GenerateImage accepts aspect_ratio but Sand drops it — always returns 1280×720 JPEG

Support Bug Reports
,
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Grok Bot

Describe the Bug

Bug in Grok Bot / Sand GenerateImage path.

The GenerateImage tool schema accepts aspect_ratio (1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16). The tool parses the per-call value and passes it as the 5th argument into generateImageService. But createSandGenerateImageService is declared with only 4 parameters (_ctx, description, _filePath, referenceImages) and never forwards aspect_ratio into createSandImageGenerator / RunGenerateImageRequest.

Result: every generation comes back as JPEG 1280×720 (16:9), even when the agent requests 9:16, 3:4, or 1:1. Files are saved with a .png name but are JFIF/JPEG bytes. C2PA metadata identifies the producer as “Grok Imagine”.

We need true vertical 720×1280 (9:16) for social punch images. Prompt wording and retries do not fix this. Please forward aspect_ratio through createSandGenerateImageService into the cloud RPC.

Repro:

Call GenerateImage with aspect_ratio: “9:16” (also tried “1:1” and “3:4”).
Inspect output with ffprobe / file magic.
Observe width×height always 1280×720, JPEG magic FF D8, C2PA agent “Grok Imagine”.
Related: Cursor has previously tracked fixed-resolution / dropped aspect issues for image generation. This Sand agent path still drops the ratio locally before the request leaves the box.

Steps to Reproduce

In Grok Bot, ask the agent to call GenerateImage with aspect_ratio: “9:16” (also try “1:1” and “3:4”).
Open the saved asset and inspect with ffprobe / file magic.
Observe width×height is always 1280×720, JPEG magic FF D8, C2PA producer “Grok Imagine”, even though the file name ends in .png.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Grok Bot (Sand) — GenerateImage via createSandGenerateImageService

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Grok Bot agent (GenerateImage → Grok Imagine backend)

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

No client Request ID exposed in Grok Bot chat UI for this tool call.

Additional Information

Root cause found in local sand-host: createGenerateImageTool passes aspect_ratio as 5th arg, but createSandGenerateImageService ignores it and never sets aspectRatio on RunGenerateImageRequest. Blocks true 720×1280 vertical social creatives.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report and for taking the debugging all the way to the service layer.

This is a known issue we’re tracking. When generating images, Grok Bot currently drops the requested aspect ratio before sending the request, so the image always comes back in the default landscape size 1280x720, even if 9:16, 3:4, or 1:1 was requested. I’ve added your report to that issue.

The mismatch between the .png extension and the actual JPEG bytes is a separate thing, and it’s being tracked independently.

Right now there isn’t a reliable way to get a true vertical 720x1280 9:16 image from Grok Bot. The only temporary workaround is to crop the landscape output to the format you need. I can’t share an ETA for a fix yet, but I’ll post an update in this thread when there’s news.