Generate Text with an LLM Directly Inside Inkscape — For Designers Who Want AI Copy Without Leaving the App

You’re three iterations deep on a design mockup. The headline needs tweaking. The body copy should be shorter. And wait—the client just asked for a French version. You close Inkscape, open ChatGPT, paste the text, copy the result, switch back, paste it in, adjust the font, and realize it doesn’t fit anymore.

There’s a better way. What if you could generate, rewrite, translate, and edit all your design text without ever leaving Inkscape?

What This Is

The AI Text Generator is a free Inkscape extension that pipes your design text directly to local or cloud-based LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, or self-hosted Llama). Instead of context-switching to a separate tool, you:

• Create new text from scratch using custom prompts
• Modify selected text: rewrite, translate, expand, summarize, or adjust tone
• Apply changes in-place without duplicate layers
• Control everything from a single panel: API keys, model selection, temperature, and token limits

No manual copy-paste. No broken formatting. No leaving your canvas.

Prerequisites

Software:

• Inkscape 1.2 or later (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Git (for cloning the repository)
• A text editor

API Requirements (pick one):

• Cloud: OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, or Microsoft Azure API key
• Local: Ollama or LLaMA.cpp with a model downloaded (e.g., mistral, llama2)

System Knowledge:

• Basic comfort navigating Inkscape’s Extensions menu
• Ability to locate your system’s extensions folder
• Familiarity with copying API keys and editing JSON files

Installation & Setup

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/[creator]/ai-text-generator.git

Step 2: Find Your Extensions Folder

In Inkscape, go to Edit → Preferences → System → User Extensions. A file browser opens showing your extensions directory.

Common paths:

• Linux: ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Inkscape/extensions/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Inkscape\extensions\

Step 3: Create a New Folder and Copy Files

Create a subfolder named textgen in your extensions directory, then copy these three files from the cloned repo:

mkdir ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen
cp /path/to/cloned/repo/textgen.inx ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen/
cp /path/to/cloned/repo/textgen.py ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen/
cp /path/to/cloned/repo/config.example.json ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen/

Step 4: Configure Your API Credentials

Rename config.example.json to config.json:

mv ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen/config.example.json ~/.config/inkscape/extensions/textgen/config.json

Open config.json in your text editor and add your credentials:

{
  "provider": "openai",
  "api_key": "sk-your-actual-api-key-here",
  "model": "gpt-4-turbo",
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max_tokens": 500
}

Save the file. ⚠️ Keep your API key private—never commit this file to version control.

Step 5: Restart Inkscape

Close and reopen Inkscape completely. Navigate to Extensions → Text → AI Text Generator. If you see this menu item, you’re ready to go.

Core Workflow

Creating New Text from Scratch

1. Go to Extensions → Text → AI Text Generator → Create Text.

2. Enter your prompt in the “Text Prompt” field.

   • Example: "Write a punchy tagline for a sustainable fashion brand in 5 words or less."

3. (Optional) Adjust settings:

   • Tone: Formal, casual, playful, technical
   • Language: English, French, Spanish, etc.
   • Temperature: Lower (0.3) = consistent; Higher (0.9) = creative

4. Click Apply. The LLM generates text as a new object on your canvas. Position and style it using Inkscape’s normal text tools.

Modifying Existing Text

1. Select the text object you want to modify.

2. Go to Extensions → Text → AI Text Generator → Modify Text.

3. Choose an action:

   • Rewrite: Rephrase while keeping meaning
   • Translate: Convert to another language
   • Summarize: Condense to key points
   • Expand: Add detail and explanation
   • Change Tone: Shift from casual to formal

4. (Optional) Add a custom instruction in “Additional Prompt.”

   • Example: "Make it sound more urgent and action-oriented."

5. Click Apply. The text updates in place—no new layer, no duplication.

Practical Example

You’re designing a landing page for a fitness app. Your headline reads: “Get fit fast.” The client wants it to sound more motivational and energetic.

1. Select the text “Get fit fast” on your canvas.

2. Open Extensions → Text → AI Text Generator → Modify Text.

3. Select Action: Rewrite and Tone: Playful & Energetic.

4. In “Additional Prompt,” type: "Use exclamation marks and action verbs. Keep it under 4 words."

5. Click Apply. Text updates to: “Crush Your Fitness Goals!”

6. Font size and color remain unchanged. Now you want a Spanish version.

7. With the same text selected, open Modify Text again.

8. Select Action: Translate and Language: Spanish.

9. Click Apply. Text now reads: “¡Domina Tus Objetivos de Fitness!”

All changes happened inside Inkscape. No tab-switching. No manual copy-paste. No formatting loss.

Common Issues & Fixes

Extension not appearing in menu after restart

• Double-check that all three files (textgen.inx, textgen.py, config.json) are in the same textgen subfolder.
• Verify the folder path matches your Inkscape preferences.
• Restart your computer to clear the extension cache.

API key error or “401 Unauthorized”

• Log into your API provider’s dashboard and generate a fresh API key.
• Copy it exactly—no extra spaces.
• Paste it into config.json and restart Inkscape.

“Model not found” error

• For OpenAI: Verify you’re using a current model name like gpt-4-turbo or gpt-3.5-turbo.
• For local models (Ollama): Ensure Ollama is running and the model is downloaded. Test with: ollama list.
• Update config.json with the correct model name.

Generated text has unwanted markdown formatting

• Use the Post-Processing option in the dialog to strip markdown.
• Or add to your prompt: "Do not use markdown formatting. Return plain text only."

Next Steps

You now have a workflow that cuts design iteration time in half.

What to try next:

• Experiment with different temperature settings (0.3–0.9) to find the right balance between consistency and creativity for your brand voice.
• Use local models (Ollama) if you want to avoid API costs or keep text generation private.
• Combine this with Inkscape’s other AI extensions for a fully integrated design workflow.

What type of design work would benefit most from instant AI text generation in your workflow? Reply and let me know.

What’s your current workflow for generating copy in design projects—and would you switch to in-app LLM generation?