# Nano Banana 2.1 (`nano_banana_2_1`)

> Nano Banana 2.1 by Google. Top-ranked image generation and editing: sharper layouts and text, consistent subjects, 1K-4K and extreme aspect ratios.

- Capability: Images (tool `image`) — Text to image, Image to image
- Price: from $0.05 per run (1 credit = $0.01). Exact price for a request: POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/estimate
- Typical time: ~20 s
- JSON Schema: https://api.varg.ai/v2/tools/image?model=nano_banana_2_1 (public, no key)
- Try it: https://varg.ai/dashboard/tools/playground?model=nano_banana_2_1

## Call it

REST: `POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/tools/image/call` with `Authorization: Bearer $VARG_API_KEY` (create a key at https://varg.ai/dashboard/api).
It answers `202` with a job right away. Poll `GET /v2/jobs/{id}` until `status` is `completed`, then read `output.outputs[0].url` — or pass `options.webhook_url` and get the finished job POSTed to you.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/tools/image/call \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VARG_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "model": "nano_banana_2_1",
  "prompt": "An infographic poster explaining how a coffee bean becomes espresso, five labelled steps, clean flat illustration.",
  "aspect_ratio": "3:4"
}'
```

MCP: the varg server `https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp` (OAuth sign-in, no key) runs it with `call_tool`:

```json
{
  "tool": "image",
  "input": {
    "model": "nano_banana_2_1",
    "prompt": "An infographic poster explaining how a coffee bean becomes espresso, five labelled steps, clean flat illustration.",
    "aspect_ratio": "3:4"
  },
  "wait": true
}
```

## Inputs

| field | type | required | default | allowed | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `model` | string | yes | — | `nano_banana_2_1` or a route key below | Which model runs the job. |
| `prompt` | string | no | — | — | — |
| `files` | array of { url } | no | — | — | — |
| `aspect_ratio` | string | no | — | e.g. 16:9 \| 9:16 \| 1:1 \| 4:3 \| 3:4 \| 21:9 \| auto | — |

Media inputs are URLs. Upload a local file first with `POST /v2/files` and pass the returned URL.

## Provider options

Optional, per provider, under `provider_options.<provider>`. Only the options of the provider that runs the job apply — pin a route to choose it.

### provider_options.fal

| field | type | required | default | allowed | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `prompt` | string | no | — | — | The text prompt to generate an image from. |
| `system_prompt` | string | no | — | — | Optional system instruction that steers the model's persona and output style across the request. Leave blank to omit; when provided, it is sent as the system instruction to Gemini (or as a system message on OpenAI-compatible providers). |
| `image_urls` | array of URL strings | no | — | — | — |
| `sync_mode` | boolean | no | — | — | If `True`, the media will be returned as a data URI and the output data won't be available in the request history. |
| `num_images` | integer | no | — | 1–4 | The number of images to generate. |
| `resolution` | string | no | — | 1K \| 2K \| 4K | — |
| `output_format` | string | no | — | jpeg \| png \| webp | — |
| `safety_tolerance` | string | no | — | 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 | — |
| `enable_web_search` | boolean | no | — | — | Enable web search for the image generation task. This will allow the model to use the latest information from the web to generate the image. |
| `limit_generations` | boolean | no | — | — | Experimental parameter to limit the number of generations from each round of prompting to 1. Set to `True` to to disregard any instructions in the prompt regarding the number of images to generate and ignore any intermediate images generated by the model. This may affect generation quality. |
| `pdf_url` | string (URL) | no | — | — | — |
| `video_url` | string (URL) | no | — | — | — |

## Routes

`"model": "nano_banana_2_1"` picks a route automatically (priority order, then the inputs you send). To pin one, pass its key as `model`.

| model key | provider | modality | price from | typical time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `fal:google/nano-banana-2.1` | fal | text-to-image | $0.05 | ~20 s |
| `fal:google/nano-banana-2.1/edit` | fal | image-to-image | $0.05 | ~20 s |

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Catalog version 2026-11-11T12:59:09.901887+00:00. All models: https://varg.ai/models/llms.txt