Style fields · Manifest reference

Field	Type/default	Meaning
`extends`	style id	Optional parent style. The child inherits resolved settings but must declare its own `outDir`.
`provider`	top-level default	Provider registry id for this style. Assets cannot override it.
`generator`	`map`	`map`, `1dir`, `pixflux`, `tiles`, `terrain`, `isometricTile`, `imagePro`, `character`, `objectPro`, `uiAsset`, `uiElement`, `imageProFlash`, `vfx`, or provider-specific `animation`/`frames`. See GENERATORS.md.
`outDir`	string, required	Output directory relative to the manifest.
`promptPrefix`	`""`	Prepended to every participating asset prompt.
`promptSuffix`	`""`	Appended to every participating asset prompt.
`styleImages`	`[]`	`{ "path": "..." }` reference images. Paths are manifest-relative.
`size`	integer 16–8192	Square size. Each provider and generator applies its own narrower limits. For PixelLab `1dir`, a style reference's dimensions take precedence.
`view`	string	PixelLab `map`: `low top-down`, `high top-down`, or `side`. Other generators interpret this separately.
`outline`	string	PixelLab `map`: `single color outline`, `selective outline`, or `lineless`.
`shading`	string	PixelLab `map`: `flat shading`, `basic shading`, `medium shading`, or `detailed shading`.
`detail`	string	PixelLab `map`: `low detail`, `medium detail`, or `high detail`.
`seed`	integer	Deterministic provider seed where supported.
`palette`	hex array, `[]`	The style's palette; `#` is optional. Sent to providers that take one (`pixflux`, `imagePro` as its target palette, Retro Diffusion, ComfyUI bindings).
`paletteName`	string ≤100	`imagePro` only, needs `palette`: the palette's name (`Game Boy`, `PICO-8`), which PixelLab uses to help the look.
`maxColors`	integer 2–64	`imagePro` only: at most this many colours in each candidate, drawn from `palette` when one is set.
`enforcePalette`	boolean, `false`	Snap every downloaded PNG to the nearest `palette` colour, no dithering. Needs at least two colours. See Palette enforcement.
`noBackground`	boolean, `true`	`pixflux` background removal. Set false for scenes/backdrops.
`providerOptions`	object, `{}`	Options grouped by provider id. Only the active provider's object is resolved and hashed.
`tileSize`	integer 16–256	Edge length for `tiles` when no style reference supplies geometry.
`tileType`	enum	`hex`, `hex_pointy`, `isometric`, `oblique`, `octagon`, or `square_topdown`.
`tileView`	enum	`top-down`, `high top-down`, `low top-down`, or `side`.
`tileFeature`	enum	Connectable `roads`, `tileset`, or `building` structural set.
`outlineMode`	enum	`outline` or `segmentation`; segmentation avoids quilted ground seams.
`terrainOrientation`	`top-down`	`terrain` only. `sidescroller` makes a platform set: prompt `1). <platform body> 2). <top layer>`, 16 or 32px, no mode, view, or shape controls.
`terrainMode`	`standard`	`terrain` only. `standard` or `pro`.
`terrainTileSize`	`16`	`terrain` only. 16, 32, or 64 (`pro` only).
`terrainTransitionSize`	`0`	`terrain` only. 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1 (any 0–0.5 with `terrainShapeStyle`). Pro reads it as wall height; above 0.4 a Pro set has 25 tiles, standard only at 1.
`terrainView`	`high top-down`	`terrain` only. `low top-down` or `high top-down`.
`terrainShapeStyle`		`terrain`, `standard` only. `square` or `round` procedural boundary.
`terrainRaggedness`	`0`	`terrain`, `pro` only. Boundary noise, 0–1.
`terrainRoundness`	0.85 pro, 0.6 shape style	`terrain`, `pro` or `terrainShapeStyle`. Border corners: 0 square, 1 round, 2 cut at 45° (above 1 `pro` only).
`terrainBoundaryAmplitude`	`0`	`terrain`, `pro` or `terrainShapeStyle`. How far the border meanders, 0–0.3.
`terrainBoundarySeed`	`0`	`terrain`, with `terrainBoundaryAmplitude`. Which meander, an integer.
`terrainStepSlope`	`0`	`terrain`, `pro` at `terrainTransitionSize` 0.25 only. 0 a cliff to 2 a gentle slope.
`terrainConnectDiagonals`	`false`	`terrain`, `pro` only. Join the diagonal tiles' upper corners into one area.
`terrainSpreadX` / `terrainSlopeSize`		Deprecated: PixelLab ignores both. Still accepted. Changing any `terrain*` field marks the set stale: the older ones (mode, transition size, view, shape style, raggedness, these two) and the descriptions as sent are recorded per lock entry as `terrainSettings` rather than hashed, compared as written (an explicit default counts as a change), and absent on sets generated before that record existed, which stay current.
`mode`	`standard`	`character` only. `standard`, `v3`, `pro`, or `pro-flash`; see Characters.
`directions`	`8`	`character` only. `4` or `8`; every engine but `standard` draws 8.
`template`	`mannequin`	`character` only. Body template: `mannequin`, or `bear`, `cat`, `dog`, `horse`, `lion`; `custom` for `pro-flash`.
`proportions`		`character` only, `standard` humanoid bases. A preset (`default`, `chibi`, `cartoon`, `stylized`, `realistic_male`, `realistic_female`, `heroic`) or multipliers `{ headSize, armsLength, legsLength, shoulderWidth, hipWidth }`, each 0.5 to 2. An asset may override it.
`textGuidanceScale`	`8`	`character` only. How closely a `standard` base and a template loop follow their text, 1 to 20.
`isometric`	`false`	`character` only. Draw `standard` bases and every loop in isometric view.
`enhancePrompt`	`false`	`character` only, `v3` bases. Let PixelLab expand the prompt into a fuller one before drawing.
`styleCharacter`		`character` only, `pro` bases. The asset id of a generated 8-direction character in this style whose look bases drawn from text or a concept follow. An asset may override it.
`styleTraits`	all true	`character` `pro-flash` bases and `imageProFlash` styles, with a style image. `{ palette, outline, detail, shading }` booleans: which traits the style image lends.
`mount`	object	Stable-cell sheet placement; documented below.
`quality`	object	Optional native-grid, final-palette, and human-approval contract; documented below.
`tags`	string array, `[]`	Tags inherited by every generated provider object in the style.

