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https://github.com/lidge-jun/ima2-gen

Minimal CLI + web UI for OpenAI GPT Image 2 generation. Dual auth: API Key (paid) or OAuth via ChatGPT (free). Text-to-image, image-to-image, parallel gen, custom sizes.
https://github.com/lidge-jun/ima2-gen

chatgpt cli express gpt-image-2 image-generation nodejs oauth openai

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Minimal CLI + web UI for OpenAI GPT Image 2 generation. Dual auth: API Key (paid) or OAuth via ChatGPT (free). Text-to-image, image-to-image, parallel gen, custom sizes.

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README 

          
# ima2-gen





  ima2-gen logo




[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/ima2-gen)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/ima2-gen)

[![Node.js](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%3E%3D20-brightgreen)](https://nodejs.org/)

[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)



> ๐ŸŒ **Live site**: [lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen](https://lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen/) ยท [ํ•œ๊ตญ์–ด](https://lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen/ko/)

>

> ๐Ÿ“– **Developer docs**: [Documentation site](https://lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen/docs) ยท [ํ•œ๊ตญ์–ด](https://lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen/ko/docs)

>

> **Read in other languages**: [ํ•œ๊ตญ์–ด](docs/README.ko.md) ยท [ๆ—ฅๆœฌ่ชž](docs/README.ja.md) ยท [็ฎ€ไฝ“ไธญๆ–‡](docs/README.zh-CN.md)



`ima2-gen` is a local image generation studio for people who want the ChatGPT/Codex image workflow in a small desktop-like web app.



Run it with `npx`, sign in with Codex OAuth, type a prompt, and keep iterating with history, references, node branches, multimode batches, and Canvas Mode cleanup. No OpenAI API key is required for the default path, but API-key generation and bundled Grok generation are also supported when configured.



![ima2-gen classic generation screen with prompt composer, generated image, compact model label, and result metadata.](assets/screenshots/classic-generate-light.png)



## Quick Start



```bash

npx ima2-gen serve

```



Then open `http://localhost:3333`.



If Codex is not logged in yet:



```bash

npx @openai/codex login

npx ima2-gen serve

```



To generate a video from the CLI:



```bash

ima2 video "a cat playing piano" --duration 5 --resolution 720p

ima2 video "animate this scene" --ref photo.png --duration 10

```



If `3333` is already occupied, `ima2-gen` binds the next available port and writes the actual URL to `~/.ima2/server.json`. Use `ima2 open` or the URL printed in the terminal instead of assuming the port.



You can also install it globally:



```bash

npm install -g ima2-gen

ima2 serve

```



### Setup



`ima2 setup` offers four authentication choices:



1. **GPT OAuth** โ€” login with ChatGPT account (free, images only)

2. **Grok OAuth** โ€” login with xAI/Grok account (images + video)

3. **Both** โ€” GPT OAuth + Grok OAuth (full feature access)

4. **API Key** โ€” paste your OpenAI API key (paid)



Video generation requires Grok OAuth (option 2 or 3). Run `ima2 grok login` separately if you already have GPT OAuth configured and want to add video support.



Before updating a global install on Windows, stop any running `ima2 serve`

process. If npm reports `EBUSY` or `resource busy or locked`, close ima2

terminals, end stale `node.exe` processes if needed, and retry. If the lock

persists, reboot and run the update before starting ima2 again.



## What It Does



- **Classic mode**: generate, edit, reuse the current image, paste references, and continue from history.

- **Node mode**: branch a good image into multiple directions without losing the original.

- **Multimode batches**: launch several Classic outputs from one prompt, watch slot-by-slot progress, and continue from the best result.

- **Video generation**: create short videos from text, a single image, or multiple reference images via Grok video models. SSE streaming shows planning โ†’ submitted โ†’ progress % โ†’ done.

- **Canvas Mode**: zoom, pan, annotate, erase, clean backgrounds, keep transparent previews, and export either alpha or matte-backed versions.

- **Local gallery**: keep generated assets on your machine with session-aware history. By default the gallery shows the current session and an All Images toggle reveals the full history; the default scope is sticky across sessions. Each image records its generation time and reasoning effort in the result metadata, so they persist across reloads.

- **Reference images**: drag, drop, paste, and attach up to 5 references (images) or up to 7 references (video); large images are compressed before upload.

- **Prompt library imports**: import local prompt packs, GitHub folders, and curated GPT-image prompt hints into the built-in prompt library.

- **Mobile shell**: use the app bar, compose sheet, and compact settings toggle on smaller screens.

- **Observable jobs**: active and recent jobs are tracked with safe logs and request IDs.



## Provider Paths



Image generation can run through the local Codex/ChatGPT OAuth path, a configured OpenAI API key, or the bundled Grok provider.



- `provider: "oauth"` uses the local Codex OAuth proxy.

