---
title: "Ask about a picture"
description: "Caption, count, find or ask."
sidebar:
  label: ask
---

{/* Generated by scripts/generate-commands.ts. Do not edit. */}

## Synopsis

```sh
motif ask [question] [image] [options]
```

## Example

A question about the picture, answered from the picture.

```sh
motif ask "how many vessels are on the shelf?" shelf.jpg
```

```text
Three bottles, one bowl.
```

<div class="docs-pictures docs-pictures-1">
  <figure>
    <img src="/docs/images/commands/apothecary.jpg" alt="Three amber glass bottles and a white bowl on a stone shelf" loading="lazy" />
    <figcaption>The image</figcaption>
  </figure>
</div>

## Options

| Flag | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `--caption` | Caption the image. |
| `--detect <thing>` | Return boxes around this thing. |
| `--point <thing>` | Return a point on every instance of this thing. |
| `--read` | Transcribe the text in the image. |
| `--safe` | Say whether the image is safe for work. |
| `--tier <tier>` | Trade cost against quality: fast, balanced, quality. |
| `--dry-run` | Validate and price the call without running it. |

It also takes the [common options](/docs/commands#common-options).

## Models and price

Motif picks the Model for the Tier. Prices are per image where a Model has one; any other shows how it is billed. A rate that depends on the size of the file or the length of the clip is a rate, not a total, so check it with a dry run.

| Model | Chosen at | Price |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| Moondream 3 Query | Balanced | $0.40/M input tokens |
| Moondream 3 Caption | Balanced, with `--caption` | $0.40/M input tokens |
| Moondream 3 Detect | Balanced, with `--detect` | $0.40/M input tokens |
| Moondream 3 Point | Balanced, with `--point` | $0.40/M input tokens |
| GOT-OCR 2.0 | Balanced, with `--read` | $0.05/image |
| NSFW Checker | Balanced, with `--safe` | $0.001/image |

## Dry run

Check the cost before you spend. The output path is where the file would go.

```sh
motif ask "how many vessels are on the shelf?" shelf.jpg --dry-run --fields cost,costBasis,output
```

```json
{
  "cost": 0.0020448,
  "costBasis": "projected",
  "output": null
}
```