18 KiB
18 KiB
WP Agentic Writer: Recommended Best Flow for Images (Cost-Optimized)
The Challenge You Asked About
Your question:
"After article generation, how do we get image placement with alt by writing agent, then generate recommended images? Need to be cost-efficient with image prompts."
The answer: Use the writing agent itself to analyze placement + generate prompts (tiny cost), then show user a preview before spending on image generation.
Table of Contents
- Recommended Best Flow (Option A - SAFEST)
- Alternative Flows (B & C)
- Your Configuration (from screenshot)
- Cost Breakdown
- Implementation Priority
Recommended Best Flow (Option A - SAFEST)
This is the flow I recommend for maximum cost control + quality based on your plugin's design.
Step-by-Step
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ USER ACTION: Generate Article │
│ (Using Writing Model: Claude 3.5 Sonnet from preset) │
└─────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PLUGIN AUTOMATIC (Backend) │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 1: ANALYZE PLACEMENT │
│ • Model: Same Writing Model (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) │
│ • Input: Full article markdown │
│ • Output: JSON with placement points │
│ • Cost: $0.0008 (tiny token call) │
│ │
│ Step 2: GENERATE IMAGE PROMPTS │
│ • Model: Same Writing Model │
│ • Input: Article + placement points │
│ • Output: 3 image specs (prompt + alt + placement) │
│ • Cost: $0.0015 (tiny token call) │
│ │
│ Status: "Analyzing images..." → "Ready to review" │
└─────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MODAL: IMAGE PREVIEW (User Review - $0 cost) │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ "3 images planned for your article" │
│ │
│ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ IMAGE 1: HERO (After Introduction) ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Placement: After intro, before "Getting Started" ║ │
│ ║ Type: Hero/Dashboard ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Prompt (EDITABLE): ║ │
│ ║ "N8n workflow automation dashboard screenshot, ║ │
│ ║ showing colorful nodes on blue background, ║ │
│ ║ modern minimalist SaaS interface" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Alt Text: "N8n automation dashboard with nodes" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ [Edit Prompt ✎] [Generate $0.03] [Skip] ║ │
│ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ IMAGE 2: DIAGRAM (After Section 1) ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Placement: After "Understanding Workflows" ║ │
│ ║ Type: Technical Diagram ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Prompt (EDITABLE): ║ │
│ ║ "Workflow architecture diagram showing trigger, ║ │
│ ║ condition, action components with arrows, ║ │
│ ║ technical line-art style, blue palette" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Alt Text: "Workflow trigger-condition-action flow" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ [Edit Prompt ✎] [Generate $0.03] [Skip] ║ │
│ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ IMAGE 3: SCREENSHOT (Before Conclusion) ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Placement: Before "Conclusion" ║ │
│ ║ Type: Product Screenshot ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Prompt (EDITABLE): ║ │
│ ║ "N8n real-time monitoring dashboard showing ║ │
│ ║ workflow execution logs, status indicators, ║ │
│ ║ professional SaaS product design" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Alt Text: "N8n real-time monitoring interface" ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ [Edit Prompt ✎] [Generate $0.03] [Skip] ║ │
│ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Cost Estimate: Individual generation │
│ • Generate all 3: $0.09–0.21 (based on image tier) │
│ • Generate 2: $0.06–0.14 │
│ • Generate 1: $0.03–0.07 │
│ │
│ [Generate All 3] [Generate Selected] [Skip Images] │
│ [Cancel] │
└──────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
USER CHOOSES (examples):
• Click [Generate All 3] → All images generated now
• Click [Generate] on Image 1 only → Hero only
• Edit Image 1 prompt, then [Generate] → Custom prompt
• Click [Skip Images] → No images, save cost
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AUTOMATIC IMAGE INSERTION │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ For each generated image: │
│ 1. Download image from FLUX.2/image model │
│ 2. Upload to WordPress media library │
│ 3. Insert into article at placement point │
│ 4. Add alt text automatically │
│ │
│ Status: "Inserting images..." → "Done!" │
└─────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FINAL RESULT: Article with Images │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ # Getting Started with N8n Automation │
│ │
│ Introduction paragraph... │
│ │
│  │
│ │
│ ## Getting Started │
│ Content... │
│ │
│ ## Understanding Workflows │
│ Content... │
│ │
│  │
│ │
│ ## Advanced Monitoring │
│ Content... │
│ │
│  │
│ │
│ [Preview in Gutenberg] [Publish] [Download MD] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Features of Option A
✅ Cost control: User sees cost before spending
✅ Quality control: Can edit prompts before generation
✅ Flexibility: Generate 0, 1, 2, or 3 images
✅ User review: Know exactly what images they'll get
✅ Selective generation: Generate only what matters
✅ Smart placement: Analyzed by writing agent (best understanding)
✅ Efficient prompts: Precise, contextual, no trial-and-error
Costs with Option A
| Scenario | Analysis | Prompts | Images | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User generates all 3 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.09–0.21 | $0.092–0.212 |
| User generates 2 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.06–0.14 | $0.063–0.142 |
| User generates 1 (hero) | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.03–0.07 | $0.032–0.072 |
| User skips images | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0 | $0.0023 |
Best case: User generates 1 hero = $0.032–0.072/article (vs $0.21–0.70 with trial-and-error)
Alternative Flows (B & C)
Option B: Automatic Full Generation (FASTEST)
Article generated
↓
Plugin automatically generates ALL images without review
↓
"Article + images ready!" (1-2 minutes total)
Pros: One-click, minimal user interaction
Cons: Always costs full image budget (no user control)
Cost: Full $0.12–0.35 (analysis + all images always generated)
Use when: User has unlimited budget OR you offer it as "premium fast mode"
Option C: Smart Selective with Recommendations (BALANCED)
Similar to Option A, but plugin recommends:
- "Hero image has best impact/cost ratio" [Generate hero]
- "Diagrams help understanding" [Generate diagram?]
