Create a pixel sprite

Each candidate returns a 128 × 128 sprite sheet containing sixteen 32 × 32 cells. Rows contain down, left, right and up walking poses. The fourth cell in each row is an extra still pose. ZIP exports include the individual frames, GIF previews, shared palette, fixed pivots and review metadata.

Input

A description; optional PNG or JPEG reference

Sprite sheet

128 × 128 pixels, arranged in a 4 × 4 grid

Frames

Sixteen fixed 32 × 32 PNG frames

Walking

Down, left, right and up; three generated poses per direction

Export

PNG sheets, JSON metadata and ZIPs with frames and GIF previews

Send the options as JSON. A reference file is optional. The response is the new job; poll it until its status is final, then download the files in result.files.

curl https://api.mcpbytes.com/v1/tools/create_pixel_sprite/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPBYTES_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "options": {"description": "A forest ranger with a green hood and a brown satchel", "seed": 42},
    "idempotency_key": "pixel-sprite-example-002"
  }'

{
  "tool": "create_pixel_sprite",
  "status": "queued",
  "input_kind": "parameters",
  "result": null
}

# JOB_ID is the id from the create response
curl "https://api.mcpbytes.com/v1/jobs/$JOB_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPBYTES_API_KEY"

{
  "tool": "create_pixel_sprite",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "result": {
    "variants": 1,
    "qa_status": "needs_review",
    "files": [
      {
        "name": "raw_1.png"
      },
      {
        "name": "sprite_1.png"
      },
      {
        "name": "sprite_1.json"
      },
      {
        "name": "sprite_1.zip"
      },
      {
        "name": "generation.json"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Jobs of this tool take minutes. While one runs, workflow.stage says what is happening and workflow.deadline when it must finish. Cancel it with POST /v1/jobs/{id}/cancel while capabilities.can_cancel is true.

More on statuses, downloads and retention in Jobs & files.

You may omit the file, or add one reference in one of these ways. The formats it accepts are listed in the overview.

# 1. Create an upload URL (valid for one hour)
curl https://api.mcpbytes.com/v1/uploads \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPBYTES_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filename": "reference.png"}'

# 2. PUT the file to the "url" from the response
curl -X PUT --data-binary @reference.png "$UPLOAD_URL"

# 3. Start the job with the "upload_id"
curl https://api.mcpbytes.com/v1/tools/create_pixel_sprite/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPBYTES_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{
    \"upload_id\": \"$UPLOAD_ID\",
    \"options\": {
      \"description\": \"A forest ranger with a green hood and a brown satchel\",
      \"seed\": 42,
      \"variants\": 2
    },
    \"idempotency_key\": \"create_pixel_sprite-upload-001\"
  }"

Put options in the options object of the JSON body, or pass them as arguments of the MCP tool. Leave an option out to use its default.

A succeeded job lists its files in result.files, each with a download url.

N runs from 1 to variants. Files are published together after the entire job succeeds; a failed or canceled job exposes no partial candidates. Re-read the job for fresh links before its output retention expires.

Result summary

Next to files, the job's result has a summary you can check without downloading anything:

• Variants control the number of candidate sheets, not their quality or resolution. The two example sheets on the tool page came from one request with variants set to 2. Each candidate includes its own frames, previews and ZIP.
• Start with one character and a clear description. The tool is designed for small character sheets, not arbitrary scenery, seamless tiles or arbitrary animation actions.
• A walk preview plays three generated poses as [0, 1, 2, 1]. Faster playback does not generate additional poses.
• The extra still poses are arms raised, jump left, jump right and lying down. They are not complete jump or death animations.
• Read sprite_N.json and inspect anatomy, clipping, direction, consistency and transparency. A succeeded job is not artist-approved; qa_status remains unreviewed or needs_review.
• Review transparency and edge colors before use. Background removal can fail on an unsuitable render; the raw image is always included for comparison.
• The seed is recorded, but exact reproduction depends on the same tested tool version and runtime. Reusing an idempotency key retrieves the original job instead of generating again.

Your agent calls create_pixel_sprite. Connect it to https://api.mcpbytes.com/mcp/image for this tool and the rest of its family (Create an image), or to https://api.mcpbytes.com/mcp for every tool.

claude mcp add --transport http mcpbytes \
  https://api.mcpbytes.com/mcp/image

codex mcp add mcpbytes --url https://api.mcpbytes.com/mcp/image \
  --bearer-token-env-var MCPBYTES_API_KEY

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcpbytes": {
      "url": "https://api.mcpbytes.com/mcp/image",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:MCPBYTES_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Arguments

The tool's options are flat arguments. Besides them:

What the agent sees

Setup for every client, and how agents upload files and read results: Connect over MCP.

The MCPBytes skill teaches agents this tool, in references/create_pixel_sprite.md. Agents without MCP run it through the REST API with the skill's script, which reads your key from MCPBYTES_API_KEY:

printf '{"description":"A forest ranger with a green hood and a brown satchel","seed":42}' > sprite-options.json
python scripts/mcpbytes.py run create_pixel_sprite \
  --options-json sprite-options.json \
  --idempotency-key pixel-sprite-example-002 --out sprites/

From 20 credits. The selected option's price is charged before paid processing starts, and a canceled job is refunded. A variant is one complete candidate sheet. Choose 1, 2, 3 or 4 variants to get that many different takes on the same request. Every candidate has the same 128 × 128 size, sixteen frames and four walking previews; the price increases with the number of candidates. A failed job is refunded.

One credit balance pays for every tool, and a new account starts with free credits. See Credits & prices or buy credits.

GET /v1/me returns your limits and current usage; Limits & errors explains what happens when one is reached.

A failed job comes back with error.code, error.message and often error.hint. Codes are stable. Inputs that fail with a validation error will fail again unchanged.

Requests can also fail before a job starts, with an HTTP status: see HTTP errors.

• Create an imageCreate a reference image, then pass its image.png as an owned job_file.create_image