ██╔══██║██║╚██╗██║
   ╚██████╗███████╗███████╗██║  ██║██║ ╚████║
    ╚═════╝╚══════╝╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝  ╚═══╝
    ██╗███╗   ███╗ █████╗  ██████╗ ███████╗
    ██║████╗ ████║██╔══██╗██╔════╝ ██╔════╝
    ██║██╔████╔██║███████║██║  ███╗█████╗
    ██║██║╚██╔╝██║██╔══██║██║   ██║██╔══╝
    ██║██║ ╚═╝ ██║██║  ██║╚██████╔╝███████╗
    ╚═╝╚═╝     ╚═╝╚═╝  ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚══════╝

    Strip AI metadata. Four passes. Zero trace.

  ? What do you want to do?
  ❯ ● Clean an image       : strip AI metadata now
    ● Install CLI skill    : add to Claude / Codex / OpenCode

Features:

• Auto-detects images in your current directory
• Drag & drop any image file into the terminal
• Choose mode: Standard, Aggressive, or Strip-only
• Pick quality: 95, 92, 85, or 75
• Before/after report: file size, metadata count, % reduction

Direct CLI

# Basic: clean any image
clean-image photo.png

# Aggressive: defeats pixel-level fingerprinting
clean-image -a photo.png

# Custom quality
clean-image -q 85 photo.webp

# Custom output path
clean-image photo.png -o clean.jpg

# Strip metadata only: no re-encoding
clean-image -s photo.jpg

See it work

$ clean-image -a ai-artwork.png

  ⠸ Pass 1/4 — FFmpeg re-encode
  ⠸ Pass 2/4 — ExifTool nuclear strip
  ⠸ Pass 3/4 — FFmpeg re-encode #2
  ⠸ Pass 4/4 — ExifTool final strip
  ✓ Done!

    RESULTS
    Mode       aggressive
    Size       2847 KB → 1923 KB (-32%)
    Metadata   43 fields → 5 fields (38 stripped)
    Output     ./ai-artwork-clean.jpg

    ✓ Zero AI fingerprints remain.

The pipeline

1. Pass 1: FFmpeg re-encode Re-encodes with -map_metadata -1 and +bitexact flags. In aggressive mode it also applies a tiny gaussian blur to break pixel fingerprints.

2. Pass 2: ExifTool nuclear strip Runs -all= to remove XMP, IPTC, residual EXIF, and other metadata FFmpeg can leave behind.

3. Pass 3: FFmpeg re-encode #2 Rebuilds the output again from the stripped intermediate file to remove lingering APP markers and container-level residue.

4. Pass 4: ExifTool final strip Performs a final metadata wipe on the finished output.

Result: a clean JPEG with zero AI fingerprints.

Options

| Flag | Description | Default | |:---|:---|:---| | -q, --quality <n> | JPEG quality (1-100) | 92 | | -s, --strip-only | Strip metadata only, no re-encoding | false | | -a, --aggressive | Gaussian blur (σ=0.3) + full pipeline | false | | -o, --output <file> | Output file path | <input>-clean.jpg | | -h, --help | Show help | — | | -V, --version | Show version | — | | (no args) | Launch interactive TUI | — |

Modes

| Mode | Flag | What it does | Use when | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | Standard | (default) | 4-pass strip + re-encode | Most use cases | | Aggressive | -a | Standard + imperceptible blur (σ=0.3) | Pixel-level detection is a concern | | Strip only | -s | Metadata removal, no re-encoding | You need exact pixel preservation | | Interactive | (no args) | Full TUI with guided prompts | First time using the tool |

CLI Skills

clean-image installs as a slash command in your AI coding CLI. Run the TUI and select "Install CLI skill", or install manually:

Claude Code

cp .claude/commands/clean-image.md ~/.claude/commands/

Then use /clean-image inside Claude Code.

Codex CLI

The skill auto-appends to ~/.codex/instructions.md via the installer.

OpenCode

cp .claude/commands/clean-image.md ~/.opencode/commands/

Then use /clean-image inside OpenCode.

One-step install for all CLIs

npx clean-image   # → select "Install CLI skill" → "All of them"

API

Use clean-image programmatically in your Node.js projects:

import { cleanImage, checkDeps } from 'clean-image';

// Check system dependencies
const missing = await checkDeps();
if (missing.length) {
  console.error(`Missing: ${missing.join(', ')}`);
  process.exit(1);
}

// Clean an image
const output = await cleanImage('input.png', {
  quality: 92,           // JPEG quality (1-100)
  aggressive: true,      // Enable pixel-level cleaning
  stripOnly: false,      // Set true to skip re-encoding
  output: 'clean.jpg',   // Custom output path (optional)
  onProgress: (msg) => console.log(msg),
});

console.log(`Cleaned: ${output}`);

How it compares

| Tool | Strips EXIF | Strips XMP | Strips C2PA | Re-encodes | Pixel cleaning | CLI + TUI | |:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | ExifTool | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | CLI only | | ImageMagick | Partial | Partial | No | Yes | No | CLI only | | Online tools | Varies | Varies | Varies | Yes | No | Web only | | clean-image | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both |

Requirements

• Node.js >= 16
• exiftool: metadata manipulation
• ffmpeg: image re-encoding

License

MIT