- "Screenshot is optional" [Generate?]
Pros: Guides user toward cost-effective choices
Cons: Slightly more UI complexity
Cost: User-controlled (guided)
Use when: You want to educate users about cost-benefit tradeoffs
Your Configuration (from screenshot)
Based on your current model configuration:
Chat Model: Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash
Clarity Model: Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash
Planning Model: Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash
Writing Model: Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Refinement Model: Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Image Model: Gpt 4o (or FLUX.2 from preset)
Recommended Implementation
// Option A implementation (safest, recommended)
// 1. After article generation, automatically:
$placement_data = analyze_article_for_images(
$article,
'anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet' // Use same writing model
);
// 2. Generate prompts
$image_specs = generate_image_prompts(
$article,
$placement_data,
'anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet' // Same model
);
// 3. Show UI (don't generate images yet)
show_image_review_modal($image_specs);
// 4. User clicks [Generate All] or individual [Generate]
// 5. Only then call image generation
// Cost so far: $0.0023 (tiny)
// User controls image generation cost: $0.03–0.21
Cost Breakdown
Analysis + Prompt Generation (Automatic, Non-Optional)
| Task | Tokens In | Tokens Out | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement analysis | 2,000 | 800 | $0.0008 |
| Prompt generation | 3,000 | 1,000 | $0.0015 |
| Total | 5,000 | 1,800 | $0.0023 |
This is already paid by article generation (uses writing model already called).
Image Generation (User-Controlled)
Per image (based on model tier):
| Image Model | Cost/Image | 3 Images |
|---|---|---|
| FLUX.2 klein (Budget) | $0.03–0.05 | $0.09–0.15 |
| Riverflow/FLUX.2 Pro (Balanced) | $0.06–0.10 | $0.18–0.30 |
| FLUX.2 max (Premium) | $0.07–0.21 | $0.21–0.63 |
Total Article Cost
| Scenario | Text | Analysis | Prompts | Images | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article only | $0.03–0.07 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0 | $0.032–0.072 |
| Article + 1 hero | $0.03–0.07 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.03–0.21 | $0.062–0.292 |
| Article + 2 images | $0.03–0.07 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.06–0.42 | $0.092–0.492 |
| Article + 3 images | $0.03–0.07 | $0.0008 | $0.0015 | $0.09–0.63 | $0.122–0.702 |
Implementation Priority
Phase 1: Core Logic (3-4 hours)
✓ analyze_article_for_images() // Identify placements
✓ generate_image_prompts() // Create specs
✓ generate_image_from_prompt() // Call image model
✓ insert_images_into_article() // Embed in markdown
Phase 2: User Interface (4-5 hours)
✓ Image review modal UI // Show 3 specs
✓ [Generate] button per image // Individual generation
✓ [Generate All] button // Batch generation
✓ [Edit Prompt] capability // Let users customize
✓ Cost calculator display // Show estimated cost
Phase 3: Polish (2-3 hours)
✓ Image preview before insertion // Show user the image
✓ Error handling + retry logic // Handle failures
✓ Success notifications // Feedback
✓ Progress indicators // "Generating image 2/3..."
Why Option A is Best for Your Plugin
- User controls costs → They see preview before spending
- Respects budgets → Budget tier users generate 1 image
- Quality focus → Users can edit prompts if needed
- Flexible → Some users skip images entirely (saves costs)
- Educational → Users learn what good prompts look like
- Smart prompts → Using writing agent (best context understanding)
Summary: Recommended Best Flow
AUTOMATIC (Backend):
1. Analyze article for placement → $0.0008
2. Generate image specs/prompts → $0.0015
3. Show user preview modal → $0 (free review)
MANUAL (User Selects):
4. User clicks [Generate] on images → User controls cost
5. Plugin inserts into article → Automatic
RESULT:
- Article + images ready for Gutenberg
- User spent only what they wanted
- Total cost: $0.032–0.702 (user-controlled)
- Quality: High (smart placement + customizable prompts)
Document version: 1.0
Date: January 27, 2026
Status: Ready for Implementation