sprite-gen
Turn one character image into 2D sprite sheets and loops
- Best for
- 2D developers who use Codex or Claude Code and want consistent, transparent sprite sheets from a single character image
- Makes
- Transparent sprite atlases with a JSON frame manifest, and transparent animation loops (GIF, WebP, strips)
- Made by
- aldegad (GitHub)
- Where you use it
- CLI
- Engines
- Any engine, Phaser, Flame
- Pricing
- Free and open source (Apache-2.0); image and video generation run on your own ChatGPT, SuperGrok or API account
- Free plan
- Yes
- Open source
- Yes (Apache-2.0)
- Export
- Outputs are local PNG atlases with a manifest.json frame layout, plus Aseprite JSON export for Phaser and Flame, according to the README
- Status
- Available
sprite-gen is a free, Apache-2.0 Python command-line tool and Codex/Claude skill from GitHub user aldegad that turns one base image of a character into game-ready 2D sprites. The README describes two pipelines. In the atlas pipeline, each animation state is generated as its own row from the same reference so the character stays on-model. The tool then removes the chroma-key background, separates the poses into transparent frames and packs them into one sprite sheet. A manifest.json records where each frame sits, plus per-state frame rates and whether each animation loops. In the video pipeline, a video model animates the still, and sprite-gen trims the clip into a transparent looping animation for each state.
It doesn't ship its own model. By default images come from the image_gen tool in OpenAI's Codex CLI on your ChatGPT subscription; you can also use xAI's Grok Imagine (grok-imagine-image-2.0) on a SuperGrok login or an xAI API key, or OpenAI's Images API (default gpt-image-2.5-flare), which is billed per call and runs only when chosen. Video loops use grok-imagine-video-1.5 through a Grok login or XAI_API_KEY, according to the project's docs.
Extras include a browser curation view, palette recolors, Aseprite exports for Phaser and Flame, tile and shadow tools, and a scene renderer. The README says part of the art in the maker's in-development Steam game, Dungeon Sookuma, was made with it. AIGamer hasn't tested it. The repo had about 3,200 GitHub stars as of November 4, 2026.
Limitation: It doesn't include an image model: generation needs your own Codex (ChatGPT) login, Grok login or an API key, and API-key calls are billed per call
FAQ
Is sprite-gen free?
The tool is free and open source under Apache-2.0, but it calls image and video models on your own account: a ChatGPT subscription through Codex by default, a SuperGrok login, or xAI or OpenAI API keys, which bill per call.
Which AI model does sprite-gen use?
By default, Codex's built-in image_gen tool (GPT image models) on your ChatGPT login. It also supports xAI's Grok Imagine for images and video, and OpenAI's Images API with gpt-image-2.5-flare as the default model, according to its docs.
What does sprite-gen output?
A transparent sprite sheet (sprite-sheet-alpha.png) with a manifest.json frame layout, or transparent per-state loops as GIF, WebP or strips, plus optional Aseprite JSON exports for Phaser and Flame.
Does sprite-gen work with Claude Code?
The repo describes it as a Codex/Claude skill with a Python CLI, and its pixel-draw command runs on a Claude Code login or an Anthropic API key. The README's skill install instructions cover Codex only.
Sources
Compiled by AIGamer from sprite-gen's own pages and the sources below, checked 4 November 2026. We haven't tested sprite-gen hands-on.
- sprite-gen: README (GitHub repository)
- sprite-gen: gen docs: providers and billing
- sprite-gen: video docs
- GitHub: Repository data via the GitHub API
- sprite-gen: Release v3.15.0
Image: sprite-gen (aldegad) on GitHub
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