# Gondola Image Generation (Venice AI via USDC on Base)

> Gondola Image Generation (Venice AI via USDC on Base) is a paid API for AI agents from api.gondola-ai.com, paid per call via x402, $0.01/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Generates AI images using Venice-compatible models via the Gondola marketplace, billed at $0.01 USDC per call on Base chain

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://api.gondola-ai.com/v1/images/generations
- Price: $0.01/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/gondola-image-generation-venice-ai-via-usdc-on-base-c90ce1a2
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_ryaThUy6lFaPllgJJRFUE

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability gondola-image-generation-venice-ai-via-usdc-on-base-c90ce1a2 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Using Gondola's Venice-powered image API — billed at $0.01 USDC on Base — generate an image of a misty canal in Venice at sunrise with a gondola gliding through the water.

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need OpenAI-compatible image generation at lower cost, are willing to pay in USDC on Base blockchain, or want to leverage Venice AI models without paying full OpenAI prices. Ideal for crypto-native agents, dApps, and workflows already using the x402 micropayment protocol on Base.

## Known failure modes

- Insufficient USDC balance on Base chain causes payment failure and 402 response
- Invalid or missing prompt body returns a 400 bad request error
- Venice model unavailability causes upstream inference errors
- Rate limiting or capacity constraints from the marketplace return 429 or 503 errors
- Malformed JSON body results in parsing errors

## How this service works

Gondola is a marketplace for Venice AI inference: cheap, OpenAI-compatible models paid in USDC on Base, funded by DIEM holders earning on idle compute.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with a 'created' Unix timestamp and a 'data' array containing the generated image(s), following the OpenAI images/generations response format.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
 "required": [
  "input"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type",
    "method",
    "bodyType",
    "body"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "body": {
     "type": "object"
    },
    "type": {
     "type": "string",
     "const": "http"
    },
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "POST"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    },
    "bodyType": {
     "enum": [
      "json"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    }
   }
  },
  "output": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "example": {
     "type": "object"
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "data": [
   {
    "b64_json": "<base64 png bytes>"
   }
  ],
  "created": 1756684800
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/gondola-image-generation-venice-ai-via-usdc-on-base-c90ce1a2/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.gondola-ai.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.gondola-ai.com/llms.txt)