PixelLab Pip

Use for PixelLab/Pip setup, auth, MCP/API routing, asset generation, editing, animation, skeleton/template/preset animations, docs/troubleshooting, bark completion sounds, and explicit PixelLab cost/budget/credit questions across MCP, REST v2/API, website/editor Pixelorama, Aseprite, and legacy v1. Trigger only when PixelLab context is present, including PixelLab setup, MCP/API setup, PIXELLAB_SECRET, bearer-token auth, PixelLab sprites, sprite sheets, characters, portrait characters, fonts, objects, tiles, tilesets, tilemaps, maps, UI, icons, backgrounds, palettes, image edits, animations, skeletons, template animations, preset animations, endpoint choice, SDK integration, troubleshooting, or PixelLab credits/cost/budget. Do not trigger for unrelated Python pip/package-manager requests or generic image/pixel-art requests with no PixelLab intent.

Classify the request, choose the supported PixelLab surface, then act. Answer questions directly when the request is a question.

Workflow

1. Classify intent; values combine, such as animate + cost_sensitive: question | setup | bark | create asset | edit/transform | animate | prompt_enhancement | cost_sensitive | integrate/code | check balance/status | troubleshoot docs/API | website/editor assistance | aseprite_integration. A standalone setup or bark word after an explicit skill invocation, such as /pixellab-pip setup or @pixellab-pip bark off, is that intent. For setup, read references/setup.md and run the wizard contract: recommend MCP + API first, support MCP-only/API-only/manual modes, and change settings only after a token-free preview and explicit approval. For bark, read references/bark.md and apply the persistent toggle contract.
2. Classify the target: general_image | skill_icon | item_icon | background | character | portrait_character | font | object | effect_vfx | ui | whole_map | map_image | map_object | top_down_tileset | sidescroller_tileset | isometric_tile | tile_variants | animation | existing_image. Fitted visual additions to an existing character image, such as hair, facial features, wearables, accessories, or held gear, are existing_image paperdoll edits, not standalone object requests, unless the user explicitly wants a separate unattached prop.
3. Choose the surface with Surface Rules, then the route with the Intent Router. When the user explicitly asks for Aseprite handling, read references/aseprite-cli.md; PixelLab MCP/REST generates, documented Aseprite CLI/Lua handles local workspace, import/export, packaging, and launch only.
4. Use MCP only if PixelLab MCP tools are visible as callable tools, bare or prefixed such as mcp__pixellab__create_character (match by suffix). If the user explicitly asked for MCP, do not silently fall back; report that MCP is unavailable and offer setup or an approved REST v2 fallback. Otherwise, when MCP is unavailable, use the matching documented REST v2 endpoint. If both are unavailable or fail, explain why before any non-PixelLab fallback.
5. Before repeated paid prompt-only retries, inspect the chosen tool or endpoint schema for generation controls such as guidance, adherence/strength, seed, reference images, palette images, or style options, and use the ones that target the failure mode. Refresh official docs only when a needed tool, endpoint, field, auth, SDK, pricing, or model/mode fact is missing or unclear (see Current Docs Refresh).
6. For consistency-sensitive work, summarize the user's identity, style, palette, view, and reference anchors. Ask up to three blocking questions before a credit-spending call.
7. Prepare natural-language parameters per Text Preparation. For non-English or mixed-language requests, read references/localization.md.
8. For animation, preserve the user's requested frame count; otherwise use the endpoint or template default. Exception: preset/template character animations take no frame_count; pick a matching template id such as walking-8-frames (catalog in references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md) or fall back to v3 custom mode. Preserve PixelLab's returned frame order; no ping-pong, reversed, duplicated, or trimmed outputs unless the user asks for that playback style.
9. If the user says cheap, budget, low-cost, fewer credits, or similar, read references/cost-routing.md before choosing a paid route, and ask before each extra paid attempt unless a concrete budget or attempt count was approved.
10. Before live generation, confirm the PixelLab bearer token is configured without asking the user to paste it into chat (see Auth And Execution).
11. Act or answer. Ask a short clarification only for known collisions.

