Configuration

Environment variables and provider setup

AI Provider

Set AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT in .env to choose your provider:

Format	Description
gemini	Google Gemini API (default)
openai	OpenAI-compatible API
volcengine	Volcengine ModelArk AgentPlans (OpenAI-compatible)
vertex	Google Cloud Vertex AI
lazyllm	Multi-vendor Chinese model routing

Gemini (Default)

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=gemini
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-api-key
GOOGLE_API_BASE=https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com

The free tier of Gemini API only supports text generation, not image generation.

OpenAI-Compatible

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=openai
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key
OPENAI_API_BASE=https://api.openai.com/v1

Volcengine AgentPlans

Volcengine ModelArk AgentPlans can be used through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Select “Volcengine AgentPlans” in Settings, or configure .env:

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=volcengine
VOLCENGINE_API_KEY=your-volcengine-api-key
VOLCENGINE_API_BASE=https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/v3

The generic API Key field in Settings can still override the API key, while the Base URL is managed automatically.

Vertex AI

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=vertex
VERTEX_PROJECT_ID=your-gcp-project-id
VERTEX_LOCATION=global
GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=./gcp-service-account.json

gemini-3-* series models require VERTEX_LOCATION=global.

LazyLLM (Multi-Vendor)

Routes requests to different Chinese AI vendors for text, image, and caption tasks:

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=lazyllm
TEXT_MODEL_SOURCE=deepseek
IMAGE_MODEL_SOURCE=doubao
IMAGE_CAPTION_MODEL_SOURCE=qwen

Set API keys for the vendors you use:

DOUBAO_API_KEY=your-key       # Volcengine
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your-key     # DeepSeek
QWEN_API_KEY=your-key         # Alibaba Qwen
GLM_API_KEY=your-key          # Zhipu GLM
SILICONFLOW_API_KEY=your-key  # SiliconFlow
SENSENOVA_API_KEY=your-key    # SenseNova
MINIMAX_API_KEY=your-key      # MiniMax

Banana Slides explicitly packages the LazyLLM online provider SDKs for domestic vendors: volcengine-python-sdk[ark] for Doubao/Volcengine, dashscope for Qwen/Wanxiang, and zhipuai for GLM/Zhipu. LazyLLM source provides lazyllm install online-advanced, but the current PyPI wheel may not publish that group as a standard extra; Docker and prebuilt images therefore rely on these explicit dependencies.

AIHubMix (Recommended Proxy)

AIHubMix is a recommended API proxy that supports both Gemini and OpenAI API formats, with stable high-concurrency performance for text-to-image generation. Apply for an AIHubMix API key here.

To get an API key, open AIHubMix and sign in or create an account. Go to Console and first choose Account → Top Up in the left sidebar to add credits. After topping up, choose Develop → API Keys, click Add key, then copy the generated key into the Settings page or .env.

AI_PROVIDER_FORMAT=openai
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-aihubmix-key
OPENAI_API_BASE=https://aihubmix.com/v1

MinerU (PDF Parsing)

MinerU provides high-quality PDF parsing for reference file uploads. Apply for a MinerU token here.

MINERU_API_BASE=https://mineru.net
MINERU_TOKEN=your-mineru-token

Baidu API Key

For enhanced editable PPTX export with OCR-based text extraction, apply for an IAM API Key from Baidu Cloud (generous free tier available):

BAIDU_API_KEY=your-baidu-api-key

ElevenLabs (Narration Video TTS)

By default, narration videos use edge-tts (Microsoft Edge voices, free, no API key required). You can switch to ElevenLabs for higher-quality, more natural-sounding voices.

How to get an API key:

1. Sign up at elevenlabs.io — a free tier is available (10,000 characters/month).
2. Go to Profile → API Keys (or visit elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys).
3. Click Create API Key, copy the key.

Configure via Settings UI (recommended):

Open Settings → ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech, enable the toggle, and paste your API key. No restart required.

Configure via .env:

ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your-elevenlabs-api-key

The free tier provides 10,000 characters per month. Each page of narration typically uses 200–500 characters. A 10-page presentation costs roughly 2,000–5,000 characters per export.

Runtime Settings Override

All of the above can also be configured via the web UI’s Settings page. Settings configured there are stored in the database and override .env values. Use “Reset to Default” in Settings to revert to .env values.