Nano Banana 2 Lite model id: Vertex hyphens vs Gemini API dots

Google writes the Nano Banana 2 Lite id two ways: gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image on the Gemini API image page and gemini-3-1-flash-lite-image in the Google Cloud announcement (read 2026-10-02). Paste the wrong one into the wrong product and you get a not-found error. Sume's image catalog does not list Nano Banana 2 Lite; it lists google/nano-banana-2 and google/nano-banana-pro.

The two spellings

The Gemini API page lists four Nano Banana models with Lite as the fastest and cheapest, and writes its id with dots (Gemini API docs, read 2026-10-02). The Google Cloud post, dated June 30, 2026, announces Lite as generally available on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform with the hyphenated id and says it can generate in as little as 4 seconds (Google Cloud blog, read 2026-10-02).

What Lite can and cannot do

Per the Gemini API page, Lite supports only 1K resolution, takes up to 14 object references, and has no Google Search grounding. It supports ten aspect ratios, including 4:5, 5:4 and 21:9 (read 2026-10-02).

What Sume lists

Sume's public ids follow an org/slug form, and the image docs map google/nano-banana-2 and google/nano-banana-pro to the legacy bare ids nano-banana-2 and nano-banana-pro (Image API). Read GET /v1/images/models for the live list; a model it does not list will not run, and an unlisted parameter returns 400 unsupported_parameter.

So if a tutorial tells you to call a Lite id, check which product it targets, then check the Sume catalog before you port it. For a cheaper Sume still, compare the catalog pricing lines of the listed models rather than assuming a Lite row exists.

Quick rule

Dots for the Gemini API, hyphens for the Cloud post as written, and on Sume, whatever the catalog says today.