Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini: The 2025 guide

Okay, let’s be real. Your team is deep in a brainstorming session on a Mural board. The energy is great, ideas are popping up everywhere, and someone says, "We need a picture for this." You know exactly what you want, and you know an AI tool like GPT-Image-1-Mini could spit it out in seconds.

And just like that, the creative momentum hits a wall.

You find yourself flipping over to another tab, trying to get the prompt right in a different tool, downloading the file, and then switching back to Mural to upload it. By the time the image finally lands on the board, the spark is gone. The problem is a simple one: there's no easy, direct way to connect Mural with powerful image generators. This gap forces everyone into clunky, multi-step workflows that are the enemy of creativity.

This guide is here to fix that. We’ll look at why this is such a common headache and explore a few ways you can build your own Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini, from writing custom code to using a much smarter AI workflow engine.

Understanding Mural

Mural is basically a giant digital whiteboard where teams can collaborate visually. It's used for everything from brainstorming and project planning to running online workshops. Imagine an endless canvas where you can map out ideas with sticky notes, organize tasks, and work together in real-time, even if you’re all in different cities. It has handy features like templates and timers to keep workshops from going off the rails.

Now, Mural does have some of its own AI features. It can summarize sticky notes for you, suggest new ideas, or group similar thoughts together. But here's the thing: Mural’s AI is built to work inside Mural. It doesn’t connect to specialized, best-in-class tools like GPT-Image-1-Mini. This creates a closed-off environment, which is frustrating for teams who want to use powerful external AI without derailing their workflow.

For context, here’s a quick look at how Mural structures its plans.

Plan	Price (Billed Annually)	Key Features
Free	$0/member/month	3 murals, unlimited members, all core features.
Team+	$9.99/member/month	Unlimited murals, private rooms, advanced integration features.
Business	$17.99/member/month	Unlimited guests, SSO, advanced security.
Enterprise	Custom Pricing	Multiple workspaces, enterprise-grade controls, transformation services.

Source: Mural Pricing Page

Understanding GPT-Image-1-Mini

GPT-Image-1-Mini is a text-to-image AI model that’s really good at creating high-quality visuals from simple text prompts. What makes it different from some other image generators is that it’s built to be API-first. In simple terms, this means it’s designed to be a building block that you can plug into your own apps and automated processes.

Its main advantages are its flexibility and efficiency. You can tell it what resolution, quality, and file format you need, which is great for creating things like marketing assets or product mockups on the fly.

But since it's an API, you can't just go to a website and start typing prompts. You need another tool, or a bit of code, to act as the middleman between you and the model.

The challenge of the manual workflow

The lack of a built-in integration forces teams into a frustrating, manual process that yanks them right out of their creative flow. It’s less of a workflow and more of a workaround, and it usually looks something like this:

1. An idea sparks during a Mural session.

2. You have to stop, switch tabs, and open a different tool that can talk to GPT-Image-1-Mini.

3. You type out your prompt and wait for it to generate.

4. You download the image to your computer.

5. You switch back to Mural.

6. You dig through your downloads folder and upload the file to the board.

This isn't just slow; it’s disruptive. It completely disconnects the idea (the context on your Mural board) from the visual you create. Every time you switch tools, you lose a little bit of focus and momentum.

The solution is automation. It’s all about closing that gap, so you can move from a clunky, manual process to one where the image you need just appears right where you need it.

How to build your own integration

So, how do you actually build that bridge? You have a few options, each with its own pros and cons when it comes to complexity, power, and cost. Let's walk through them.

Option 1: Custom API development

The most direct way is to have your engineering team write code that connects the Mural and GPT-Image-1-Mini APIs. The code would be set up to listen for a specific command, send a prompt to the image generator, and then post the final image back to your Mural board.

• Pros: This gives you a solution that’s perfectly tailored to how your team works. You can build in any feature you can dream up and design the entire workflow from scratch.

• Cons: This is easily the most expensive and time-consuming route. It requires developer resources, which are usually in short supply and probably have more important things to do. It also means someone has to maintain the code every time one of the APIs gets updated. For the non-technical folks in marketing or design who would get the most out of this, building a custom tool is rarely realistic.

Option 2: General automation platforms

A more accessible option is to use a no-code or low-code platform like Zapier or Pipedream. These tools let you link different apps together without writing code. For example, you could create a workflow where typing a message in a specific Slack channel triggers an API call to GPT-Image-1-Mini.

• Pros: This is way easier than custom coding and can be set up much faster. You could probably get a basic version running in an afternoon.