One style using the common fields, and a pixflux style with a locked palette:

{
  "styles": {
    "base": {
      "generator": "map",
      "outDir": "assets/generated/base",
      "promptPrefix": "pixel-art game prop",
      "promptSuffix": "isolated, transparent background",
      "size": 64,
      "view": "high top-down",
      "outline": "selective outline",
      "shading": "medium shading",
      "detail": "medium detail",
      "seed": 7,
      "tags": ["props"]
    },
    "gb": {
      "generator": "pixflux",
      "outDir": "assets/generated/gb",
      "palette": ["#0f380f", "#306230", "#8bac0f", "#9bbc0f"],
      "enforcePalette": true,
      "noBackground": false
    }
  }
}

Style inheritance

Use extends for a real variant that differs from a base style by a few settings. Do not copy the whole style:

{
  "styles": {
    "pony-character": {
      "generator": "map",
      "promptPrefix": "score_9, score_8_up, rating_safe",
      "promptSuffix": "clean pixel clusters",
      "seed": 24000,
      "outDir": "art/generated/pony-character",
      "quality": {
        "outDir": "art/native/pony-character",
        "palette": ["#17111f", "#76506f", "#e5a9b8", "#fff1de"],
        "minGridConfidence": "high"
      }
    },
    "pony-explicit": {
      "extends": "pony-character",
      "promptPrefix": "score_9, score_8_up, rating_explicit",
      "seed": 24001,
      "outDir": "art/generated/pony-explicit",
      "quality": {
        "outDir": "art/native/pony-explicit"
      }
    }
  }
}

The child wins for ordinary fields. Arrays and nested objects are replaced, not concatenated or recursively merged. Two fields get a focused merge:

quality keeps parent keys that the child does not override;
providerOptions keeps parent provider namespaces and merges each provider's immediate option keys. A deeper object such as bindings is still replaced as a whole.

Inheritance may span several styles. Unknown parents, self-reference, and cycles are errors. Every child must declare outDir; output ownership is never inherited. Omission means inherit, and there is no null deletion marker. Defaults and generator constraints are applied after the chain is resolved.

Only the resolved style reaches planning. A parent edit to a pixel-affecting field therefore changes every child's spec hash; a quality-policy edit changes the child's derived quality state without buying new provider art. extends itself is not runtime or lockfile state.

Generator-specific fields are validated before planning. Important constraints:

1dir is square; use style/asset size rather than width/height.
When size and styleImages are both present, PixelLab derives size from the largest reference image and the declared size is advisory.
map supports arbitrary asset width and height but not forced palettes or style images. enforcePalette still holds its output to the palette.
pixflux accepts a forced palette and returns inline output; it has no style-image support.
imagePro sends palette (2 to 256 colours) as PixelLab's beta target palette: every pixel of every candidate is one of those colours. Add paletteName to name it and maxColors to cap each candidate's colours. The cost is unchanged.
tiles cannot combine tileFeature with styleImages because the provider rejects connectable features in style-tile mode.
ComfyUI frames derives its count from one 2–64 item providerInputs sequence, renders one still per item, and reviews the ordered set atomically.

See generator selection for costs and trade-offs. See mixed-provider projects when styles in one manifest need different backends and budget units.