# GenerateImage fails with 401 Unauthorized — image generation unavailable in Agent **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Tags:** image-gen\ **Created:** [June 4, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465 "2026-06-04T19:02:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AI\_GPT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b77776/32.png) [@AI\_GPT](https://forum.cursor.com/u/AI_GPT)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465/1 "2026-06-04T19:02:11Z")
### Where does the bug appear (feature/product)? Cursor IDE ### Describe the Bug Hi, Image generation from the Agent (GenerateImage tool) consistently fails with: Failed to generate image, error: Request failed with status code 401 What I’m doing Asking the agent to generate PNG assets (e.g. course intro / YouTube thumbnails, 16:9, simple prompts). The agent calls GenerateImage; every attempt returns 401 immediately (no image file is created). Environment Cursor IDE (macOS) Agent mode with shell access Same failure on multiple retries over different sessions (not a one-off network blip). What I’ve checked Other tools (terminal, file read/write, web) work normally. I haven’t found a clear setting in Cursor for “image generation API” or a dedicated key for this feature. Questions Is GenerateImage tied to a specific Cursor subscription / model entitlement, or a separate API key? Where should image generation be enabled or authenticated (Settings → …)? Is 401 expected when billing/plan limits are hit, or only when auth is missing? Expected: Agent can generate images from text prompts (as documented for the tool). Actual: Hard 401 on every request. If anyone from the team sees this: happy to share exact prompt, timestamp, and Cursor version if that helps reproduce. Thanks! ### Steps to Reproduce Asking the agent to generate PNG assets (e.g. course intro / YouTube thumbnails, 16:9, simple prompts). The agent calls GenerateImage; every attempt returns 401 immediately (no image file is created). ### Operating System MacOS ### Version Information Version: 3.6.31 (Universal) VS Code Extension API: 1.105.1 Commit: 81fcf2931d7687b4ff3f3017858d0c6dee7e2a60 Date: 2026-05-31T17:46:29.630Z Layout: editor Build Type: Stable Release Track: Default Electron: 39.8.1 Chromium: 142.0.7444.265 Node.js: 22.22.1 V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0 xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.220 OS: Darwin arm64 25.5.0 ### Does this stop you from using Cursor No - Cursor works, but with this issue ---
**Author:** ![brasillero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/brasillero/32/110708_2.png) [@brasillero](https://forum.cursor.com/u/brasillero)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465/5 "2026-06-04T19:39:12Z")
Not sure if it the same root couse but my Agents at the [cursor.com/agens](http://cursor.com/agens) is also failing with 401 just now. Edit: yes I logged out and in again ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/original/3X/1/1/114b0da8dfac7e8cf0164ba2544c0f462b66aa60.png) ---
**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/colin/32/90452_2.png) [@Colin](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Colin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465/6 "2026-06-04T19:49:48Z")
Hey there! > [@AI\_GPT](#): > > Image generation from the Agent (GenerateImage tool) consistently fails with: > > Failed to generate image, error: Request failed with status code 401 Thanks for the report. This should be working again now, and we’ll continue to monitor. ---
**Author:** ![brasillero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/brasillero/32/110708_2.png) [@brasillero](https://forum.cursor.com/u/brasillero)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465/8 "2026-06-08T19:50:03Z")
Not sure why, but after those errors my account vanished… Completely lost access to it (and I just got the annual plan). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/system/32/99069_2.png) [@system](https://forum.cursor.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/generateimage-fails-with-401-unauthorized-image-generation-unavailable-in-agent/162465/11 "2026-07-16T16:27:21Z")
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