Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 5-dimensional customization.

User Input Tools

When this skill prompts the user, follow this tool-selection rule (priority order):

Prefer built-in user-input tools exposed by the current agent runtime — e.g.,
```
AskUserQuestion
```
,
```
request_user_input
```
,
```
clarify
```
,
```
ask_user
```
, or any equivalent.
Fallback: if no such tool exists, emit a numbered plain-text message and ask the user to reply with the chosen number/answer for each question.
Batching: if the tool supports multiple questions per call, combine all applicable questions into a single call; if only single-question, ask them one at a time in priority order.

Concrete

AskUserQuestion

references below are examples — substitute the local equivalent in other runtimes.

Image Generation Tools

When this skill needs to render an image, resolve the backend in this order:

Current-request override — if the user names a specific backend in the current message, use it.
Saved preference — if
```
EXTEND.md
```
sets
```
preferred_image_backend
```
to a backend available right now, use it.
Auto-select (when the preference is
```
auto
```
, unset, or the pinned backend isn't available):
- If the current runtime exposes a native image tool (e.g., Codex
```
imagegen
```
  , Hermes
```
image_generate
```
  ), use it. Runtime-native tools are preferred by default — agents that know their own tool inventory should surface the native one here.
- Otherwise, if exactly one non-native backend is installed (e.g.,
```
baoyu-imagine
```
  ), use it.
- Otherwise (multiple non-native backends with no runtime-native tool), ask the user once — batch with any other initial questions.
If none are available, tell the user and ask how to proceed.

Setting

preferred_image_backend: ask

forces the step-3 prompt every run regardless of available backends. Users change the pinned backend via the

## Changing Preferences

section below.

Prompt file requirement (hard): write each image's full, final prompt to a standalone file under

prompts/

(naming:

NN-{type}-[slug].md

) BEFORE invoking any backend. The backend receives the prompt file (or its content); the file is the reproducibility record and lets you switch backends without regenerating prompts.

Concrete tool names (

imagegen

image_generate

baoyu-imagine

) above are examples — substitute the local equivalents under the same rule.

Confirmation Policy

Default behavior: confirm before generation.

Treat explicit skill invocation, a file path, matched keywords/presets,
```
EXTEND.md
```
defaults, and any documented auto-selection as recommendation inputs only. None of them authorizes skipping confirmation.
Do not start Step 3 or Step 4 until the user confirms the dimensions / aspect / language / backend choices.
Skip confirmation only when the current request explicitly says to do so, for example:
```
--quick
```
, "直接生成", "不用确认", "跳过确认", "按默认出图", or equivalent wording.
```
quick_mode: true
```
in
```
EXTEND.md
```
counts as a standing explicit opt-out — set it only when you want every run to skip Step 2.
If confirmation is skipped explicitly, state the assumed dimensions / aspect / language / backend in the next user-facing update before generating.

Options

Option	Description
`--type <name>`	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal
`--palette <name>`	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone, macaron
`--rendering <name>`	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print
`--style <name>`	Preset shorthand (see Style Presets)
`--text <level>`	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich
`--mood <level>`	subtle, balanced, bold
`--font <name>`	clean, handwritten, serif, display
`--aspect <ratio>`	16:9 (default), 2.35:1, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4
`--lang <code>`	Title language (en, zh, ja, etc.)
`--no-title`	Alias for `--text none`
`--quick`	Skip confirmation, use auto-selection
`--ref <files...>`	Reference images for style/composition guidance

Five Dimensions

Dimension	Values	Default
Type	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal	auto
Palette	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone, macaron	auto
Rendering	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print	auto
Text	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich	title-only
Mood	subtle, balanced, bold	balanced
Font	clean, handwritten, serif, display	clean

Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Galleries

Types: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal → Details: references/types.md

Palettes: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone, macaron → Details: references/palettes/

Renderings: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print → Details: references/renderings/

Text Levels: none (pure visual) | title-only (default) | title-subtitle | text-rich (with tags) → Details: references/dimensions/text.md

Mood Levels: subtle (low contrast) | balanced (default) | bold (high contrast) → Details: references/dimensions/mood.md

Fonts: clean (sans-serif) | handwritten | serif | display (bold decorative) → Details: references/dimensions/font.md

File Structure

Output directory per

default_output_dir

preference:

```
same-dir
```
:
```
{article-dir}/
```
```
imgs-subdir
```
:
```
{article-dir}/imgs/
```
```
independent
```
(default):
```
cover-image/{topic-slug}/
```

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files
├── refs/                  # Reference images (if provided)
│   ├── ref-01-{slug}.{ext}
│   └── ref-01-{slug}.md   # Description file
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Slug: 2-4 words, kebab-case. Conflict: append

-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + save refs + determine output dir
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions) ⚠️ unless --quick
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue
                               └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING → Save EXTEND.md → Continue
        ↓
Analyze + Save Refs → [Output Dir] → [Confirm: 6 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                              ↓
                                     (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Check EXTEND.md in priority order — the first one found wins:

Priority	Path	Scope
1	`.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md`	Project
2	`${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md`	XDG
3	`$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md`	User home

Result	Action
Found	Load, display summary → Continue
Not found	⛔ Run first-time setup (references/config/first-time-setup.md) → Save → Continue

CRITICAL: If not found, complete setup BEFORE any other steps or questions.

