qwencloud-image-generation
Agent setup: If your agent doesn't auto-load skills (e.g. Claude Code), see agent-compatibility.md once per session.
Qwen Image Generation
Generate and edit images using Wan and Qwen Image models. Supports text-to-image, reference-image editing (style transfer, subject consistency, multi-image composition, text rendering), and interleaved text-image output. This skill is part of qwencloud/qwencloud-ai.
Skill directory
Use this skill's internal files to execute and learn. Load reference files on demand when the default path fails or you need details.
| Location | Purpose |
|---|---|
scripts/image.py |
Default execution — sync/async, upload, download |
references/execution-guide.md |
Fallback: curl (sync/async), code generation |
references/prompt-guide.md |
Prompt formulas, style keywords, negative_prompt, prompt_extend decision |
references/api-guide.md |
API supplement |
references/sources.md |
Official documentation URLs |
references/agent-compatibility.md |
Agent self-check: register skills in project config for agents that don't auto-load |
Security
NEVER output any API key or credential in plaintext. Always use variable references ($DASHSCOPE_API_KEY in shell, os.environ["DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"] in Python). Any check or detection of credentials must be non-plaintext: report only status (e.g. "set" / "not set", "valid" / "invalid"), never the value. Never display contents of .env or config files that may contain secrets.
When the API key is not configured, NEVER ask the user to provide it directly. Instead, help create a .env file with a placeholder (DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here) and instruct the user to replace it with their actual key from the QwenCloud Console. Only write the actual key value if the user explicitly requests it.
Key Compatibility
Scripts require a standard QwenCloud API key (sk-...). Coding Plan keys (sk-sp-...) cannot be used — image generation models are not available on Coding Plan, and Coding Plan does not support the native QwenCloud API. The script detects sk-sp- keys at startup and prints a warning. If qwencloud-ops-auth is installed, see its references/codingplan.md for full details.
Mode Selection Guide
| User Want | Mode | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Generate image from text only | t2i | wan2.6-t2i (default) |
| Edit image / apply style transfer based on 1–4 reference images | image-edit | wan2.6-image |
| Subject consistency: generate new images maintaining subject from references | image-edit | wan2.6-image |
| Multi-image composition: combine style from one image, background from another | image-edit | wan2.6-image |
| Single-image editing preserving subject consistency | i2i | wan2.5-i2i-preview |
| Multi-image fusion: place object from one image into another scene | i2i | wan2.5-i2i-preview |
| Interleaved text-image output (e.g., tutorials, step-by-step guides) | interleave | wan2.6-image |
| Fast text-to-image drafts | t2i | wan2.2-t2i-flash |
| Edit text within images, precise element manipulation | image-edit | qwen-image-2.0-pro |
| Multi-image fusion with realistic textures | image-edit | qwen-image-2.0-pro |
| Posters / complex Chinese+English text rendering | t2i | qwen-image-2.0-pro |
| Text-to-image with fixed aspect ratios (batch) | t2i | qwen-image-plus / qwen-image-max |
Model Selection
Wan Series (default)
| Model | Use Case |
|---|---|
| wan2.6-t2i | Recommended for text-to-image — sync + async, best quality |
| wan2.6-image | Image editing ONLY (NOT for pure text-to-image) — requires reference_images or enable_interleave: true. Style transfer, subject consistency (1–4 images), interleaved text-image output, 2K |
| wan2.5-i2i-preview | Image editing — single-image editing with subject consistency, multi-image fusion (up to 3 images), async-only |
| wan2.5-t2i-preview | Preview — free size within constraints |
| wan2.2-t2i-flash | Fast — lower latency |
| wan2.2-t2i-plus | Professional — improved stability |
Qwen Image Series
| Model | Use Case |
|---|---|
| qwen-image-2.0-pro | Fused generation + editing — text rendering, realistic textures, multi-image (1–3 input, 1–6 output) |
| qwen-image-2.0 | Accelerated generation + editing |
| qwen-image-edit-max | Image editing — 1–6 output images |
| qwen-image-edit-plus | Image editing — 1–6 output images |
| qwen-image-edit | Image editing — 1 output image only |
| qwen-image-plus | Text-to-image — fixed resolutions only (async) |
| qwen-image-max | Text-to-image — fixed resolutions only |
Qwen Image editing models (qwen-image-2.0-pro, qwen-image-2.0, qwen-image-edit-max/plus/edit) use the same sync endpoint as wan2.6-image (/multimodal-generation/generation) with messages format. They support text editing in images, element add/delete/replace, style transfer, and multi-image fusion (1–3 input images). Size range: 512x512 to 2048x2048. qwen-image-2.0-pro and qwen-image-2.0 also support pure text-to-image (no reference images needed).
