Integrate BioRender's scientific illustrations directly into AI-powered conversations to streamline research, figure creation, and scientific communication.
You can use natural-language prompts in a compatible AI assistant to search the BioRender library, find your files, and draft new figures from Claude, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Copilot, without leaving your work.
Explore more of BioRender's AI tools in Overview of BioRender's AI tools.
How it fits your work
Use BioRender in your assistant to find templates and files, or get a first draft, without leaving what you're working on. When you're ready to refine a figure, select "Open in BioRender" to keep editing with the full editor and BioRender's AI tools.
What you can do
- Search BioRender's template library by topic, like a signalling pathway or an experimental workflow.
- Find your own and shared BioRender files without leaving the chat.
- Draft a new figure from a description, a sketch, or a template. This counts toward your AI usage.
Set it up
Available on all plans. Searching is free; drafting figures counts toward your AI usage. Some workplaces will need an admin to turn BioRender on first. See Set up BioRender integrations for your organization.
Claude
- Open BioRender in the Claude connector directory and select "Connect".
- Sign in to BioRender and approve the permissions.
- The first time Claude uses BioRender in a chat, approve the request.
ChatGPT
- Open BioRender in ChatGPT's plugins and select "Install plugin". Skip this if your admin has installed it for you.
- Sign in to BioRender and approve the permissions.
- In a chat, turn on BioRender from "+" › "Plugins".
Microsoft Copilot
- Your Microsoft admin installs BioRender for your organization. You will need Copilot Cowork.
- In Cowork, sign in to BioRender the first time you use it.
You can also search BioRender from Copilot Chat and Researcher.
Signing in
You'll see a "Log in to BioRender" page. Enter your email and select "Continue". If your organization uses single sign-on, you'll go to your organization's login. If you're already signed in to BioRender, this step is skipped.
Note: If you are a new user and you end up in BioRender (rather than the assistant) after selecting Sign up, go back to the assistant and attempt to connect again.
Use it
- Ask for a template, one of your files, or a new figure, for example: "Find BioRender templates for T cell activation."
- Select "Open in BioRender" on any result to keep editing.
- Select "Edit template" or "Edit figure" to use a result as the starting point for a new draft.
Good to know
- Each draft is saved as a new file in your BioRender files, named after your request.
- When you search, the assistant sees titles, dates, links, and thumbnails, not what's inside your files.
If something goes wrong
Your assistant explains what went wrong in its own words. Here's what it usually means.
| What the assistant tells you | What it means and what to do |
| You can't find or connect BioRender | Your workplace may need an admin to turn it on first. |
| Figure generation is turned off for your organization | Your BioRender admin has turned off figure generation. Searching still works. |
| You're out of BioRender AI credits | You've used your AI usage. Ask your BioRender admin, or check your plan. Note: the assistant links to the AI credits page, which only exists for organization accounts (Issue I-66). Update this row once fixed. |
| Your BioRender connection expired, or you need to reconnect | Reconnect BioRender in the assistant's settings. |
| BioRender is temporarily unavailable | Try again in a few minutes. |
Disconnect
Disconnect BioRender in the assistant's settings.
Searching BioRender content
Use natural-language prompts to search BioRender templates, your own files, or both. For example:
- "Find BioRender templates for protein aggregation pathways."
- "Show me my BioRender files about CAR-T cell therapy."
- "Find my figures and templates related to CRISPR gene editing."
Results appear as cards with a title, preview, and link to open the file in BioRender. Your own files are labelled to distinguish them from public templates.
Creating a custom figure with AI
Use natural-language prompts to generate figures from descriptions, existing templates, or uploaded images. For example:
- "Create a BioRender figure showing the stages of mitosis."
- "Make a figure of a neuron synapse using this template."
- "Generate a figure based on this sketch."
The assistant displays one or more figure previews in the conversation. BioRender then creates a figure from the preview and provides a link to open and edit it in BioRender.
Generating custom figure consumes BioRender AI usage from your account.
Your data
When you use BioRender in an AI assistant, your searches, the files and templates you choose, your prompts, and the drafts created for you are shared with that assistant, which handles them under its own terms. BioRender doesn't use your files to train AI models without your consent. See BioRender's AI security controls.