Asset Integrity

• Every pixel of requested art must originate from PixelLab or the user. Local tools may read, download, assemble, package, import/export, preview, verify, mask, pad, crop, resize, and format-convert those pixels. Locally authored generation controls such as masks, palette swatches/color_image, reference guides, and shape templates are allowed as inputs; report them as inputs. Do not draw, repaint, or synthesize requested content locally unless the user explicitly approves a labeled non-PixelLab fallback.
• Do not bake a colored, checkerboard, white, black, green-screen, or matte background into transparent frames, final GIFs, spritesheets, previews, or report images unless the user explicitly asks for it. A checkerboard is allowed only as a clearly labeled inspection aid kept separate from final deliverables.
• Do not post-process PixelLab output into a claimed final asset without explicit approval. Local crop/split/format work that preserves original pixels is allowed when reported honestly; resizing, reassembling, compositing, or repairing failed outputs locally must not be called final without approval. Exception: when a request used no_background: true but the output kept a background, read references/background-removal.md and attempt safe removal when verification shows the background is removable without changing the art.
• Save downloaded generations, derived previews, manifests, and packages under a project pixellab-pip-generations/ folder unless the user names another location. Produce only the requested output formats or the route's minimal standard artifacts, such as original frames plus a spritesheet for animation; no APNG or extra preview/viewer formats unless asked.

Surface Rules

Surface	Use for	Avoid
Hosted MCP	Managed PixelLab assets with IDs, polling, downloads, list/get/delete helpers, and project/sandbox/agent helpers, including create_ui_asset, create_font, or create_portrait_character when visible.	Raw image/edit primitives MCP does not expose, REST-only controls such as style_image or project_id, or any MCP call when PixelLab MCP tools are not visible.
REST v2	Scripts, batch jobs, server integrations, exact endpoint control, generic images, backgrounds, UI, inpaint/edit, prompt enhancement, raw animation, rotate, resize, remove background.	Guessing SDK methods without checking the installed SDK or current docs.
Website / Map Workshop	Human product surface, full-map manual work, rich libraries, visible browser assistance.	Programmatic use of copied browser session tokens or undocumented internal endpoints used by first-party surfaces.
Aseprite plugin	In-editor workflows when the user is actively working inside Aseprite.	Treating private first-party extension endpoints as public REST/MCP contracts.
Aseprite CLI	Explicit Aseprite handling after PixelLab produced files: .aseprite workspaces, importing frames as layers/frames/tags, palette work, export/open via documented CLI/Lua.	Mouse/OCR UI automation or hidden control of the PixelLab Aseprite extension.
Pixelorama / website editor	The PixelLab website editor is Pixelorama-powered; assist it only as visible browser automation after explicit permission, and ask again before login/session actions, spending credits, generations, downloads, edits, or deletes.	Hidden automation, undocumented endpoint calls, or any destructive action without a second confirmation.
REST v1	Existing legacy code and old SDK compatibility.	New work unless the user explicitly needs v1.

Hosted MCP tool names are not REST endpoints; do not curl MCP tool names as /v2/... paths.

