How do I convert an image to ASCII art?

Upload any image (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP) by clicking the upload button or dragging and dropping. Adjust resolution and character set, then copy or download the result.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes. Browser conversion is free with no sign-up required, and trusted PlatPhorm or Vercel Blob image artifact conversion is public. Untrusted external image URLs and protected write actions require PLATPHORM_API_KEY.

Does this tool support MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

Yes. The tool exposes an MCP endpoint at /api/mcp with tools for inline image conversion, trusted artifact URL conversion, BrowserOps screenshot conversion, artifact manifests, health checks, charset listing, and webhook management. Discovery at /.well-known/mcp.json.

Can BrowserOps or AgentUI publish screenshot artifacts to ASCII without a key?

Yes. Trusted *.platphormnews.com and Vercel Blob image artifact URLs can be converted without PLATPHORM_API_KEY. External or untrusted image URLs require PLATPHORM_API_KEY and SSRF, type, and size guardrails.

Can ASCII streams become browser game assets?

That is the active 136-day roadmap. The target is trusted ASCII streams that reconstruct through deASCII-compatible compact color payloads into browser-game levels, textures, readable signs, sprites, and UI assets, with BrowserOps and Evals gates.

ascii.platphormnews.com

136-Day Roadmap

ASCII stays a focused converter while its platform layer becomes higher quality, more compact, replay-tested, deASCII-compatible, and ready to stream trusted ASCII into browser games as reconstructed levels and assets.

High-Quality Compact Defaults

Days 0-30

Keep the main converter fast, readable, and focused on upload, tuning, preview, copy, and export.
Default new conversions to detailed color output at detail 0.14 with dithering and compact exact colorGrid available.
Keep copied and saved ASCII compact with preserved line breaks while carrying color through rich clipboard and API sidecar metadata.
Gate color-mode changes with REST, MCP, browser, and live deASCII round-trip tests.
Include readable text, code, signs, UI labels, and caption fixtures in deASCII round-trip checks.
Support trusted PlatPhorm and Vercel Blob image artifact conversion without PLATPHORM_API_KEY.
Return real chunked manifests, hashes, previews, and export links instead of hard output-size failures.
Expose REST, NDJSON, MCP, Atom/RSS update feeds, OpenAPI, llms files, Web Status, and trust policy.

Replay Quality And Stream Evidence

Days 31-68

Maintain a replay corpus for screenshots, saturated scenes, logo-like graphics, code blocks, signs, UI labels, and captions.
Score default detailed color conversion against lower-quality settings before release.
Harden NDJSON stream chunks, compact rgb24-b64-v1 colorGrid records, and deASCII source-color plus text-readable reconstruction.
Add live read-only checks for BrowserOps and AgentUI artifact URLs without claiming downstream writes.
Publish stricter artifact schemas for manifests, chunks, sources, settings, exports, and replay fixtures.

Browser Game Asset Manifests

Days 69-102

Define ASCII asset manifests for browser games: layers, collision masks, palette references, texture hints, spawn points, signs, sprites, and level metadata.
Stream trusted ASCII chunks into browser runtimes with compact colorGrid sidecars and bounded payload sizes.
Add deASCII reconstruction compatibility checks to every release gate that changes color, charset, or line-break behavior.
Keep synchronous REST and MCP as the default for normal conversions; add async jobs only where durable game/runtime storage needs them.
Evaluate SSE only if async progress needs browser-native event delivery beyond NDJSON and MCP.

Playable Pipeline Proof

Days 103-136

Stream trusted ASCII from conversion artifacts into a browser game runtime and reconstruct it into playable level or asset data.
Cache compact payloads and reconstructed outputs safely so repeated plays are fast without bloating public responses.
Make ASCII artifacts first-class proof units for BrowserOps, AgentUI, Docs, Evals, Trace, Sheets, and Decks.
Gate release on replay quality, payload-size checks, browser screenshots, and no fake success for unconfirmed downstream game imports.
Keep ASCII as the ASCII product: a converter and artifact engine, not a generic dashboard.