Qwen Image text-to-image models (qwen-image-plus, qwen-image-max) use a different endpoint (/text2image/image-synthesis) with input.prompt format (async-only). They support only 5 fixed resolutions: 1664*928, 1472*1104, 1328*1328, 1104*1472, 928*1664.
Choosing between wan2.6-image and wan2.5-i2i-preview for image editing:
wan2.6-imagesupports up to 4 images, higher resolution (2K), interleaved text-image output, and sync mode. Use for multi-image style composition, interleaved tutorials.wan2.5-i2i-previewuses a simpler prompt-only editing interface (no messages format), supports up to 3 images, async-only. Use for straightforward single-image edits and multi-image object fusion.
- User specified a model → use directly.
- Consult the qwencloud-model-selector skill when model choice depends on requirement, scenario, or pricing.
- Text-to-image (prompt only, no reference images) → always use
wan2.6-t2i(default). NEVER usewan2.6-imagefor pure text-to-image — it will error without reference images orenable_interleave: true. - Reference images / image editing / interleaved output →
wan2.6-image(preferred) orwan2.5-i2i-preview.
⚠️ Important: The model list above is a point-in-time snapshot and may be outdated. Model availability changes frequently. Always check the official model list for the authoritative, up-to-date catalog before making model decisions.
Execution
⚠️ Multiple artifacts: When generating multiple files in a single session, you MUST append a numeric suffix to each filename (e.g.
out_1.png,out_2.png) to prevent overwrites.
Prerequisites
- API Key: Check that
DASHSCOPE_API_KEY(orQWEN_API_KEY) is set using a non-plaintext check only (e.g. in shell:[ -n "$DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" ]; report only "set" or "not set", never the key value). If not set: run the qwencloud-ops-auth skill if available; otherwise guide the user to obtain a key from QwenCloud Console and set it via.envfile (echo 'DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here' >> .envin project root or current directory) or environment variable. The script searches for.envin the current working directory and the project root. Skills may be installed independently — do not assume qwencloud-ops-auth is present. - Python 3.9+ (stdlib only, no pip install needed)
Environment Check
Before first execution, verify Python is available:
python3 --version # must be 3.9+
If python3 is not found, try python --version or py -3 --version. If Python is unavailable or below 3.9, skip to Path 2 (curl) in execution-guide.md.
Default: Run Script
Script path: Scripts are in the scripts/ subdirectory of this skill's directory (the directory containing this
SKILL.md). You MUST first locate this skill's installation directory, then ALWAYS use the full absolute path to execute
scripts. Do NOT assume scripts are in the current working directory. Do NOT use cd to switch directories before
execution.
Execution note: Run all scripts in the foreground — wait for stdout; do not background.
Discovery: Run python3 <this-skill-dir>/scripts/image.py --help first to see all available arguments.
# Text-to-image (wan2.6-t2i, default)
python3 <this-skill-dir>/scripts/image.py \
--request '{"prompt":"A cozy flower shop with wooden door"}' \
--output output/qwencloud-image-generation/images/out.png \
--print-response
# Image editing with reference images (wan2.6-image)
python3 <this-skill-dir>/scripts/image.py \
--model wan2.6-image \
--request '{"prompt":"Apply watercolor painting style to this photo","reference_images":["https://example.com/photo.jpg"],"n":1,"size":"1K"}' \
--output output/qwencloud-image-generation/images/out.png \
--print-response
More examples (interleaved output, wan2.5-i2i, qwen-image-2.0-pro, qwen-image-plus): See execution-guide.md
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
--request '{...}' |
JSON request body |
--file path.json |
Load request from file |
--async |
Force async mode (required for wan2.5 and older; auto-enabled for qwen-image-plus/max and interleaved output) |
--model ID |
Override model (wan2.6-t2i default; see model list in help) |
--output path |
Save image to path (or directory for multi-image output) |
--print-response |
Print response JSON to stdout |
Verify Result
- Exit code
0+ output contains valid JSON withoutput.resultsoroutput.task_id→ success - Non-zero exit, HTTP error, empty response, or error JSON → fail
- Async: submission must return
output.task_id; poll must reachtask_status: SUCCEEDED - Post-execution check: Verify the output file exists and has non-zero size (
ls -la <output_path>) - MANDATORY — stderr signal check: After confirming the result, scan the command's stderr output for
[ACTION_REQUIRED]or[UPDATE_AVAILABLE]. If either signal is present, you MUST follow the instructions in Update Check below before responding to the user.