Intent Router

User intent	Default route	REST v2 route for code/exact control
Character, player, NPC, enemy, creature	MCP create_character, then create_character_state, animate_character, get_character, list/delete helpers. For a follow-up animation on a multi-direction character, animate south first; ask before animating all directions.	create-character-v3, create-character-with-4-directions, create-character-with-8-directions, create-character-pro, state/animation/tags/ZIP/list/get/delete endpoints.
Portrait-to-character or character-to-portrait	MCP create_portrait_character + get_portrait_character when visible.	portrait-character-pro (Pro image conversion). Supplied-image roles: references/image-input-roles.md.
Pixel/bitmap font, font atlas	MCP create_font + get_font when visible.	generate-font-pro (Pro).
Skill/ability/spell/action-bar/hotbar icon, inventory item/equipment/loot/pickup icon, or icon sheet	Read references/icons.md before choosing an endpoint or generating.	The reference covers route choice, background defaults, sheet sizing, prompt wording, and verification.
Standalone object, prop, pickup, weapon, furniture (not an icon)	MCP create_1_direction_object, create_8_direction_object, object state/animation/review tools. Object creation is Pro Tools (20-40 generations).	create-1-direction-object, create-8-direction-object, object state/animation/tags/list/get/delete endpoints.
Top-down terrain/Wang/autotile tileset	Read references/tilesets.md, then MCP create_topdown_tileset.	create-tileset, tilesets.
Sidescroller/platformer tileset	Read references/tilesets.md, then MCP create_sidescroller_tileset.	create-tileset-sidescroller.
Isometric tile/block/floor	MCP create_isometric_tile; map thickness wording to tile_shape (thin, thick, block).	create-isometric-tile with isometric_tile_shape (thin tile, thick tile, block).
Tile variants (hex, octagon, square, isometric singles)	MCP create_tiles_pro.	create-tiles-pro, tiles-pro/{tile_id}.
General image, sprite, standalone asset that is not a skill/item icon	REST v2. For explicit Create Image Pro, generate-image-v2, exact grids/sheets, or below-32px cells, read references/create-image-pro.md first.	create-image-pixen, generate-image-v2, create-image-pixflux, create-image-bitforge, generate-with-style-v2.
Background, scene, backdrop	REST v2 image generation; no hosted MCP background tool is documented.	create-image-pixflux-background; verify current size/field support before exact code.
UI, HUD, button, panel, health bar, menu	REST v2 create-ui-asset (Pro) for structured/saved UI assets, pieces, named elements, style_image, or project_id; MCP create_ui_asset when MCP-first and its visible schema has the needed fields; generate-ui-v2 for loose/raw UI images, especially with a concept_image.	Do not route shape-piece/layout requests to generate-ui-v2.
Image edit, inpaint, mask, convert, resize, remove background	REST v2.	inpaint, inpaint-v3 (Pro), edit-image, edit-images-v2, image-to-pixelart, image-to-pixelart-pro, resize, remove-background.
Fitted paperdoll addition on an existing character image	Treat as an existing_image edit anchored on the base frame; read references/paperdolling.md before choosing layer/composite outputs.	Do not use object generation for fitted layers unless the user explicitly wants an unattached prop.
Style-reference or consistent-style generation	REST v2.	generate-with-style-v2 or generate-image-v2 style/reference fields after checking current docs.
Editor-only utilities (Canny/Pose/Depth, reduce colors, unzoom, pixel correction, reshape)	Read references/editor-only-utilities.md. For file-level palette quantization/reduction/replacement, read references/aseprite-cli.md even without explicit Aseprite wording.	No public REST/MCP route exists for these; do not invent /v2/... routes.
Try on garment/accessory	Website Try on (single composited image); REST transfer-outfit-v2 only for animation-frame outfit transfer.	Try on does not return isolated paperdoll layers.
Multi-image combine/edit	REST v2 edit-images-v2 for documented multi-source edits; website/editor for visual experimental flows.	Aseprite's generate-multi-edit is an internal endpoint, not public REST.
Prompt enhancement	Matching enhance endpoint or inline enhance_prompt per Text Preparation.	enhance-pixen-prompt, enhance-character-v3-prompt, enhance-animation-v3-prompt.
Preset/template/built-in animation, named motion, or custom skeleton/keypoints	Read references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md; it splits MCP managed-template vs REST raw-skeleton routes.	Do not call website root /generate-animation/background or Aseprite extension internals.
Auto-rig, estimate skeleton, animate from keypoints	Read references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md.	estimate-skeleton, then animate-with-skeleton.
Raw non-skeleton animation, interpolation, outfit transfer, rotate	REST v2 unless animating a managed MCP character/object. Read references/animation.md for frame anchors, idle-loop risk, and verification.	animate-with-text-v3, edit-animation-v2, interpolation-v2, transfer-outfit-v2, rotate, generate-8-rotations-v2/v3. No public 4-rotation route.
Map image / visual level concept	REST v2 image/background route; website or Aseprite for map extension workflows.	No public map CRUD/extension/texture surface is documented.
Map object	MCP create_map_object + get_map_object; download promptly — MCP map objects auto-delete after 8 hours.	POST /map-objects (POST-only; verify polling shape from OpenAPI).
Whole map, Map Workshop, map CRUD/export	Website manually, or generate components via MCP/REST.	No public map CRUD surface is documented.
Static effect/VFX sprite	If a target image is supplied and the user asks to add an effect to it, REST image edit on that target; otherwise object/image generation for a separate reusable asset.	Edit routes return a whole edited image, not an isolated effect layer; no standalone VFX endpoint exists.
Animated effect/VFX	REST v2 raw animation, or MCP object animation for a managed object.	animate-with-text-v3, animate-with-skeleton, or object animation endpoints; VFX is a description, not an endpoint.
Balance, credits, account check	MCP get_balance if available.	GET /balance.
REST async job status	GET /background-jobs/{job_id}.	MCP managed assets use resource-specific get_* tools instead.
PixelLab projects, sandbox, chat, deployed agents, MCP help/feedback	Read references/mcp-platform-tools.md before using list_projects, sandbox_*, chat_*, or agent_* tools.	No public REST v2 equivalent is documented.

