PaperBanana MCP
MCP server and CLI that turns paper text or data into academic figures, diagrams and plots
- 2,479 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- Runs code and calls an external generation API
- Consumes paid Google quota
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/paperbananaDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Runs code and calls an external generation API
- Consumes paid Google quota
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
PaperBanana assembles figures for research work: methodology diagrams from a text description, statistical plots from CSV or JSON, and full figure packages for a whole paper. It plugs into an agent over MCP via uvx, and also runs as a standalone command and as a set of Claude Code skills. Over MCP it exposes generation and refinement of diagrams and plots, evaluation against a reference, batch runs and reference downloads. Rendering runs on Google Gemini models, so a Google key is required.
Who it is for. For researchers, analysts and paper authors who need diagrams and plots for publications and talks.
Good fit when
- You need a methodology diagram from a text description
- You need a statistical plot from a data table
- You need a consistent set of figures for a paper
Not a fit when
- You have no access to Google Gemini or a key
- You need UI or layout design rather than scientific figures
Example request
Build a methodology diagram from this experiment description and a plot from results.csvMCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- API key
Environment variables
GOOGLE_API_KEYrequired, secret- Google key for the Gemini models used to render images
Limitations
Generation requires a Google Gemini key, and Google access is blocked from Russia without a VPN. Some features need optional extras (studio, pdf), and the benchmark reference set weighs a few hundred megabytes.
How to disable. Remove the paperbanana entry from your MCP config, or uninstall the package: pip uninstall paperbanana.
FAQ
Do I need a local clone?
No, the MCP server runs via uvx without cloning. For the CLI you can install the package via pip.
Which model renders?
Images are generated by Google Gemini models, so a Google key is needed.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The README presents an open-source implementation and extension of Google Research's PaperBanana for automated academic figures. Install via pip or from source, with Docker and a Colab notebook for a quick start. The MCP server connects over uvx and exposes eleven tools: generating and continuing diagrams and plots, evaluation, batch runs and reference downloads. The repo also ships three Claude Code skills and a Gradio studio mode. MIT licensed.