On Failure
If the script fails, match the error output against the diagnostic table below to determine the resolution. If no match, read execution-guide.md for alternative paths: curl commands (Path 2 — sync and async), code generation (Path 3), and autonomous resolution (Path 5).
If Python is not available at all → skip directly to Path 2 (curl) in execution-guide.md.
| Error Pattern | Diagnosis | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
command not found: python3 |
Python not on PATH | Try python or py -3; install Python 3.9+ if missing |
Python 3.9+ required |
Script version check failed | Upgrade Python to 3.9+ |
SyntaxError near type hints |
Python < 3.9 | Upgrade Python to 3.9+ |
QWEN_API_KEY/DASHSCOPE_API_KEY not found |
Missing API key | Obtain key from QwenCloud Console; add to .env: echo 'DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-...' >> .env; or run qwencloud-ops-auth if available |
HTTP 401 |
Invalid or mismatched key | Run qwencloud-ops-auth (non-plaintext check only); verify key is valid |
SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED |
SSL cert issue (proxy/corporate) | macOS: run Install Certificates.command; else set SSL_CERT_FILE env var |
URLError / ConnectionError |
Network unreachable | Check internet; set HTTPS_PROXY if behind proxy |
HTTP 429 |
Rate limited | Wait and retry with backoff |
HTTP 5xx |
Server error | Retry with backoff |
PermissionError |
Can't write output | Use --output to specify writable directory |
Quick Reference
Request Fields (Common)
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
prompt |
string | Text description of the image to generate (required) |
negative_prompt |
string | Content to avoid in the image (max 500 chars) |
size |
string | Resolution — 1280*1280 (t2i default), 1K/2K or width*height (wan2.6-image) |
seed |
int | Random seed for reproducibility [0, 2147483647] |
model |
string | wan2.6-t2i (default) or other Wan model |
prompt_extend |
bool | Enable prompt rewriting (default: true; image editing mode only) |
Request Fields (wan2.6-image — Image Editing)
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
reference_images |
string[] | 1–4 image URLs or local paths for editing mode; 0–1 for interleave mode |
reference_image |
string | Single image URL/path (shorthand; reference_images takes precedence) |
enable_interleave |
bool | false (default): image editing mode; true: interleaved text-image output |
n |
int | Number of images to generate in editing mode (1–4, default: 1). Billed per image. |
max_images |
int | Max images in interleave mode (1–5, default: 5). Billed per image. |
watermark |
bool | Add "AI Generated" watermark (default: false) |
Other Models (wan2.5-i2i, qwen-image-edit, qwen-image-plus/max)
These models have specific parameter requirements:
| Model | Key Differences |
|---|---|
wan2.5-i2i-preview |
async-only, 1–3 images, prompt+images[] format (not messages) |
qwen-image-edit-* |
1–3 images, n=1–6 (except qwen-image-edit: n=1 only), no interleave |
qwen-image-plus/max |
async-only, n fixed at 1, 5 fixed resolutions only |
Full parameter tables: See api-guide.md for detailed parameters.
