An open-source MCP server that connects Claude to Google's Nano Banana image models (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, and Nano Banana Pro for Gemini 3 Pro Image). Generate, edit, and compose images up to 4K without leaving the conversation.
→Generate images from a text prompt in 10 aspect ratios, up to 4K on the Pro model
→Edit existing images with a plain-language prompt (change backgrounds, add or remove elements, restyle)
→Compose up to 14 reference images into one composite (product shots, mockups, before and after)
→Free to start with a Google AI Studio key, open-source and self-hosted
Mike Roussell maintains it. It is free. One install, then Claude has hands on the open web.
Released 2026-05-25
Official
What you can do once it is installed
Ask Claude to generate a 16:9 blog header for your next article and hand back two variations. Point it at an existing product photo and have it swap the background for a clean studio gradient. Combine a product shot and a lifestyle scene into one composite mockup. Generate a batch of ad creative concepts in different aspect ratios from a single brief. The image step that used to mean opening a separate generator now happens in the same conversation where the copy is written.
Try these first
Starter prompts
Copy any of these into Claude after you install Nano Banana MCP to see it in action. Each prompt is generic enough to work in any workspace.
1
Generate a blog header
Generate a 16:9 blog header image for an article about a topic I'll name. Clean, modern, suitable for a marketing audience. Keep text out of the image. Give me two variations.
2
Edit an existing image
Here is an image (I'll attach it or point you at the file). Replace the background with a soft neutral studio gradient, keep the subject unchanged, and export it at 2K.
3
Compose a product mockup
Combine these reference images (a product shot and a lifestyle scene) into one composite that places the product naturally in the scene. Square aspect ratio, photorealistic.
What this MCP does
An MCP (Model Context Protocol server) is a packaged add-on that gives Claude new abilities. Install one and Claude can use it from then on. Nano Banana MCP is a free, open-source server that connects Claude to Google's Nano Banana image models. Nano Banana is Google's nickname for Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, and the newer Nano Banana Pro maps to Gemini 3 Pro Image. The tool surface covers text-to-image generation in 10 aspect ratios, prompt-based editing of existing images, multi-image composition of up to 14 references, and resolution up to 4K with text rendering and Google Search grounding on the Pro model. Unlike the hosted connectors that install with one click, this one is self-hosted: you download the server, build it once, add a free Google AI Studio key, and point Claude at it. Marketers and creators use it for social graphics, blog headers, ad concepts, image edits, and product mockups, all inside the Claude conversation where the rest of the work is already happening.
The four jobs it does best:
Text to image, up to 4K
Describe what you want and Nano Banana renders it. Pick from 10 aspect ratios for social, video, or print. The Pro model (Gemini 3 Pro Image) pushes resolution to 4K and renders legible text inside the image.
Edit images with a prompt
Point at an existing image and describe the change. Swap a background, remove a distraction, add an element, or restyle the whole thing, without opening a separate editor.
Compose multiple references
Combine up to 14 reference images into a single composite. Useful for product-in-scene shots, brand mockups, and before-and-after visuals built from source images you already have.
Runs inside the conversation
Because it is an MCP server, the image step lives in the same Claude chat where the brief and copy are written. Generate, react, and iterate without switching to another tool.
Who it is for
•Solo creators and marketers: the graphic you need for a post, a header, or an ad concept generates inside the same chat where you wrote the copy. No tab-switching, no separate image tool.
•Content and social teams: fast first-draft visuals at volume. Generate a batch of concepts, pick the strongest, and refine with an edit prompt instead of starting over.
•Builders comfortable with a terminal: this is a self-hosted MCP, so you are cloning a repo and editing a config file once. If that is familiar territory, setup takes about ten minutes.
•Skip if: you are not comfortable installing a local server, or you only use Claude in the browser. A hosted, one-click image connector will fit you better than this self-hosted route.
Ways marketers and operators use Nano Banana MCP
12 ways the same tool shows up across content, research, lead gen, and quality assurance work.
Marketing and social visuals
•Generate launch graphic concepts from a short brief
•Create blog and newsletter header images in 16:9
•Spin up ad creative variations in multiple aspect ratios
•Draft thumbnail concepts for a video or short
Image editing
•Swap or clean up the background of an existing photo
•Remove a distracting element without rebuilding the image
•Restyle an image to match a brand look
•Upscale a concept to 2K or 4K on the Pro model
Composition and mockups
•Place a product into a lifestyle scene from two source images
•Build a before-and-after composite from existing shots
•Combine brand elements into a single asset
•Generate variations from a reference image you provide
For teams running this at scale
The free tier covers light, occasional use. Teams generating images daily should expect to move onto a paid Google AI tier, where the Pro model unlocks 4K output and Google Search grounding. For shared use, the same server can run in HTTP mode so more than one person points at a single instance instead of each person installing their own.
RH
Russ Henneberry, theCLICK
We keep Nano Banana wired into Claude for theCLICK's image work, so this writeup is hands-on rather than theoretical. In practice that means generating social graphics and blog headers from a prompt, editing existing images without opening a separate tool, and composing product mockups from reference shots. The setup takes a few steps the first time (clone, build, add a free Google key), but once it is connected the images generate right inside the conversation. Current as of May 2026.
How to install Nano Banana MCP
Nano Banana MCP is a local server. You download it, build it once, add a free Google API key, and point Claude at it. Budget about ten minutes the first time. You will need Node.js 18 or higher installed.
1. Get a free Google AI key
Go to Google AI Studio and create an API key. The Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) tier is free to start. Keep the key somewhere safe. You will paste it into your config in step 3.
2. Download and build the server
Clone the repository, then install and build it:
git clone https://github.com/mikeroussell/nano-banana-mcp.git
cd nano-banana-mcp
npm install
npm run build
That creates the file the server runs from at dist/index.js. Run pwd in that folder to get the full path. You will need it in the next step.
3. Add it to Claude
There are two ways, depending on how you run Claude.
Claude Code (one command). Use your own key and the full path from step 2:
claude mcp add nano-banana -e GEMINI_API_KEY=your-key -- node /full/path/to/nano-banana-mcp/dist/index.js
Claude Desktop (edit the config file). Open claude_desktop_config.json and add the server:
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