fix: move image generation off the shut-down Gemini model - #86
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/api/admin/ai/generate-image calls gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview, which
Google shut down on 2026-01-15. Every request to it now fails, so AI
image generation is broken for any store using this feature.
Switches to gemini-3.1-flash-image ("Nano Banana 2"), the replacement
Google names for that model. It is GA with no announced shutdown date,
and supports the reference images this endpoint already sends (10 object
/ 4 character / 3 style, against the 4 the UI allows).
The model is now overridable via GEMINI_IMAGE_MODEL so a store can move
to a cheaper option such as gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image, or to a newer
model, without waiting on a release.
generateContent remains fully supported, so this is a model-id change
rather than an API migration.
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_015XLFFfHWNeazSuz6UcsQ4C
This was referenced Sep 2, 2026
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Superseded by #89, which moves image generation onto a provider abstraction (Gemini direct or OpenRouter) rather than only swapping the model id. #89 covers everything here — the shut-down Since opening this, the Gemini path in #89 has been verified end-to-end against a live deployment: real images generated, stored, and attached to products. |
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Problem
POST /api/admin/ai/generate-imagecallsgemini-2.5-flash-image-preview. Google shut that model down on 2026-01-15, so every request to it now fails — AI image generation is broken for any store using the feature.Source: Gemini API deprecations lists
gemini-2.5-flash-image-previewwith shutdown date "January 15, 2026".Fix
Switches to
gemini-3.1-flash-image("Nano Banana 2"):Also adds
GEMINI_IMAGE_MODELas an override, so a store can switch to a cheaper model (e.g.gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) or a newer one without waiting on a release.generateContentremains fully supported, so this is a model-id change, not an API migration.Cost
Per 1K image, from Gemini API pricing:
gemini-2.5-flash-image-previewgemini-3.1-flash-imagegemini-3.1-flash-lite-imagegemini-3-pro-imageThe old
gemini-2.5-flash-image(still alive, but a dead end) was $0.039, so the default is ~1.7× more expensive.gemini-3.1-flash-lite-imageat $0.034 is cheaper than the old model for stores that don't need style references — hence the override.Verification
npm run lintclean; full suite passes (278 tests).I could not exercise the live endpoint — that needs a
GEMINI_API_KEY, which I don't have. The change is a model-id swap on an otherwise unmodified request shape, and the model id is taken from Google's own deprecation page. Worth a smoke test by someone with a key before merging.https://claude.ai/code/session_015XLFFfHWNeazSuz6UcsQ4C