Size Reference (wan2.6-image)
- Editing mode:
1K(default, ~1280×1280) or2K(~2048×2048) - Interleave mode: pixel dimensions with total pixels in [768×768, 1280×1280]
Common aspect ratios: 1280*1280 (1:1), 960*1280 (3:4), 1280*960 (4:3), 720*1280 (9:16), 1280*720 (16:9)
Response Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
image_url |
URL of generated image (24h validity). Use this when chaining to another skill. |
image_urls |
Array of all image URLs (multi-image output, wan2.6-image, qwen-image-edit) |
image_count |
Number of generated images |
local_path |
Local file path of the downloaded image. Use this for user preview or non-API operations. |
local_paths |
Array of local file paths (multi-image output) |
interleaved_content |
Array of {type, text/image} objects (interleave mode) |
width / height |
Image dimensions |
seed |
Seed used |
API Details
- Sync endpoint (wan2.6-t2i, wan2.6-image editing, qwen-image-edit series):
POST /api/v1/services/aigc/multimodal-generation/generation - Async endpoint (wan2.6 and older t2i):
POST /api/v1/services/aigc/image-generation/generationwithX-DashScope-Async: enable - Async endpoint (wan2.5-i2i-preview):
POST /api/v1/services/aigc/image2image/image-synthesiswithX-DashScope-Async: enable - Async endpoint (qwen-image-plus, qwen-image-max):
POST /api/v1/services/aigc/text2image/image-synthesiswithX-DashScope-Async: enable - wan2.6-t2i resolution: Total pixels in [1280x1280, 1440x1440], aspect ratio [1:4, 4:1]
- wan2.6-image resolution: Editing mode [768x768, 2048x2048]; Interleave mode [768x768, 1280x1280]; aspect ratio [1:4, 4:1]
- Input images (wan2.6-image): JPEG/JPG/PNG/BMP/WEBP, 240–8000px per dimension, ≤10MB
- Local files: Script auto-uploads to DashScope temp storage (
oss://URL, 48h TTL). Pass local paths directly — no manual upload step needed. - Production: Default temp storage has 48h TTL and 100 QPS upload limit — not suitable for production, high-concurrency, or load-testing. To use your own OSS bucket, set
QWEN_TMP_OSS_BUCKETandQWEN_TMP_OSS_REGIONin.env, installpip install alibabacloud-oss-v2, and provide credentials viaQWEN_TMP_OSS_AK_ID/QWEN_TMP_OSS_AK_SECRETor the standardOSS_ACCESS_KEY_ID/OSS_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET. Use a RAM user with least-privilege (oss:PutObject+oss:GetObjecton target bucket only). If qwencloud-ops-auth is installed, see itsreferences/custom-oss.mdfor the full setup guide. - Interleaved sync: Requires streaming (
X-DashScope-Sse: enable+stream: true); use async mode via this script instead
Cross-Skill Chaining
When using generated images as input for another skill (e.g., video-gen i2v, vision analyze):
- Pass
image_urldirectly — do NOT download and re-pass as local path - All downstream scripts detect URL prefixes (
https://,oss://) and pass them through without re-upload - Use
local_pathonly for user preview or non-API operations (e.g., opening in editor)
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| Feed to another skill (video-gen, vision, image-edit) | image_url (URL) |
| Show to user / open in editor | local_path (local file) |
Error Handling
| HTTP | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | Invalid or missing API key | Run qwencloud-ops-auth if available; else prompt user to set key (non-plaintext check only) |
| 400 | Bad request (invalid prompt, size) | Verify parameters and constraints |
| 429 | Rate limited | Retry with exponential backoff |
| 5xx | Server error | Retry with exponential backoff |
Output Location
Prefer the current working directory. Default subdirectory: ./output/qwencloud-image-generation/.
Write prohibition: NEVER write output files into this skill's installation directory or any skills/ hierarchy. All generated content must go to output/ under the current working directory or a user-specified path.
Update Check (MANDATORY Post-Execution)
After script execution, check stderr for action signals. The script automatically detects update status and emits structured signals. You MUST act on them. This section also applies when the user explicitly asks to check for updates.
Signal: [ACTION_REQUIRED] qwencloud-update-check skill is not installed
When stderr contains this signal, you MUST present the following options to the user and wait for their response before proceeding. Do NOT silently skip this.
The update-check skill is not installed. It keeps you informed about new qwencloud/qwencloud-ai features and bug fixes.
- Install now — I'll run the install command for you
- Skip for now — do nothing this time
- Never remind me — permanently suppress this prompt
After the user responds:
- User chooses 1 → run:
npx skills add QwenCloud/qwencloud-ai --skill qwencloud-update-check -y, then run:python3 <this-skill-scripts-dir>/gossamer.py --dismiss - User chooses 2 → run:
python3 <this-skill-scripts-dir>/gossamer.py --dismiss, then continue normally - User chooses 3 → run:
python3 <this-skill-scripts-dir>/gossamer.py --never-install, then continue normally
Signal: [UPDATE_AVAILABLE]
When stderr contains this signal, you MUST append a brief update notice to your response, including the version info and the update command shown in the stderr output.
No signal in stderr
If stderr contains neither [ACTION_REQUIRED] nor [UPDATE_AVAILABLE], no action is needed — the skill is installed and up to date (or cached within 24h).
Explicit user request
When the user explicitly asks to check for updates (e.g. "check for updates", "check version"):
- Look for
qwencloud-update-check/SKILL.mdin sibling skill directories. - If found — run:
python3 <qwencloud-update-check-dir>/scripts/check_update.py --print-responseand report the result. - If not found — present the install options above.
References
- execution-guide.md — Fallback paths (curl sync/async, code generation, autonomous)
- api-guide.md — API supplementary guide
- sources.md — Official documentation URLs