name	pixel-art-generation
description	Use when generating pixel art sprites, animations, backgrounds, thumbnails, or processing sprite sheets for games. Triggers on requests like "create a sprite", "generate pixel art", "make game assets", "split sprite sheet", "remove background from sprite".

Pixel Art Generation with PixelForge

Use PixelForge MCP tools to generate and process pixel art game assets.

Tools Overview

Tool	When to Use
`forge_sprite`	Single sprite — character, item, icon, UI element
`forge_animation`	Animation frames — walk cycle, idle, attack, effects
`forge_background`	Full game background/scene — no processing applied
`forge_thumbnail`	Game thumbnail/screenshot — uses reference sprites
`process_sprite`	Post-process existing PNG — crop, bg removal, split

Background Removal — IMPORTANT

Always use background: "chromakey" for sprites and animations. This uses HSV-based green screen removal which is far more reliable than the old compositing equation approach.

chromakey — BEST — pure green #00FF00, HSV-based removal, clean edges, no artifacts
black / white — legacy compositing equation, can lose dark/light sprite pixels
Other colors — fallback to compositing equation

Quick Start

Single Sprite

forge_sprite
  description: "green slime enemy with horns and glowing eyes"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/rpg/slime.png"
  style: "neon"
  background: "chromakey"

Animation Frames (Reference Chain — Default)

forge_animation
  description: "green slime enemy"
  action: "bouncing up and down"
  frames: 4
  frameDescriptions: ["idle resting on ground", "compressing flat", "stretching upward", "at peak of bounce"]
  outputPrefix: "public/assets/games/rpg/slime"
  names: ["idle", "compress", "stretch", "peak"]
  style: "neon"
  background: "chromakey"

Reference chain mode (default): Generates frame 0 first, then uses it as a reference image for all subsequent frames. This ensures consistent proportions, colors, and style across all frames. Each frame is a separate API call.

To use the legacy sprite-sheet mode instead: useReferenceChain: false

Background

forge_background
  description: "deep space with stars, subtle neon grid on horizon, nebula wisps cyan and purple"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/invaders/bg.png"
  aspect: "3:4"
  style: "neon"

Thumbnail (with style-matching references)

forge_thumbnail
  description: "space shooter, cyan spaceship vs rows of colorful aliens, dark space"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/invaders/thumbnail.png"
  references: ["public/assets/games/invaders/ship.png", "public/assets/games/invaders/alien.png"]
  aspect: "4:3"

Animation Best Practices

Always provide frameDescriptions — explicit per-frame descriptions produce much better results than a generic action
Use chromakey background — prevents transparency artifacts
Reference chain is default — generates consistent frames by using frame 0 as reference
For inconsistent results, try useReferenceChain: false with useTemplate: true — grid template mode as fallback
Keep frame count reasonable — 3-4 frames per animation state is ideal

Style Presets

Style	Best For	Look
`neon`	Arcade, space, cyberpunk	Glowing, vibrant, dark outline
`retro`	Classic NES/arcade	8-bit, limited palette, chunky
`gameboy`	Monochrome	4-color green, dithered
`snes`	RPG, detailed	16-bit, rich colors, detailed shading
`clean`	Generic/versatile	Solid colors, dark outline

Model Selection

Alias	Speed	Quality	Notes
`nano-banana`	Fast	Good	Default — best balance
`pro`	Medium	Best	Best quality, use for hero assets
`gemini-flash`	Fast	Good	Good for quick iteration

Guidelines

Always use chromakey background for sprites and animations
forge_sprite and forge_animation auto-process — output is always cropped, transparent, and ready to use
forge_background outputs raw — no cropping, full size for game scenes
Use references for thumbnails — pass actual game sprites so thumbnail matches the game's look
After generating, verify with Read tool — Claude Code can display PNG files natively
Phaser sprite sizing — generated images are large (~1000px), always use setDisplaySize() in game code

name	pixel-art-generation
description	Use when generating pixel art sprites, animations, backgrounds, thumbnails, or processing sprite sheets for games. Triggers on requests like "create a sprite", "generate pixel art", "make game assets", "split sprite sheet", "remove background from sprite".