- `provider: "api"` calls the OpenAI Responses API with the hosted `image_generation` tool.

- `provider: "grok"` starts bundled `progrok` on `127.0.0.1:18645`, runs mandatory xAI Web Search plus a `grok-4.3` planner pass, then calls xAI Images API through the local proxy.

- API-key generation supports classic generate, edit, mask-guided edit, multimode, and node generation.

- Grok generation supports Classic, Node, and Agent flows. If a Classic reference, Node parent image, or Agent current image is present, ima2 switches the final Grok call to xAI image edit so image-to-image context is preserved.



If no provider is specified, the app keeps the current OAuth/default behavior. API-key generation defaults to `gpt-5.4-mini`, `low` reasoning, and `1024x1024` unless the request passes validated model, reasoning, size, or web-search options. Grok defaults to `grok-imagine-image`; `quality: "high"` promotes the final image call to `grok-imagine-image-quality`.



Grok video generation uses `grok-imagine-video` (default) or `grok-imagine-video-1.5-preview`. Three modes are auto-detected from reference count: text-to-video (0 refs), image-to-video (1 ref), and reference-to-video (2โ€“7 refs, max 10s duration). Video controls include duration (1โ€“15s), resolution (480p, 720p), and aspect ratio (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, auto).



![Settings workspace showing OAuth active and API key provider available.](assets/screenshots/settings-oauth-generation.png)



## Model Guidance



The app defaults to **`gpt-5.4-mini`** for fast local iteration. Switch to **`gpt-5.4`** when you want the safest balanced image workflow.



- `gpt-5.4` โ€” recommended balanced choice.

- `gpt-5.4-mini` โ€” current default and faster draft model.

- `gpt-5.5` โ€” strongest quality option when your Codex CLI/OAuth backend supports it. It may use more quota, expose different tool capabilities, or require updating Codex CLI before it works reliably.



The app also exposes quality (`low`, `medium`, `high`) and moderation (`auto`, `low`) controls.



## Workflows



### Classic Mode



Use Classic when you want one strong result quickly.



1. Write a prompt.

2. Attach or paste references if needed.

3. Pick model, quality, size, format, and moderation.

4. Generate one image, or enable multimode to fan out several candidate slots from the same prompt.

5. Copy, download, continue from the result, or send it into Canvas Mode.



For a control-by-control guide to Prompt Studio, multimode recipes, Direct mode,

reasoning effort, and gallery favorite behavior, see the

[Prompt Studio manual](docs/PROMPT_STUDIO.md).



![Multimode sequence with four candidate slots generating from one prompt and active job history in the sidebar.](assets/screenshots/multimode-sequence.png)



### Node Mode



Use Node mode when you want to explore branches.



![Node mode with connected generated cards and compact per-node metadata.](assets/screenshots/node-graph-branching.png)



Each node keeps its own prompt and result. Root nodes can attach local references; child nodes use the parent image as their source. Completed jobs are matched back to nodes by request ID, so reloads and graph version conflicts can recover finished results.



### Canvas Mode



Use Canvas Mode when a generated image is close but needs targeted cleanup before the next prompt.



- Separate viewport panning from selection so you can move around a zoomed image without accidentally changing annotations.

- Use annotation, eraser, multiselect, grouping, undo/redo, and sticky notes while keeping the original gallery image available.

- Pick background-cleanup seeds, preview the mask, and save the cleanup as a canvas version.

- Detect transparent images and show a checkerboard preview; export with preserved alpha or with a chosen matte color.

- Saved canvas versions stay hidden from Gallery and HistoryStrip, but Canvas Mode can reuse them and attach a canvas version as the next reference.



![Canvas Mode with zoom controls, annotation marks, a sticky note, and the canvas toolbar.](assets/screenshots/canvas-mode-cleanup.png)



### Prompt Library And Imports



The prompt library can now be filled from local files, GitHub folders, curated sources, and GPT-image hint packs. Imported prompts are indexed locally so search and ranking work without re-importing the same source every session.



![Prompt import dialog for bringing prompts into the library, showing GitHub folder controls, curated sources, and searched prompt candidates before import.](assets/screenshots/prompt-import-dialog.png)



### Experimental Card News Mode



Card News is still dev-only and experimental. It is hidden in the default

published runtime unless explicitly enabled for development, and it should not

be treated as a stable public feature yet.



### Settings



The settings workspace keeps account, model, appearance, and language controls away from the generation sidebar.



