🌐 Live site: lidge-jun.github.io/ima2-gen · 한국어
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, style sheets, and node branches. No OpenAI API key is required for image generation in the default path.
npx ima2-gen serveThen open http://localhost:3333.
If Codex is not logged in yet:
npx @openai/codex login
npx ima2-gen serveIf 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:
npm install -g ima2-gen
ima2 serveBefore 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.
- 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.
- Local gallery: keep generated assets on your machine with session-aware history.
- Reference images: drag, drop, paste, and attach up to 5 references; large images are compressed before upload.
- Style sheets: extract and reuse a visual direction across classic and node prompts.
- Observable jobs: active and recent jobs are tracked with safe logs and request IDs.
Image generation currently runs through the local Codex/ChatGPT OAuth path.
API keys may still be detected for auxiliary developer features such as billing checks or style-sheet extraction, but generation routes reject provider: "api" with APIKEY_DISABLED.
If the settings page says Configured but disabled, that means an API key exists in env/config but image generation still uses OAuth.
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— recommended balanced choice.gpt-5.4-mini— current default and faster draft model.gpt-5.5— 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.
Use Classic when you want one strong result quickly.
- Write a prompt.
- Attach or paste references if needed.
- Pick model, quality, size, format, and moderation.
- Generate, copy, download, or continue from the result.
Use Node mode when you want to explore branches.
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.
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.
The settings workspace keeps account, model, appearance, and language controls away from the generation sidebar.
Style sheets let you capture a reusable visual direction.
| 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 open |
Open the web UI |
ima2 reset |
Remove saved config |
These require a running ima2 serve.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ima2 gen <prompt> |
Generate from the CLI |
ima2 edit <file> --prompt <text> |
Edit an existing image |
ima2 ls |
List local history |
ima2 show <name> |
Reveal a generated asset |
ima2 ps |
List active jobs |
ima2 cancel <requestId> |
Mark an in-flight job canceled |
ima2 ping |
Health-check the running server |
The server advertises its actual port at ~/.ima2/server.json. If 3333 is busy, the backend can fall back to 3334+ and CLI commands follow the advertised URL. Override discovery with --server <url> or IMA2_SERVER=http://localhost:3333.
ima2 gen "poster" --model gpt-5.4 --mode direct --moderation low
ima2 edit input.png --prompt "make it rainy" --model gpt-5.4
ima2 ps --terminal
ima2 cancel <requestId>Config priority:
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 |
— | 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_NO_OAUTH_PROXY |
— | Set 1 to disable the auto-started OAuth proxy |
IMA2_LOG_LEVEL |
warn |
Normal serve defaults to warn; dev mode defaults to debug; supports debug, info, warn, error, or silent |
IMA2_INFLIGHT_TERMINAL_TTL_MS |
30000 |
Recent terminal job retention for debug views |
OPENAI_API_KEY |
— | API key for supported auxiliary paths, not image generation |
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.
The endpoint list moved to docs/API.md so this README can stay focused on first-run use.
Useful references:
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.
Images fail with APIKEY_DISABLED
Use OAuth for generation. API-key image generation is intentionally disabled in this build.
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.
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.
git clone https://github.com/lidge-jun/ima2-gen.git
cd ima2-gen
npm install
npm run dev
npm test
npm run buildnpm run dev builds the UI and starts server.js with --watch and verbose server diagnostics. Node mode is part of the packaged UI by default.
MIT