Tongyi-MAI
tongyi-maiTongyi-MAI's 4 models on ModelRunner span Image-to-Image and Text-to-Image, from $0.005 per megapixel upward.
4 public models — every one runnable in a free playground, through the REST API and JavaScript SDK, or from an AI assistant over MCP.
Tongyi-MAI models & pricing
Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
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Generate images that follow a control image's edges, depth, or pose while matching your text prompt.
Z-Image Turbo Image to Image
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Generate images from text and an initial image using Tongyi-MAI's super-fast Z-Image Turbo model.
Z-Image Base
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Generate high-quality, stylistically diverse images with precise prompt adherence using the Z-Image foundation model.
Z-Image Turbo
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High-speed 6B parameter text-to-image generation optimized for cost efficiency and volume. Produces up to 4MP images in an 8-step pipeline suitable for rapid prototyping.
What you can build with Tongyi-MAI models
- Generate an image that keeps the composition of a reference photo Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
- Turn a sketch or line drawing into a finished image (canny edges) Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
- Depth-guided image generation preserving 3D structure and perspective Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
- Pose-controlled character generation from a reference figure Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
- ControlNet structural conditioning for fast image variations Z-Image Turbo ControlNet
- Transform images with a prompt at very high speed Z-Image Turbo Image to Image
- Restyle drafts rapidly during iteration Z-Image Turbo Image to Image
- Generate image variations from a base picture cheaply Z-Image Turbo Image to Image
Browse by capability
Call a Tongyi-MAI model in one request
Every endpoint shares the same lifecycle: submit to the queue, poll the status URL, fetch the result. Swap the endpoint to switch models — nothing else changes.
cURL
curl -X POST https://queue.modelrunner.run/tongyi-mai/z-image/turbo/controlnet \
-H "Authorization: Key $MRUN_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "prompt": "..." }'
# → { "request_id": "...", "status_url": "...", "response_url": "..." }Use Tongyi-MAI models from Claude & Cursor
Connect the ModelRunner MCP server once and your AI assistant can run every Tongyi-MAI model on this page as a tool — authorized via OAuth, results returned as hosted URLs in the conversation.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http modelrunner https://mcp.modelrunner.run/mcpFrequently asked questions
What Tongyi-MAI models can I run on ModelRunner?
The catalog has 4 public Tongyi-MAI models: Z-Image Turbo ControlNet, Z-Image Turbo Image to Image, Z-Image Base and 1 more. They cover image-to-image and text-to-image. Each one has its own page with a free playground, the full input schema, and copy-paste code.
How much do Tongyi-MAI models cost?
Pay-per-use, with no subscription: the 4 Tongyi-MAI models billed per megapixel start at $0.005, and every page publishes its own rate — some are tiered, so a lower resolution or a shorter clip costs less per run. You buy credits and pay only for what you generate.
How do I call a Tongyi-MAI model from the API?
POST to https://queue.modelrunner.run/tongyi-mai/z-image/turbo/controlnet with an Authorization: Key header and the input fields as the top-level JSON body (no wrapper object), then poll the returned status_url and fetch the result from response_url. The JavaScript SDK (@modelrunner/client) wraps that in a single subscribe() call, which is the one place an { input } object is used.
Can I run Tongyi-MAI models from Claude or Cursor?
Yes. Connect the ModelRunner MCP server (https://mcp.modelrunner.run/mcp) once and all 4 Tongyi-MAI models become tools your assistant can call with run_model — authorized over OAuth 2.1, so no API key goes into a config file. Results come back as hosted URLs in the conversation.
More on ModelRunner
Browse the full model catalog, compare live per-configuration rates on the pricing page, see curated sets on explore, or view every model creator.