fal.ai

fal.ai Image Generator

Use the fal.ai API to generate images from text prompts.

Official docs: https://fal.ai/docs

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

Generate images from text descriptions Create illustrations or visual content Generate blog headers, thumbnails, or social media images Prerequisites Sign up at fal.ai Get your API key from the dashboard export FAL_KEY="your-api-key"

Important: When using $VAR in a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing $VAR in bash -c '...'. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.

bash -c 'curl -s "https://api.example.com" -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"'

How to Use 1. Generate Image (nano-banana-pro - fast)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{ "prompt": "A futuristic city at sunset, cyberpunk style" }

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

1. Generate Image (flux/schnell - fast)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{ "prompt": "A cute cat eating a cookie" }

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/flux/schnell" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

1. Generate Image (recraft-v3 - high quality)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{ "prompt": "Abstract art, vibrant colors" }

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/recraft-v3" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

1. Generate with Custom Size

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{ "prompt": "Mountain landscape", "image_size": "landscape_16_9" }

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

1. Download Generated Image

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{ "prompt": "A minimalist workspace" }

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url' | xargs curl -sL -o /tmp/image.png

1. Pipe Prompt from Echo (JSON escaped) echo "A dragon breathing fire, epic fantasy art" | jq -Rs '{prompt: .}' > /tmp/fal_request.json bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

2. Pipe Prompt from File (JSON escaped) cat /tmp/prompt.txt | jq -Rs '{prompt: .}' > /tmp/fal_request.json bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

3. Pipe with Additional Parameters echo "Neon city at night" | jq -Rs '{prompt: ., image_size: "landscape_16_9"}' > /tmp/fal_request.json bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

Available Models Model Description nano-banana-pro Fast, good quality (recommended) flux/schnell Fast generation flux-pro High quality recraft-v3 High quality vector/illustration

See more at: https://fal.ai/models

Image Sizes Size Aspect Ratio square 1:1 square_hd 1:1 (high res) portrait_4_3 4:3 portrait_16_9 16:9 landscape_4_3 3:4 landscape_16_9 9:16 Prompt Guidelines

For best results:

Be specific - Describe the subject clearly Add style hints - "modern", "minimalist", "photorealistic", "digital art", "cinematic" Specify colors/mood - "blue and purple gradient", "warm tones", "dark and moody" Keep it concise - Clear and focused descriptions work better