← Image Asset Manager Image Asset Manager · Support

Support & FAQ

If you're stuck, check Common issues first — most questions are answered there. If it's something else, email is the fastest route.

Contact: hello@ionicconsulting.co.uk

Response time: usually within two working days (UK)

Getting started

Image Asset Manager is a Mac and iPad app for AI image generation, organisation, and asset management. To generate images you'll need your own API key from Google AI Studio. Anthropic Claude is supported for optional prompt refinement.

Step 1 — Google AI Studio API key (required for generation)

  1. Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey.
  2. Sign in with a Google account.
  3. Click Create API key and copy the value.
  4. In the app, open Settings, paste the key into the Google AI Studio field, and save.

The free tier covers the four image models the app uses (Imagen 4 Fast, Standard, Ultra, and Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) at typical individual usage levels. Heavy usage may push you into Google's paid tier; you can monitor your spend in the Spend Dashboard.

Step 2 — Anthropic API key (optional)

If you want to use Claude to refine prompts before generating:

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys.
  2. Create an account or sign in.
  3. Generate a new key.
  4. Paste it into the Anthropic field in Settings.

You can use Image Asset Manager without this key — generation works on the Google key alone.

Step 3 — Library location

By default the app stores everything in its iCloud Drive container so the library is available on every device signed into your iCloud account. You can move the library to any folder you have read/write access to via Settings → Library Location → Change.

Common issues

"Server not found" when generating

Almost always a network problem rather than a key problem. Check your internet connection. If you've just created the API key, give Google a couple of minutes to propagate it before retrying.

Budget gate stopped a generation

Each generation has a maximum cost (default £2.50) and maximum image count (default 20). If the projected cost exceeds either limit, the app refuses the request before calling Google. You can override the limits per generation in the Generation panel.

Permission denied when picking a library folder

macOS sandboxing requires you to grant the app access via the system file picker. Use the Change button in Settings rather than entering a path manually, and pick a folder you have write access to (not a system-protected location).

Library appears empty after switching devices

If you use iCloud Drive, files are downloaded on demand. After a fresh sign-in on a new Mac or iPad, thumbnails fill in over a few minutes as iCloud pulls them down. Both devices must be signed into the same iCloud account with iCloud Drive enabled.

Generation succeeded but the asset isn't in the library

Rare, but if it happens: quit and relaunch the app. The asset is in the database — the in-memory cache occasionally lags after a generation. If it persists, please get in touch.

Spend totals look off

Spend is logged in GBP using a fixed USD-to-GBP conversion rate published in the app. Google's underlying prices are in USD; the conversion is applied at the moment of generation and stored, so historic totals reflect the rate at the time, not today's rate.

Claude Code MCP integration (advanced — most users can skip this)

If you use Anthropic's Claude Code CLI on the same Mac, Image Asset Manager exposes a local MCP server so Claude Code can read and write to your asset library. To register it:

claude mcp add image-asset-manager \
  --scope user \
  --env LIBRARY_PATH="<your library folder>" \
  -- node <path-to>/mcp-server/src/index.js

The MCP server runs on 127.0.0.1:47821 (loopback only — not reachable from any other machine). It only operates while the app is running; offline, read-only queries fall back to the library's JSON index.

Privacy and data

Image Asset Manager does not collect telemetry, analytics, or usage data. Your prompts, images, projects, and API keys stay on your device or in your own iCloud Drive. When you generate or refine, the relevant prompt and reference images are sent directly from your device to Google AI Studio or Anthropic using your own API key — Ionic Consulting is not part of that exchange. Full details: Privacy Policy.

Reporting bugs or requesting features

Email hello@ionicconsulting.co.uk with:

  • What you were doing when the problem occurred.
  • What you expected to happen.
  • What actually happened.
  • Your macOS or iPadOS version.
  • The app version (visible in Settings).

If the app crashed, attaching the crash report helps. On macOS: Console.app → Crash Reports → ImageAssetManager. On iPad (coming soon): Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Analytics Data, find the ImageAssetManager file, AirDrop or email it across.

Release notes

Each version's changes are published at github.com/Jay-Hell/image-asset-manager/releases.

System requirements

  • macOS 26 or later (Apple silicon and Intel both supported).
  • iPadOS 26 or later (coming soon).
  • A Google AI Studio API key (free to create).
  • Optional: an Anthropic API key for prompt refinement.
  • iCloud Drive enabled if you want the default library location; otherwise any local folder works.
Still stuck? Email hello@ionicconsulting.co.uk, or read the Privacy Policy.