pxl
A command-line pixel art generator. Describe a sprite in plain English and Claude returns it as a grid of hex colours, previewed in the terminal and saved as a transparent PNG.
pxl is a small Python CLI around one idea: skip image models and ask a language model for the pixels directly, as data.
pxl generate "a small red mushroom"
pxl generate "a blue spaceship" --size 32x32 --output ship.pngHow it works
The request goes to Claude with a system prompt that pins down two things.
The format. The model must reply with nothing but a JSON object holding width, height and a pixels array of #RRGGBB strings, with #000000 reserved for background.
The style. The prompt reads like a short pixel art lesson: silhouette first, a one-pixel dark outline, a 6–14 colour palette, highlight and shadow from an upper-left light, no stray pixels, the subject centred and filling most of the canvas.
The response is pulled out with a balanced-brace scan, in case the model wraps it in anything, and then checked: dimensions must match, and every cell must be a valid hex colour. The result is drawn two rows per character with ▀ half-blocks in 24-bit colour, then written as an RGBA PNG. Black pixels become transparent, and each grid cell is scaled up to 16 physical pixels by default.
| Option | Default | |
|---|---|---|
--size WxH |
16x16 | grid dimensions |
--output |
slug of the description | PNG path |
--scale N |
16 | pixels per cell |
--no-preview |
off | skip the terminal render |
Running it
Python 3.11+ and an Anthropic API key.
git clone https://github.com/sadovsky/pxl
cd pxl
pip install -e .
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...
pxl generate "a golden coin"