banana-prompt-quicker: a Chrome extension that inserts Nano Banana prompts into Gemini and AI Studio

What banana-prompt-quicker solves, and for whom

Image generation in Gemini and Google AI Studio starts from an empty input box. Most people do not have a prompt ready, so they either write something generic or copy a prompt from a social post by hand. banana-prompt-quicker closes that gap with a gallery of Nano Banana prompts that sits next to the input. The README describes the extension as supporting the Gemini website, Google AI Studio and Gemini Enterprise, plus "any website input box, right-click to insert". That last part is the interesting one: the gallery is not bound to Gemini's DOM, it can be reached from the context menu anywhere.

The project is aimed at people who generate images from Gemini-family models and want a browsing surface for prompts rather than a text file. The README points to a hosted gallery at glidea.github.io/banana-prompt-quicker, so the prompt set can be browsed before installing anything. The repository also states that third-party sites referencing prompt.json should credit the source, which tells you the prompt collection is treated as the project's main asset, not the extension code.

How the extension is put together: config.json, selectors.json and the prompt set

The repository root holds config.json, selectors.json and prompts.json alongside an extension/ folder, which is the unpacked Chrome extension the README tells you to load. The split matters: selectors.json and config.json describe where the extension should attach and how it should behave on a given site, while prompts.json carries the prompt entries themselves.

A prompt entry, per the contribution section of the README, is a JSON object with title, preview, prompt, author, an optional link, and a mode field whose value is "generate" or "edit". The mode distinction separates prompts that create an image from prompts that modify one you supply, which lines up with the V1.6.0 release note that prompts can carry a reference image.

The V1.4.0 notes say the extension supports "Dynamic Site", where you add a JavaScript selector in config.json to adapt it to another channel. That is the extension point for sites the maintainer does not ship support for. The README does not document the selector schema, so anyone extending it is reading config.json and selectors.json directly rather than following a spec.

Installing banana-prompt-quicker and inserting your first prompt

The README gives two paths. The Chrome Web Store listing is the short one: the store URL is in the README and installing from it needs no unpacked build. The manual path is for people who want the repository version.

Clone or download the repository, then load the extension/ folder as an unpacked extension. In Chrome, open chrome://extensions/, turn on Developer mode in the top right, click Load unpacked, and pick the extension folder inside the project root.

git clone https://github.com/glidea/banana-prompt-quicker.git
cd banana-prompt-quicker

After loading, open Google AI Studio or Gemini. The README says the gallery appears there, and the screenshot in the repository shows a modal over the page. If you want it elsewhere, the right-click entry is the fallback: focus any input box on any site, right-click, and choose Insert Banana Prompts from the context menu. The README notes the cursor lands at the end of the inserted text so you can append your own requirements, which is a small but deliberate choice.

The README also documents a mobile route through Cronmite: install Cronmite, open the Chrome Web Store link inside it, and add the extension. A userscript version exists at bxb100/Scripts, and the README labels it as behind the main extension in features.

Where banana-prompt-quicker breaks down

The extension is a prompt browser with an insertion mechanism, and that is the whole of it. It does not call an image model, does not store your generations, and does not manage API keys. If your workflow runs through a channel the extension has no selector for, the right-click entry still works, but the in-page button will not appear until someone writes a selector for that site.

The README does not document the config.json selector format, so adapting a new channel means reading the shipped files and inferring the shape. There is also no documented rollback or version pinning for the prompt set. Because the gallery is the product, a prompt you liked can change or disappear between versions, and the README does not describe a way to freeze it. If you need a stable, versioned prompt library under your own control, this is the wrong tool.

The README records a V1.2.1 fix for a broken Gemini website button, with remote hotfix support. That is a useful capability, but it also tells you the extension depends on page structure it does not own, and that structure changes without notice.

The alternative: keeping prompts in a file or a snippet manager

The obvious alternative is a plain text file or a snippet manager such as Espanso or your editor's snippet feature. The difference is not the prompts, it is the loop. A snippet manager expands a trigger you have to remember; banana-prompt-quicker shows you a gallery with preview images, so you can pick by looking at the result rather than recalling a keyword. The README's framing of the V1.3.0 inspiration mode makes the same argument: choosing is easier than filling in a blank.

What you give up is portability and control. A text file works in any app on any OS with no extension permissions. banana-prompt-quicker is a Chrome extension, so it lives in Chromium-family browsers, and on mobile it needs Cronmite as a wrapper. If your prompts are short and you already know them, the file wins. If you are browsing for a style you have not tried, the gallery does.

Maintenance, licence and what the repository tells you about cost

The last push to the default branch was on 2026-08-25, and the repository is not archived. The README lists a future section with items such as more prompts, one-click import of prompts shared on communities like X, prompt trending, more Banana channels, and a possible Svelte rewrite marked as a maybe. None of those are dated commitments.

Upgrade cost is mostly about the prompt set. The extension ships prompts.json, and the README's release notes show prompt-related changes landing across versions, so a fresh clone or a store update can change what you see in the gallery. There is no documented diff or changelog for prompt entries specifically.

The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use and modification with the licence text preserved. Note the README's own request that third-party sites referencing prompt.json credit the source. That is a norm the maintainer asks for, not a licence term, so treat it as a community expectation rather than a legal obligation. Nothing here is legal advice; if you plan to redistribute the prompt set, read the LICENSE file in the repository.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt banana-prompt-quicker if you generate images through Gemini, Google AI Studio or Gemini Enterprise and want a prompt gallery one click away, or if you want the same gallery available on any site through the right-click entry. Skip it if your image generation runs on a channel the extension does not cover and you are not willing to write a selector for it, or if you need a maintained release cadence you can point at. Before rolling it out, verify that a dynamic site entry you add in config.json actually inserts into your target box, and check whether the prompt set matches your language and style, because the gallery is the whole product.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. glidea/banana-prompt-quicker on GitHub
2. Issues
3. License: MIT
4. Project website
5. README