Step 1: Analyze Content

Save reference images (if provided) → references/workflow/reference-images.md
Save source content (if pasted, save to
```
source.md
```
)
Analyze content: topic, tone, keywords, visual metaphors
Deep analyze references ⚠️: Extract specific, concrete elements (see reference-images.md)
Detect language: Compare source, user input, EXTEND.md preference
Determine output directory: Per File Structure rules

⚠️ People in Reference Images:

If reference images contain people who should appear in the cover:

Model supports
--ref
(default): Copy image to
```
refs/
```
, pass via
```
--ref
```
at generation. No description file needed — the model sees the face directly.
Model does NOT support
--ref
(Jimeng, Seedream 3.0): Create
```
refs/ref-NN-{slug}.md
```
with per-character description (hair, glasses, skin tone, clothing). Embed as MUST/REQUIRED instructions in prompt text.

See reference-images.md for full decision table.

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Hard gate: this step is mandatory per the Confirmation Policy — Steps 3–4 cannot start until the user confirms here (or explicitly opts out with

--quick

quick_mode: true

/ equivalent wording in the current request).

MUST use

AskUserQuestion

tool to present options as interactive selection — NOT plain text tables. Present up to 4 questions in a single

AskUserQuestion

call (Type, Palette, Rendering, Font + Settings). Each question shows the recommended option first with reason, followed by alternatives.

Full confirmation flow and question format: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Condition Skipped Still Asked

--quick

quick_mode: true

6 dimensions

Aspect ratio (unless

--aspect

)

All 6 +

--aspect

specified

All

None

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to

prompts/cover.md

. Template: references/workflow/prompt-template.md

CRITICAL - References in Frontmatter:

Files saved to
```
refs/
```
→ Add to frontmatter
```
references
```
list
Style extracted verbally (no file) → Omit
```
references
```
, describe in body
Before writing → Verify:
```
test -f refs/ref-NN-{slug}.{ext}
```

Reference elements in body MUST be detailed, prefixed with "MUST"/"REQUIRED", with integration approach.

Step 4: Generate Image

Backup existing
```
cover.png
```
if regenerating
Select backend via the
```
## Image Generation Tools
```
rule at the top: use whatever is available; if multiple, ask the user once. Do this once per session before any generation.
Write the full final prompt to
```
prompts/01-cover-[slug].md
```
(hard requirement) BEFORE invoking the backend.
Process references from prompt frontmatter:
- ```
direct
```
  usage → pass via
```
--ref
```
  (use ref-capable backend)
- ```
style
```
  /
```
palette
```
  → extract traits, append to prompt
Generate: Call the chosen backend with the prompt file, output path, aspect ratio
On failure: auto-retry once

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!
Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Font: [font] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
References: [N images or "extracted style" or "none"]
Location: [directory path]
Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png

Image Modification

Action	Steps
Regenerate	Backup → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate
Change dimension	Backup → Confirm new value → Update prompt → Regenerate

Composition Principles

Whitespace: 40-60% breathing room
Visual anchor: Main element centered or offset left
Characters: Simplified silhouettes; NO realistic humans
Title: Use exact title from user/source; never invent

Changing Preferences

EXTEND.md lives at the path noted in Step 0. Three ways to change it:

Edit directly — open EXTEND.md and change fields. Full schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md.
Reconfigure interactively — delete EXTEND.md (or ask "reconfigure baoyu-cover-image preferences" / "重新配置"). The next run re-triggers first-time setup.
Common one-line edits:
- ```
preferred_image_backend: auto
```
  — default; runtime-native tool wins, falls back to the only installed backend, asks only if multiple non-native are present.
- ```
preferred_image_backend: codex-imagegen
```
  — pin to Codex's built-in.
- ```
preferred_image_backend: baoyu-imagine
```
  — pin to the baoyu-imagine skill.
- ```
preferred_image_backend: ask
```
  — confirm backend every run.
- ```
watermark.enabled: true
```
  ,
```
preferred_type
```
  ,
```
preferred_palette
```
  ,
```
preferred_rendering
```
  ,
```
default_aspect
```
  ,
```
quick_mode: true
```
  ,
```
language
```
  — shift the auto-selection defaults and confirmation flow.

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md Palettes: references/palettes/ Renderings: references/renderings/ Types: references/types.md Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md Style Presets: references/style-presets.md Compatibility: references/compatibility.md Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md Config: preferences-schema.md | first-time-setup.md | watermark-guide.md

Baoyu Cover Image

AI Skill Market Insights

Be Part of the 0+ Developer Community

Cover Image Generator

User Input Tools

Image Generation Tools

Confirmation Policy

Options

Five Dimensions

Galleries

File Structure

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Flow

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Step 1: Analyze Content

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Step 3: Create Prompt

Step 4: Generate Image

Step 5: Completion Report

Image Modification

Composition Principles

Changing Preferences

References

Quick Start

Manual Installation

TEAR & SHARE

Tags

Brand Guidelines

Theme Factory

Agent-first Marketing Image Generation

🗣️ Text-to-speech using GLM-TTS for generating audio

AI Content Repurposing Machine — Turn 1 Piece of Content Into 50 Assets in 30 Minutes

Channels

Learn

Compare

Company