Clarify Only For Collisions

• "Tiles": terrain/autotile tileset, platformer tileset, or individual tile variants?
• "Map": whole map, map object, map image, tileset, isometric tile, or tile variants?
• "Isometric tileset": one isometric tile or a full set? Public docs expose a single-tile route.
• "Object/character": infer character for people, NPCs, creatures, or identity/state animation; object for standalone props, pickups, furniture, weapons. Ask only if unclear.
• Animation direction on a multi-direction character: default to south for one preview candidate; ask only when south is unavailable, directions are unknown, or the user needs another gameplay-facing direction. Animate all directions only on explicit request or approval.
• "Effect": static or animated? If a target image is supplied, infer a one-off edit; ask reusable-asset vs one-off only without a clear edit target.
• "Paperdoll": gather base image, desired layers, target regions, directions, and whether the user wants separate transparent layer files, editor layers, composited previews, or both; see references/paperdolling.md.
• Supplied images: infer each file's low-risk endpoint-specific role from wording. Before credit-spending calls, ask when role uncertainty (identity vs style vs concept vs edit target vs mask vs palette vs first/last frame) would change the endpoint or output; see references/image-input-roles.md.
• If prompt enhancement adds material inferred details, show the proposed description and confirm before a credit-spending call.

References

Read only the relevant reference:

• Bearer-token setup, PixelLab UI naming, MCP auth reuse: references/credentials.md.
• Setup wizard for MCP, REST v2 fallback, auth after install: references/setup.md.
• Persistent completion sound toggle: references/bark.md.
• Safe post-processing when no_background: true fails: references/background-removal.md.
• Skill/ability and inventory item icon sheets: references/icons.md.
• Create Image Pro, exact grids, below-32px cells: references/create-image-pro.md.
• Cheap/budget/credit-minimizing route selection: references/cost-routing.md.
• Paperdolling and layered characters: references/paperdolling.md.
• Tilesets and tile variants: references/tilesets.md.
• Supplied image roles, endpoint image fields, fixed-size image-to-pixelart: references/image-input-roles.md.
• Non-English or mixed-language requests: references/localization.md.
• Official PixelLab doc URLs and boundaries: references/official-pixellab-documentation.md.
• Generation reports and manifests after PixelLab calls: references/usage-reporting.md.
• Async jobs, MCP review state, rate limits, download expiry: references/job-lifecycle.md.
• Preset/template/skeleton character animations: references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md.
• Raw animation, interpolation, outfit transfer, idle-loop risk: references/animation.md.
• Editor-only utilities without public routes: references/editor-only-utilities.md.
• PixelLab project/sandbox/chat/agent MCP tools: references/mcp-platform-tools.md.
• REST v2 prompt/field character limits: references/prompt-limits.md.
• Explicit Aseprite handling, .aseprite workspaces, palette quantization, CLI/Lua export: references/aseprite-cli.md.
• Third-party Aseprite MCP servers: references/aseprite-mcp.md.
• Local preview GIFs, spritesheets, ImageMagick assembly: references/local-asset-assembly.md.