![Settings workspace with account navigation and generation model controls.](assets/screenshots/settings-workspace.png)



## CLI Commands



### Server



| Command | Description |

|---|---|

| `ima2 serve [--dev]` | Start the local web server; `--dev` enables verbose server diagnostics |

| `ima2 setup` | Reconfigure saved auth |

| `ima2 status` | Show config and OAuth status |

| `ima2 doctor` | Diagnose Node, package, config, and auth |

| `ima2 doctor image-probe [--json]` | Run sanitized image probes for no-image diagnostics |

| `ima2 open` | Open the web UI |

| `ima2 reset` | Remove saved config |



### Client



These require a running `ima2 serve`. The CLI covers every server route. The most common ones are below โ€” the [full CLI reference](docs/CLI.md) lists everything (generation, history, sessions, prompt library, annotations, Card News, observability, config).



| Command | Description |

|---|---|

| `ima2 gen ` | Generate from the CLI |

| `ima2 edit  --prompt ` | Edit an existing image |

| `ima2 multimode ` | Multi-image SSE generation |

| `ima2 video ` | Video generation via Grok (SSE streaming with progress) |

| `ima2 ls [--session ] [--favorites]` | List recent history |

| `ima2 show  [--metadata]` | Reveal a generated asset |

| `ima2 prompt ls -q ` | Search the prompt library |

| `ima2 inflight ls [--terminal]` | List active and recent jobs (alias of `ps`) |

| `ima2 config set  ` | Write to `~/.ima2/config.json` |

| `ima2 ping` | Health-check the running server |



The server advertises its actual port at `~/.ima2/server.json`. If `3333` is busy, the backend falls back to `3334+` and CLI commands follow the advertised URL. Override discovery with `--server ` or `IMA2_SERVER=http://localhost:3333`.



```bash

ima2 gen "poster" --model gpt-5.4 --reasoning-effort high

ima2 edit input.png --prompt "make it rainy" --web-search

ima2 multimode "two cats playing" -n 2

ima2 video "a cat playing piano" --duration 5 --resolution 720p

ima2 video "animate this" --ref photo.png --aspect-ratio 16:9

ima2 inflight ls --terminal

ima2 config set imageModels.reasoningEffort high

```



Full reference: [docs/CLI.md](docs/CLI.md).



## Configuration



Config priority:



```text

environment variables > ~/.ima2/config.json > built-in defaults

```



| Variable | Default | Description |

|---|---:|---|

| `IMA2_PORT` / `PORT` | `3333` | Web server port |

| `IMA2_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | Web server bind host |

| `IMA2_OAUTH_PROXY_PORT` / `OAUTH_PORT` | `10531` | OAuth proxy port |

| `IMA2_SERVER` | โ€” | CLI target override |

| `IMA2_CONFIG_DIR` | `~/.ima2` | Config and SQLite location |

| `IMA2_ADVERTISE_FILE` | `~/.ima2/server.json` | Runtime discovery file |

| `IMA2_GENERATED_DIR` | `~/.ima2/generated` | Generated image directory |

| `IMA2_IMAGE_MODEL_DEFAULT` | `gpt-5.4-mini` | Server fallback image model |

| `IMA2_REASONING_EFFORT` | `medium` | Default reasoning effort for the default (OAuth) path; one of `none`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh` |

| `IMA2_NO_OAUTH_PROXY` | โ€” | Set `1` to disable the auto-started OAuth proxy |

| `IMA2_LOG_LEVEL` | `info` | Normal serve defaults to `info`; dev mode defaults to `debug`; supports `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`, or `silent` |

| `IMA2_INFLIGHT_TERMINAL_TTL_MS` | `300000` | Recent terminal job retention for debug views |

| `OPENAI_API_KEY` | โ€” | API key for the `provider: "api"` Responses API image path and auxiliary API-key features |

| `IMA2_API_IMAGE_MODEL_DEFAULT` | `gpt-5.4-mini` | Default image model for `provider: "api"` |

| `IMA2_API_REASONING_EFFORT` | `low` | Default reasoning effort for `provider: "api"` |

| `IMA2_API_IMAGE_SIZE` | `1024x1024` | Default size for `provider: "api"` |

| `IMA2_API_ALLOW_WEB_SEARCH` | `true` | Toggle web search for `provider: "api"` |

| `IMA2_GROK_PROXY_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | Host for the bundled progrok proxy |

| `IMA2_GROK_PROXY_PORT` | `18645` | Port for the bundled progrok proxy |

| `IMA2_NO_GROK_PROXY` | โ€” | Set `1` to disable automatic progrok startup |

| `IMA2_GROK_PLANNER_MODEL` | `grok-4.3` | Grok search/planner model before the final Images API call |

| `IMA2_GROK_PLANNER_TIMEOUT_MS` | `60000` | Timeout for Grok search and planner calls |

| `IMA2_GROK_IMAGE_MODEL_DEFAULT` | `grok-imagine-image` | Default final Grok image model |

| `IMA2_GROK_GENERATION_TIMEOUT_MS` | `120000` | Timeout for the final Grok Images API call |

| `IMA2_OAUTH_MASKED_EDIT_ENABLED` | `false` | Opt-in feature flag for masked-edit requests on the OAuth path (#31, groundwork only) |



### Logging modes



`ima2 serve` keeps terminal output intentionally quiet: startup URLs, warnings, and errors stay visible, while request/node/OAuth structured logs are hidden by default.