• Limitations: While these platforms are great for simple, repetitive tasks, they often don’t hold up well for creative work.

  • They're rigid. General automation tools are good at "if this happens, then do that." But creative work is messy. What if you need to make a quick revision? Or what if the prompt needs to pull information from a few different places? These workflows can quickly turn into a confusing web of steps that are a nightmare to manage.

  • They lack context. These platforms are just passing data from A to B. They don't understand the content or context of what they’re moving. The prompt you wrote, the Mural board it was for, and the final image are all seen as separate pieces of information. There's no unified "memory" of what you're trying to accomplish.

  • The costs can be unpredictable. Many of these tools charge you for every "task" or action in a workflow. A really productive brainstorming session where your team generates dozens of images could leave you with a surprisingly large bill. It’s a pricing model that almost discourages creative exploration.

These tools are useful for straightforward, linear tasks, but they often lack the intelligence and flexibility needed for a creative workflow that can be used across a whole team.

A better approach: Using an AI engine

Instead of just connecting two tools, what if you used an intelligent engine that not only makes the connection but also understands the context of your work and gives you full control over the process? This takes you beyond simple automation and lets you build a real AI assistant for your team.

How eesel AI powers intelligent integrations

This is where eesel AI comes into the picture. While many people know eesel AI for customer support automation, at its heart, it's a customizable workflow engine that you can point at almost any task, including creative ones.

Here’s how you could build an intelligent visual workflow with eesel AI:

1. A team member makes a request in a tool they already use, like Slack. They could use eesel’s AI Internal Chat to ping a custom bot. For example: “@creative-bot, generate an image for our new feature launch mural: a friendly robot holding a welcome sign, in a flat vector style.”

2. eesel AI understands this natural language request. It then uses a configurable AI Action to make an API call to GPT-Image-1-Mini with the right prompt.

3. The image URL comes back directly into the Slack thread, ready to be copied and pasted into Mural. No downloads, no switching tabs.

This simple setup gives you a central, conversational, and trackable way to generate creative assets without ever leaving the chat tools your team lives in.

A screenshot showing the eesel AI bot responding to a query directly within Slack, demonstrating a seamless workflow for Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini.

Why eesel AI is a better fit

When you compare this to the other options, the benefits start to stand out. eesel AI isn't just another connector; it's the brain for your workflows.

• Go live in minutes, not months. You don't have to wait for developers. You can connect your tools and set up a custom API action yourself in the eesel AI dashboard. It gives you the ease of a no-code tool but with the power of a dedicated AI engine.

• Total control and customization. This is where most generic tools fall short. With eesel AI, you can create a specific AI persona (like our "@creative-bot"), limit its abilities to certain channels or users, and build complex, multi-step prompts. You can even teach it your team's specific tone of voice. You’re not just connecting apps; you’re building a specialized AI assistant that works the way your team does.

The eesel AI dashboard showing how users can create custom actions and workflows, highlighting the platform's flexibility for building Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini.

• Unify your creative knowledge. This is a huge one. The prompt, the conversation about it, and the final image URL are all captured in one place. And because eesel AI can also connect to your knowledge bases like Confluence and Google Docs, your creative briefs and brand guidelines all become part of a single, searchable knowledge hub. You stop creating one-off images and start building an intelligent asset library that gets smarter over time.

An infographic showing how eesel AI connects to various knowledge sources, a key feature for powerful Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini.

• Transparent and predictable pricing. With eesel AI, plans are based on a set number of AI interactions per month. You won't get a surprise bill after a busy brainstorming session. Unlike platforms that charge per task, eesel AI's pricing is designed to grow with you.

A view of the eesel AI public pricing page, emphasizing the transparent and predictable costs for Mural integrations with GPT-Image-1-Mini.

Think engines, not just pipes

Connecting Mural with GPT-Image-1-Mini is definitely possible, and it can make a huge difference in your team's creative process. But as we've seen, the best way to do it isn't with a simple connector that just shuffles data around. A "dumb" connection can't handle the nuances of creative work and often ends up adding more complexity than it removes.

To really streamline your visual workflows, you need an intelligent engine that gives you control, understands context, and brings all your knowledge and assets together. By thinking in terms of engines instead of pipes, you can build a smart, scalable workflow that’s as flexible as your team.

Ready to automate more than just support tickets? See how eesel AI's flexible AI engine can power your team's creative and internal workflows.

Try it for free and set up your first custom AI Action in minutes, or book a demo to see how you can build a unified knowledge and automation hub for your entire organization.