Optional broader docs: in full plugin/repo installs these resolve relative to this SKILL.md; raw skill installs may omit them. Read at most one matching file if runtime references are not enough; if absent, continue with references/official-pixellab-documentation.md and current official docs.

• Surface boundaries and service selection: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-surfaces-and-services.md.
• Plain-language asset routing: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-asset-routing.md.
• Product/model/mode terminology: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-terminology.md.
• SDK-vs-REST compatibility: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-sdk-compatibility.md.
• Bearer-token, session, and security boundaries: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-auth-and-security.md.
• UI generation and MCP-vs-REST UI routing research: ../../docs/pixellab/pixellab-ui-generation-surfaces-research.md.

Model And Mode Terms

Treat PixelLab model/provider language as product labels unless official docs disclose more. Do not invent provider internals where docs are silent.

• Pixen, PixFlux, BitForge: product/workflow labels, not guaranteed provider names.
• PixPatch: website-surface label; no public v2 PixPatch endpoint exists.
• Pro: a quality/tier label across many unrelated tools, not one endpoint or model. Treat Pro and Pro Tools routes as expensive unless current docs prove otherwise.
• v3 and new: workflow/version labels scoped to a selected operation. Cheap-family hints, but check the endpoint — REST inpaint-v3 is documented as Pro.
• S-XL, M-XL, S-M, M-L: size/product labels, not asset intents.
• Gemini: stale older website Create Tileset Pro wording; do not present it as current.

Text Preparation

Prompt enhancement is opt-out. For natural-language parameters such as description, style_description, negative_description, *_description, action, item_descriptions, text, and color_palette, produce the best concise PixelLab-ready English value from the user's request and visible inputs before calling a tool.

Prompts describe the visual content or, for action fields, the depicted motion — never the tool operation, output metadata, or report status. Include only details that materially change the output. Omit boilerplate such as create this image, canvas dimensions when image_size is set, transparency when no_background is set, and PixelLab defaults such as pixel art or game-ready unless the distinction matters. If enhancement adds redundant wording, trim it before generation.

Respect documented character limits: many REST v2 description fields allow 2000 characters, but several action/edit/style fields cap at 500. On a length rejection, trim without changing intent, note the adjustment, and retry. Exact limits: references/prompt-limits.md or OpenAPI.

Use one enhancement path per call. Inline enhance_prompt flags exist on create-image-pixen, animate-with-text-v3, create-character-v3, animate-character/characters/animations, and object animations, cost about 0.05 generations, and are preferred over a separate enhancer call when the route has one. Constraints: for character/object animation, enhance_prompt is valid only with mode="v3"; for create-character-v3 it is valid only for from-scratch generation. Standalone enhancers: enhance-pixen-prompt for Pixen image prompts, enhance-animation-v3-prompt for animation v3 actions, enhance-character-v3-prompt for character-v3 prompts. Otherwise enhance directly as the agent; do not force a mismatched enhancer.

Do Not Use

• No local code or editor automation to create or alter requested visual content: no PIL/Pillow drawing, canvas/SVG drawing, ImageMagick draw, Aseprite Lua drawing, ASCII-to-image, or procedural pixel placement. Local code may copy, mask, composite, and verify pixels that came from PixelLab or the user.
• No undocumented internal endpoints used by first-party surfaces: root website routes, unversioned https://api.pixellab.ai/ paths like /tilesets/create, or Aseprite extension operation URLs. Treat them as unsupported unless they appear in public REST v2 docs/OpenAPI or MCP docs.
• Never ask users to paste the PixelLab bearer token into chat; direct them to the setup wizard, local PIXELLAB_SECRET, or app secret settings.
• Never scrape browser session tokens or cookies. Website session tokens are not API bearer tokens; never use one for the other.
• Do not confuse website Create Tileset Pro with public create_tiles_pro / create-tiles-pro; different flows.
• Do not default to v1 or old SDK README examples for new work, and do not assume an installed SDK covers every current v2 endpoint — confirm the installed package or call REST v2 directly.

