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CLAUDE RUNS MY BIZ / 41
THE SETUP GUIDE

The free open source studio
that replaces Higgsfield

Higgsfield is a monthly subscription, and the credits you do not use expire every cycle. Open Generative AI is a free, open source studio with the same big image and video models in one place. It runs on your own computer, and you pay muapi.ai only for what you generate. This guide sets it up, makes your first cinematic clip, and gives you a prompt that has Claude Code install it.

Checked on 1 October 2026 against the project on GitHub, muapi.ai pricing and docs, and higgsfield.ai/pricing. Prices change often, so check them before a big batch.

What you are paying for today
Kling, Seedance and Nano Banana Pro come from other labs. You can pay for them per generation.
HIGGSFIELDOPEN GENERATIVE AI + MUAPI
How you payA subscription that renews every monthCredits you buy when you need them
Unused creditsExpire each cycle, no roll overNever expire
Price, 1 Oct 2026Starter was $15 a monthFree. Nano Banana Pro: $0.12 an image
ModelsKling, Seedance, Nano Banana Pro, plus its own Soul modelsKling, Seedance, Veo, Sora, Flux, Midjourney and hundreds more. No Soul
Where it runshiggsfield.ai, in your browserDesktop app on Mac or PC, or muapi.ai in your browser
The codeClosedOpen source, MIT license
WHICH PROJECT THIS IS Open Generative AI lives at github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI (its old name was Open Higgsfield AI). On 1 October 2026 it had about 29,500 stars and was updated that day. Not to be confused with wide-trace/open-higgsfield, a different project with its own kind of key: this guide does not apply to it.
Step 1: get your muapi key
The key is how the studio pays for each generation. You make it once.

  1. Create your account

    Go to muapi.ai and click Sign In to make an account. New accounts get a small free credit.

  2. Add a little credit

    Open Billing, click Add Credits, choose an amount and pay. Credits never expire, so start small and top up when you need more. There is no monthly plan to cancel.

  3. Make the key

    Open API Keys. Under Create New Access Key, type any name in Key Name and click Generate Key. Leave Create as Sandbox (Testing) Key unticked: a sandbox key only returns mock data, so nothing real gets made.

  4. Copy it right away

    muapi shows the key only once. Save it in your password manager. You need the key value itself, the long string, not the name you typed.

Step 2: install the studio
The desktop app is the easy route: no terminal, no code.

  1. Download the app

    Open github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI/releases (only download it from there). Under the newest release, pick arm64.dmg for a Mac with an M chip, the other .dmg for an Intel Mac, or the Setup .exe for Windows.

  2. Get past the first warning

    The app is not signed by Apple or Microsoft, so your computer warns you once. On a Mac, drag it to Applications, try to open it, then go to System Settings, Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. On Windows, click More info, then Run anyway.

  3. Paste your key

    The first time it opens, a box asks for your muapi key. Paste the key value and click Initialize Studio. You can change it later in Settings, API Key. The key stays on your computer and is only sent to muapi.

DO NOT WANT TO INSTALL ANYTHING? The same studio runs in your browser at muapi.ai/open-generative-ai. Click Enter API Key, paste your key and skip Step 2. The rest of this guide works the same way.
Step 3: your first cinematic shot
Cinema Studio makes stills that look like frames from a film. You pick the camera, it writes the technical prompt.

  1. Set up the camera

    Open Cinema Studio and open the camera settings. Pick a Camera, a Lens, a Focal length and an Aperture, then click Use This Setup. Set the shape: 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for YouTube, 4:5 for the feed. Four setups that work:

    THE SHOTFOCALAPERTUREUSE IT FOR
    Your whole space24mmf/11The room, sharp front to back
    The product hero50mmf/1.4Product sharp, background soft
    A face85mmf/1.4You, your chef, a happy client
    A close detail50mm, Extreme Macrof/4Food, fabric, a label, a pour

  2. Write only the scene

    To start from your real shop or product, upload a photo first and the studio works from it.

    [WHAT IS IN THE SHOT, e.g. a baker pulling a tray of croissants out of the oven] in [PLACE, e.g. a small bakery kitchen], [LIGHT, e.g. early morning sun through a side window, steam in the air], [MOOD, e.g. calm and warm]. A still from a film. No text, no logos.
Step 4: make it move
This is where the camera moves Higgsfield is known for come in.

  1. Start from your frame

    Download your best shot, open Video and upload it as the start image. The studio switches to image to video on its own.

  2. Pick a camera move

    In the model list choose Motion Controls. An Effect button appears with the moves: Dolly In, Crash Zoom In, Crane Up, 360 Orbit, FPV Drone Cam, Whip Pan and dozens more. Start at 5 seconds and 480p. The prompt is only the subject:

    [THE SUBJECT, e.g. a baker holding a tray of fresh croissants]

Want more control? Pick Kling, Seedance or Veo instead and describe the move in the prompt. Check the price per second on muapi.ai/pricing first.

Or let Claude Code do the install
For the newest version straight from the source code. Open Claude Code in an empty folder and paste this.
CLAUDE CODE PROMPTCOPY EVERYTHING IN THIS BOX
Install Open Generative AI, the free open source studio at https://github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI, on this computer. 1. Check that git and Node.js 18 or newer are installed. If one is missing, tell me and install it the standard way for [MAC OR WINDOWS]. 2. Clone it with its submodules into [FOLDER, e.g. ~/ai-studio]: git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI.git 3. Inside the folder run npm run setup (npm install alone is not enough), then npm run dev. 4. Confirm the studio answers on http://localhost:3000 and open it in my browser. 5. Do not ask me for my muapi key and do not put it in any file. I will paste it into the studio myself. 6. Do not run anything that spends credits. When it works, give me a short note: where the folder is, the one command to start the studio again tomorrow, and how to stop it.
What to do in the next hour
WHENDO THISWHY
First 10 minCreate your muapi account, add credit, make your keyNothing generates without it
Next 15 minInstall the app, or open it in the browser, and paste the keyYour own studio, no subscription
Next 15 minMake three Cinema Studio frames of your businessFind the look you like
Next 15 minAnimate the best frame with Motion Controls, 5 secondsSee the camera moves yourself
Last 5 minOpen Usage in muapi and look at what you spentKnow your real cost per clip
KNOW THE LIMITS The studio is free, the generations are not: every image and every second of video uses credit, so test at 480p and 5 seconds first. The app runs on your computer, but the models run on muapi's servers, so you need internet and your prompts and uploads go to muapi. Higgsfield's own Soul models are not in here. Use photos you own. And if you generate every day and want one polished website with support, add up a month of your real usage before you cancel anything.
WANT MORE LIKE THIS? Every week we take a new AI tool, test it and turn it into something a business can use the same day. The rest of the free resources are in the Easy Hive community classroom.