Use `ima2 serve --dev`, `npm run dev`, or `IMA2_LOG_LEVEL=debug ima2 serve` when you need request IDs, node generation phases, OAuth stream diagnostics, or inflight state transitions. Explicit `IMA2_LOG_LEVEL` and `~/.ima2/config.json` values still override the built-in defaults.



## API Reference



The endpoint list moved to [docs/API.md](docs/API.md) so this README can stay focused on first-run use.



Useful references:



- [Developer documentation site](https://lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen/docs) โ€” Overview, Quickstart, Architecture, Modes, Providers, CLI, Config, and Server API

- [CLI Reference](docs/CLI.md)

- [API Reference](docs/API.md)

- [Prompt Studio manual](docs/PROMPT_STUDIO.md)

- [FAQ](docs/FAQ.md)

- [Recover old images](docs/RECOVER_OLD_IMAGES.md)

- [Korean README](docs/README.ko.md)

- [Japanese README](docs/README.ja.md)

- [Chinese README](docs/README.zh-CN.md)



## Troubleshooting



**`ima2 ping` says the server is unreachable**

Start `ima2 serve`, then check `~/.ima2/server.json`. You can also run `ima2 ping --server http://localhost:3333`.



**OAuth login does not work**

Run `npx @openai/codex login`, confirm `ima2 status`, then restart `ima2 serve`.



**`fetch failed` repeats on a proxy/VPN network**

Check that the local OAuth proxy is reachable. On networks that require a proxy, enable your proxy client's TUN/TURN-style mode, then retry `npx openai-oauth --port 10531`. If it still fails, set `HTTP_PROXY` and `HTTPS_PROXY` in the same terminal that runs `ima2 serve` or `openai-oauth`. On Windows, also check for auto-start network interception tools, including DNS/fragmentation bypass tools such as SecretDNS, because they can break OAuth or streaming image responses even when the browser appears connected.



**Images fail with `API_KEY_REQUIRED`**

Set `OPENAI_API_KEY` or configure an API key before using `provider: "api"`. The default OAuth path still works without an API key.



**Image generation returns `EMPTY_RESPONSE` or no image data**

Run `ima2 doctor image-probe --json > ima2-image-probe.json` and attach the safe JSON when opening an issue. For OAuth cases, also capture `ima2 gen "๊ณ ์–‘์ด" --no-web-search --json` and `ima2 gen "๊ณ ์–‘์ด" --json` while `ima2 serve` is running. Do not share ChatGPT cookies, OAuth token files, API keys, raw upstream responses, prompt history, or generated base64. See the [FAQ support bundle](docs/FAQ.md#what-should-i-share-when-oauth-image-generation-returns-no-image).



**A large reference image fails**

The app compresses large JPEG/PNG references before upload. If a file still fails, convert it to JPEG or PNG at a lower resolution and try again. HEIC/HEIF files are not supported by the browser path.



**Old gallery images are missing after updating**

Recent versions moved generated images from the installed package folder to `~/.ima2/generated`. Run `ima2 doctor` and see [Recover old images](docs/RECOVER_OLD_IMAGES.md).



**`gpt-5.5` fails but other models work**

Update Codex CLI first, then retry. If it still fails, your account or backend route may not expose the same image capability or quota for `gpt-5.5` yet; use `gpt-5.4` as the stable fallback.



**The app opened on a different port**

If the requested server port is busy, `ima2-gen` falls back to the next available port and records it in `~/.ima2/server.json`. If the port is unexpectedly `3457`, your shell may also have inherited `PORT=3457` from another local tool. Run `unset PORT` or start with `IMA2_PORT=3333 ima2 serve`.



**Port `10531` is already used on Windows**

Some Windows security tools, including `AnySign4PC.exe`, may occupy the default OAuth proxy port. Current builds track the actual fallback OAuth port. If you still need a manual override, start with `IMA2_OAUTH_PROXY_PORT=11531 ima2 serve` and check `ima2 doctor`.



For more beginner-friendly answers, see the [FAQ](docs/FAQ.md).



## Development



```bash

git clone https://github.com/lidge-jun/ima2-gen.git

cd ima2-gen

npm install

npm run dev

npm run typecheck

npm test

npm run build

```



`npm run dev` builds the UI and starts the TypeScript server entry with `--watch` and verbose server diagnostics. `npm run typecheck`, `npm run build:server`, and `npm run build:cli` verify the TypeScript migration and package emit path. Node mode and Canvas Mode are part of the packaged UI by default.



## License



MIT