Current Docs Refresh

Route from this skill first. Refresh official docs only when a needed tool, endpoint, field, schema, SDK detail, auth step, price/limit, or model/mode claim is missing or unclear. Start lightweight; fetch openapi.json only for exact schemas.

• https://api.pixellab.ai/v2/llms.txt — REST v2 endpoint index and auth summary
• https://api.pixellab.ai/v2/docs — interactive REST v2 parameters
• https://api.pixellab.ai/v2/openapi.json — exact schema checks only
• https://api.pixellab.ai/mcp/docs — MCP tool behavior
• https://www.pixellab.ai/mcp — MCP setup
• https://github.com/pixellab-code — official SDK/MCP repo state only
• https://api.pixellab.ai/v1/openapi.json — legacy checks only

If web access is unavailable, answer from this skill and say which current claim could not be freshly verified.

Auth And Execution

If no bearer token is configured, stop before generation and offer the setup wizard: the user opens https://www.pixellab.ai/account after signing in, copies the value labeled Secret, and stores it locally as PIXELLAB_SECRET or in app secret settings — never pasted into chat. For Manual setup, link https://www.pixellab.ai/mcp and stop. PixelLab UI/docs may call this value an API key, API token, or secret; for REST/MCP bearer auth, call it a bearer token.

For questions, answer with: recommended surface/endpoint, why it fits, warnings for unsupported alternatives, and a verification note only when the answer depends on an unverified current fact.

For tasks, generate only when the user clearly requested it and token plus tooling are configured. For nontrivial work, produce one candidate first, report it, and continue only if asked. Before a multi-asset batch, list each planned item with its route and cost category so the user approves the full scope and rough total first. Ask before ambiguous credit-spending batches or destructive deletes. Refuse unsupported automation and reroute to the closest documented MCP/REST option or a visible manual website flow. Locally authored non-PixelLab visual content requires explicit request or approval and a non-PixelLab-fallback label.

Capture a balance snapshot before a nontrivial paid call when available. After live PixelLab work, read references/usage-reporting.md and use its report layout; verify the output against the user's explicit constraints before calling it final, and say plainly when verification failed instead of silently salvaging. Do not paste secrets, raw base64, full response JSON, or internal IDs unless needed for pending status, follow-up, or debugging. Between request and final report, keep progress messages to blockers, necessary questions, or meaningful completed steps — no play-by-play narration.

When a live generation, edit, transform, conversion, background-removal, or animation job finishes successfully and passes verification, read references/bark.md and apply the completion-sound contract.

Examples

Request	Route
"Make a wizard with idle and walk animations."	MCP create_character, then animate_character; south first, ask before all directions.
"Use the humanoid Walk (8 frames) template animation."	references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md; MCP animate_character with template_animation_id="walking-8-frames", REST /characters/animations fallback.
"Auto-rig this sprite and animate from the skeleton."	references/preset-skeleton-template-animations.md; REST estimate-skeleton, then animate-with-skeleton.
"Generate a mossy platformer tileset from code."	REST v2 create-tileset-sidescroller; MCP create_sidescroller_tileset in an MCP-enabled agent.
"Make hex terrain tiles."	MCP create_tiles_pro, not a top-down Wang tileset.
"Make a 512x256 UI panel with a portrait circle and three buttons."	REST v2 create-ui-asset with pieces/elements; MCP create_ui_asset only when MCP-first and its schema has the fields.
"Convert this image to pixel art and remove the background."	REST v2 image-to-pixelart-pro, then remove-background.
"Add a wind dash effect to this runner sprite."	REST v2 edit-image; the runner is the edit target, effect on the same canvas.
"Give my character a leather helmet as a separate layer."	Paperdoll edit per references/paperdolling.md, not object generation.
"Use /tilesets/create with my browser token."	Refuse; route to public MCP/REST tileset tools or manual website use.
"What does Pro use?"	Product-level facts only; refresh official docs if current model details matter.
"Cheapest way to get a few item icons?"	references/cost-routing.md + references/icons.md; prefer a non-Pro route and name the tradeoff.