[GH-ISSUE #8535] feat: Permissions for image generation #134886

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opened 2026-05-25 01:16:56 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 3 comments
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Originally created by @edurenye on GitHub (Jan 13, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/8535

Originally assigned to: @tjbck on GitHub.

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Currently, enabling the image generation feature makes it available to all users. Since image generation is significantly more resource-intensive than text generation, this could lead to excessive resource consumption and performance issues, especially in environments with many users.

Describe the solution you'd like

Introduce the ability to enable the image generation feature based on user groups. Administrators should be able to assign this capability to specific groups, ensuring that only authorized users can access this resource-heavy functionality.

Describe alternatives you've considered

  • A flat enable/disable toggle for image generation per user account. However, this approach lacks scalability and flexibility in environments with a large number of users.
  • Implementing usage quotas to limit the number of image generations per user or group.

Additional context

This feature would strike a balance between usability and resource management by limiting access to image generation while maintaining simplicity. The proposed group-based approach aligns with environments that already categorize users into functional groups for permissions management.

Originally created by @edurenye on GitHub (Jan 13, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/8535 Originally assigned to: @tjbck on GitHub. **Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** Currently, enabling the image generation feature makes it available to all users. Since image generation is significantly more resource-intensive than text generation, this could lead to excessive resource consumption and performance issues, especially in environments with many users. **Describe the solution you'd like** Introduce the ability to enable the image generation feature based on user groups. Administrators should be able to assign this capability to specific groups, ensuring that only authorized users can access this resource-heavy functionality. **Describe alternatives you've considered** * A flat enable/disable toggle for image generation per user account. However, this approach lacks scalability and flexibility in environments with a large number of users. * Implementing usage quotas to limit the number of image generations per user or group. **Additional context** This feature would strike a balance between usability and resource management by limiting access to image generation while maintaining simplicity. The proposed group-based approach aligns with environments that already categorize users into functional groups for permissions management.
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@tjbck commented on GitHub (Jan 16, 2025):

Added to dev!

<!-- gh-comment-id:2594722335 --> @tjbck commented on GitHub (Jan 16, 2025): Added to dev!
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@edurenye commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025):

Hi @tjbck, I love the new option for toggling the Image generation mode, thank you very much for that.
And thanks for fixing this issue too, being able to give permissions was an important feature for me.

It took me a while to find the option, so I'm writing the instructions here just in case somebody needs help with it.
To give or revoke permissions for image generation, you need to go to the "Admin panel" > "Users" > "Groups" > "Edit User Group" > "Permissions", scroll down to the section "Features Permissions" and there you can toggle the permission for image generation for that user group.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2601051317 --> @edurenye commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025): Hi @tjbck, I love the new option for toggling the Image generation mode, thank you very much for that. And thanks for fixing this issue too, being able to give permissions was an important feature for me. It took me a while to find the option, so I'm writing the instructions here just in case somebody needs help with it. To give or revoke permissions for image generation, you need to go to the "Admin panel" > "Users" > "Groups" > "Edit User Group" > "Permissions", scroll down to the section "Features Permissions" and there you can toggle the permission for image generation for that user group.
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@z0xca commented on GitHub (Dec 23, 2025):

Just in case somebody needs help with it you can also set it with the USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_IMAGE_GENERATION environment variable as documented here.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3688125837 --> @z0xca commented on GitHub (Dec 23, 2025): Just in case somebody needs help with it you can also set it with the `USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_IMAGE_GENERATION` environment variable as documented [here](https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/env-configuration/#user_permissions_features_image_generation).
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Reference: github-starred/open-webui#134886