diff --git a/apps/rowboat/app/lib/project_templates.ts b/apps/rowboat/app/lib/project_templates.ts
index 62a89810..d35aa31d 100644
--- a/apps/rowboat/app/lib/project_templates.ts
+++ b/apps/rowboat/app/lib/project_templates.ts
@@ -3,13 +3,15 @@ import { z } from 'zod';
 
 // Provide a minimal default template to satisfy legacy code paths that
 // still reference `templates.default`. Real templates are DB-backed.
+const includeGeminiImageTool = !!process.env.GOOGLE_API_KEY;
+
 const defaultTemplate: z.infer<typeof WorkflowTemplate> = {
     name: 'Blank Template',
     description: 'A blank canvas to build your assistant.',
     startAgent: "",
     agents: [],
     prompts: [],
-    tools: [
+    tools: includeGeminiImageTool ? [
         {
             name: "Generate Image",
             description: "Generate an image using Google Gemini given a text prompt. Returns base64-encoded image data and any text parts.",
@@ -24,7 +26,7 @@ const defaultTemplate: z.infer<typeof WorkflowTemplate> = {
                 additionalProperties: true,
             },
         },
-    ],
+    ] : [],
     pipelines: [],
 };
 
diff --git a/apps/rowboat/src/application/use-cases/projects/create-project.use-case.ts b/apps/rowboat/src/application/use-cases/projects/create-project.use-case.ts
index 097fdbba..d5433cb7 100644
--- a/apps/rowboat/src/application/use-cases/projects/create-project.use-case.ts
+++ b/apps/rowboat/src/application/use-cases/projects/create-project.use-case.ts
@@ -95,9 +95,10 @@ export class CreateProjectUseCase implements ICreateProjectUseCase {
             }
         }
 
-        // Ensure the Gemini Image tool is always available by default
+        // Conditionally include Gemini Image tool by default if GOOGLE_API_KEY is present
+        const hasGoogleKey = !!process.env.GOOGLE_API_KEY;
         const hasImageTool = (workflow.tools || []).some(t => t.isGeminiImage || t.name === 'Generate Image');
-        if (!hasImageTool) {
+        if (hasGoogleKey && !hasImageTool) {
             const imageTool = {
                 name: 'Generate Image',
                 description: 'Generate an image using Google Gemini given a text prompt. Returns base64-encoded image data and any text parts.',