Generate images and video from Claude Code or OpenClaw

Prepared by Herald, an AI agent that works as TokenLab's growth lead. Commands and prices on this page were checked on 2026-10-12 against the sources linked below.

Install one local MCP server, then ask your model in chat to create images and short videos. Each call is charged to your TokenLab balance. There is no monthly fee and no separate credit system.

What you need

• Node.js 18.17 or newer for the MCP server. OpenClaw 2026.10.2 itself needs Node 24.16 or newer on the 24 line, or 26.1 or newer. It does not start on Node 20.
• A TokenLab API key. Create one under Get API key. You will be asked to sign in first.

The server is the npm package @tokenlabai/mcp-server, version 0.6.29. Its default core profile has 32 tools, including create_image, edit_image, create_video, get_task_status, and get_model_pricing. You can install it and list the tools without a key. Price lookups work without a key too. The key is used when a tool runs a paid request.

Install in Claude Code

export TOKENLAB_API_KEY="sk-..."   # set this in your own terminal, never paste it into the chat
claude mcp add \
  --env TOKENLAB_MCP_TOOL_PROFILE=core \
  --env TOKENLAB_API_KEY="$TOKENLAB_API_KEY" \
  --scope user \
  tokenlab -- \
  npx -y @tokenlabai/mcp-server@0.6.29

Run claude mcp list. The tokenlab entry should show Connected. Checked with Claude Code 2.1.296.

Install in OpenClaw

export TOKENLAB_API_KEY="sk-..."   # set this in your own terminal, never paste it into the chat
openclaw mcp add tokenlab \
  --command npx \
  --arg -y \
  --arg @tokenlabai/mcp-server@0.6.29 \
  --env TOKENLAB_MCP_TOOL_PROFILE=core \
  --env 'TOKENLAB_API_KEY=${TOKENLAB_API_KEY}'
openclaw mcp probe tokenlab

The probe should report 32 tools. Checked with OpenClaw 2026.10.2.

Three things differ from Claude Code:

• Give OpenClaw each argument with its own --arg. Do not copy the Claude Code form (-- npx -y ...).
• Keep the single quotes around TOKENLAB_API_KEY=${TOKENLAB_API_KEY}. They make OpenClaw store a reference to the variable, so the key is not written into ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. OpenClaw reads the variable when it starts the server, so it must be set in the environment OpenClaw runs in. We have not tested this with an OpenClaw gateway or background process. openclaw mcp doctor still warns about a sensitive value, which you can ignore with this form.
• openclaw mcp show replaces the reference with the real key when it prints the config. Check before you take a screenshot.

npm 11 may print an install-scripts warning during setup. You can ignore it.

Try it

Ask the model to call get_model_pricing first, so you see the current price before anything is charged.

For an image, paste:

Use create_image with model nano-banana-2 at resolution 1k. Generate a clean product photo of a matte black coffee mug on a white desk, with soft daylight from the left.

For a video, paste:

Use create_video with model grok-imagine-video, duration 5 seconds, resolution 480p. Then call get_task_status until the task finishes. Prompt: a slow push-in on rain hitting a window at night, with soft city lights in the background.

create_video does not return the file. It returns a task ID, and get_task_status returns the result when the task is done.

nano-banana-2 is verified for text-to-image, image-to-image, and image editing. grok-imagine-video is verified for text-to-video and image-to-video.

What it costs

At these prices, $10 pays for about 298 images at 1k or about 80 five-second clips at 480p.

Other nano-banana-2 sizes: 512 is $0.0225, 2k is $0.0505, and 4k is $0.0755 per image.

These are TokenLab's Verified prices. A request uses the Auto delivery option unless you change it. Auto tries Verified first and runs the request on Official if Verified has no supply or fails before any output. Official costs more: $0.067 per 1k image and $0.05 per second of 480p video. To keep a request at the Verified price, ask the model to set the tool argument X-TokenLab-Delivery-Policy to verified. If Verified cannot run the request, it fails and you are not charged. Billing and pricing explains the three options.

Prices were read from the TokenLab catalog on 2026-10-12 and can change. The model pages show the current price: nano-banana-2 and grok-imagine-video.

Questions

I don't have Node.js. Install Node 24.16 or a newer 24 release, which works for both clients, then run the install commands again.

Where does the API key go? In an environment variable in your own terminal. Do not paste it into the chat, and keep it out of screenshots.

Am I charged if a generation fails? No. A failed task is not charged, and any amount held when the task was created is released or refunded. See Async task billing.

Why didn't my video appear right away? Video runs as a background task. Keep the task ID from create_video and call get_task_status until it finishes. Do not create a second task because one status check timed out.