paper-banana

name	paper-banana
description	Generates publication-quality illustrations using a 5-agent pipeline inspired by PaperBanana (academic illustration framework). Orchestrates specialized agents: Retriever, Planner, Stylist, Visualizer, and Critic. Use when users need high-quality, iterative image generation with style consistency and quality review.

PaperBanana Pipeline Skill

You are the orchestrator for a 5-agent image generation pipeline. Your role is to coordinate specialized agents that work together to produce publication-quality illustrations.

Architecture

Agent	Role	Responsibility
retriever	Reference Scout	Searches codebase and available resources for reference images, examples, and style inspiration matching the requested output
planner	Content Architect	Converts the user's description into a detailed, structured image specification with composition, elements, and requirements
stylist	Style Enforcer	Synthesizes style guidelines from references, defines color palette, typography, layout rules, and visual consistency standards
visualizer	Image Creator	Uses the image-generator skill to generate the actual image based on the spec and style guide
critic	Quality Reviewer	Evaluates output against the specification, provides structured refinement feedback, decides if another iteration is needed

Pipeline Flow

User Request
    → Retriever (find references)
    → Planner (create spec)
    → Stylist (define style)
    → Visualizer (generate image)
    → Critic (evaluate)
    → [Loop back to Visualizer if needed, max 3 iterations]
    → Final Output

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Request

Parse the user's request to extract:

• Subject: What needs to be illustrated
• Purpose: Where it will be used (blog, docs, presentation, paper)
• Style hints: Any style preferences mentioned
• Constraints: Size, format, color scheme requirements

If the request is vague, ask 2-3 clarifying questions using AskUserQuestion.

Step 2: Create the Team

Use TeamCreate to create a team named paper-banana:

Then create 5 tasks with TaskCreate — one for each agent's work:

1. Retrieve References — Find relevant visual references and style examples
2. Create Image Specification — Write detailed composition and content spec
3. Define Style Guide — Create style rules, palette, and visual standards
4. Generate Image — Produce the image using the image-generator skill
5. Review and Critique — Evaluate quality and provide feedback

Set up dependencies:

• Task 2 (Planner) is blocked by Task 1 (Retriever)
• Task 3 (Stylist) is blocked by Task 1 (Retriever)
• Task 4 (Visualizer) is blocked by Tasks 2 and 3
• Task 5 (Critic) is blocked by Task 4

Step 3: Spawn Agents

Spawn teammates using the Task tool with team_name: "paper-banana":

Retriever (general-purpose agent):

Search the current project and codebase for visual references, existing images,
or style examples that match: [user request].

Look for:
- Existing images in the project (PNG, JPG, SVG files)
- Style guides or brand guidelines
- Color schemes in CSS/config files
- Similar illustrations in docs/

Return a structured report with:
- Found references (file paths)
- Recommended style direction
- Color palette suggestions

Planner (general-purpose agent):

Create a detailed image specification for: [user request]

Using references from the Retriever, write a spec covering:
- Composition layout (rule of thirds, symmetry, etc.)
- Primary and secondary elements
- Background treatment
- Text placement (if any)
- Required visual elements
- Mood and tone
- Dimensions and aspect ratio

Stylist (general-purpose agent):

Create a style guide for the illustration based on references and spec.

Define:
- Color palette (primary, secondary, accent — hex values)
- Visual style (flat, gradient, 3D, hand-drawn, etc.)
- Line weight and treatment
- Typography style (if text is needed)
- Consistency rules for maintaining visual coherence
- Do's and Don'ts

Visualizer (general-purpose agent):

Generate the image using the image-generator skill.

Use the spec from Planner and style guide from Stylist to create
an enhanced prompt. Then invoke the CLI:

node {pluginDir}/dist/image-gen/cli.js \
  --prompt "[enhanced prompt from spec + style]" \
  --output "[output path]" \
  --size 4K

If reference images were found by the Retriever, include them
with --reference flags.

Critic (general-purpose agent):

Evaluate the generated image against the specification.

Check:
- Does it match the composition spec?
- Does it follow the style guide?
- Is the quality sufficient for the intended purpose?
- Are there artifacts, distortions, or unwanted elements?

Report status using the standard subagent protocol:

| Status | Meaning | Action |
|--------|---------|--------|
| **DONE** | Image meets spec, ready for delivery | Proceed to delivery |
| **DONE_WITH_CONCERNS** | Image is acceptable but has minor issues worth noting | Deliver with notes |
| **NEEDS_CONTEXT** | Cannot evaluate — missing spec, style guide, or reference | Request missing input |
| **BLOCKED** | Fundamental problems — needs a completely new approach | Report to orchestrator |

If status is DONE_WITH_CONCERNS, include specific issues and suggest prompt
adjustments for an optional refinement pass.

Step 4: Monitor and Iterate

• Wait for agents to complete in dependency order
• If Critic returns NEEDS_REVISION, send feedback to Visualizer and regenerate
• Maximum 3 iterations before delivering the best result
• If Critic returns APPROVED, proceed to delivery

Step 5: Deliver

Present the final result to the user:

Image generated: [path]

Specification: [brief summary of what was created] Style: [brief style description] Iterations: [number of iterations taken] Critic verdict: [final verdict]

Want me to make any adjustments?

Step 6: Clean Up

Shut down all teammates and delete the team when done.

Error Handling

• If Retriever finds no references, proceed with Planner and Stylist using the user's description alone
• If Visualizer fails (API key, rate limit), report the error and suggest fixes
• If Critic rejects after 3 iterations, deliver the best result with a note about limitations
• If any agent fails, report which step failed and offer to retry or adjust

When to Use This vs /generate-image

• Use /generate-image for quick, single-shot image generation
• Use /paper-banana when you need:
  • Style consistency with existing project visuals
  • Iterative refinement with quality review
  • Publication-quality output
  • Complex illustrations with multiple elements