Catalog says nano-banana-2, docs say 2.1: which id to send on Sume

The short answer

Send google/nano-banana-2.1 to the Image API. On 2026-10-08 the public catalog's Image Router entry still lists the id nano-banana-2, while the Image API docs say that Nano Banana 2 is retired and that the old ids run as Nano Banana 2.1 and store the 2.1 id on the job.

Both statements can be read together: the catalog entry is the older Image Router listing (invoke URL /v1/image-router/generate), and the docs describe the newer Images route that replaces it.

The arithmetic

The docs also say the legacy POST /v1/image-router/generate and GET /v1/image-router/models routes still work, are deprecated, and will not get new parameters. That route is where the catalog's older id list still applies.

So the safe choice for new code is the org/slug id on the new route. For old code, nothing breaks, because bare ids are accepted as aliases for their org/slug equivalents.

How to run it

Your invoice follows the 2.1 price either way: $0.075 at 0.5K, $0.10 at 1K, $0.15 at 2K and $0.20 at 4K. Google lists $0.0336, $0.0504 and $0.113 for 1K, 2K and 4K on its own page.

Search your code for the retired ids and change them at your next release. The change is a rename, with no change in the price you pay.

Retries and what to watch

Old ids are a drift risk, not an outage risk. The retired ids work, but a team that reads ids from a config file may end up with three spellings in the same codebase.

Three small steps remove the drift.

• Search your repo and config for nano-banana-2 and google/nano-banana-2.
• Replace each with google/nano-banana-2.1 and keep the old string in a comment for one release.
• Check a job after the change: the docs say the stored model is the 2.1 id for either spelling.

What the docs say to check

Nano Banana 2 is retired on Sume. The ids google/nano-banana-2 and nano-banana-2 still work and run as Nano Banana 2.1, and the job stores the 2.1 id, so old code keeps working and the 2.1 prices apply.

Read GET /v1/images/models before you pin a tier or ratio. A model accepts only the values its descriptors list, and the descriptors are the definitive source for what a call may send.

If the id in the response does not match the id you sent, read the stored job model: the docs say it is the 2.1 id for a retired request.

The numbers above are list prices read on 2026-10-08, not measurements. Sume figures are the catalog prices that already include its margin, Google figures are from its own pricing page, and quality or speed differences are not covered. Re-read both pages before you commit a large budget, because either side can change its rates.