AI agent skill · by @Tommy-yw

Gif Search

Search and download GIFs from Tenor using curl. No dependencies beyond curl and jq. Useful for finding reaction GIFs, creating visual content, and sending GIFs in chat.

Archived 2026-10-23 · Source updated 2026-05-18 · License: MIT. Check the original repository for the latest version.

SKILL.md instructions

# GIF Search (Tenor API)

Search and download GIFs directly via the Tenor API using curl. No extra tools needed.

## Setup

Set your Tenor API key in your environment (add to `~/.hermes/.env`):

```bash
TENOR_API_KEY=your_key_here
```

Get a free API key at https://developers.google.com/tenor/guides/quickstart — the Google Cloud Console Tenor API key is free and has generous rate limits.

## Prerequisites

- `curl` and `jq` (both standard on macOS/Linux)
- `TENOR_API_KEY` environment variable

## Search for GIFs

```bash
# Search and get GIF URLs
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=thumbs+up&limit=5&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq -r '.results[].media_formats.gif.url'

# Get smaller/preview versions
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=nice+work&limit=3&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq -r '.results[].media_formats.tinygif.url'
```

## Download a GIF

```bash
# Search and download the top result
URL=$(curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=celebration&limit=1&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq -r '.results[0].media_formats.gif.url')
curl -sL "$URL" -o celebration.gif
```

## Get Full Metadata

```bash
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=cat&limit=3&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq '.results[] | {title: .title, url: .media_formats.gif.url, preview: .media_formats.tinygif.url, dimensions: .media_formats.gif.dims}'
```

## API Parameters

| Parameter | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| `q` | Search query (URL-encode spaces as `+`) |
| `limit` | Max results (1-50, default 20) |
| `key` | API key (from `$TENOR_API_KEY` env var) |
| `media_filter` | Filter formats: `gif`, `tinygif`, `mp4`, `tinymp4`, `webm` |
| `contentfilter` | Safety: `off`, `low`, `medium`, `high` |
| `locale` | Language: `en_US`, `es`, `fr`, etc. |

## Available Media Formats

Each result has multiple formats under `.media_formats`:

| Format | Use case |
|--------|----------|
| `gif` | Full quality GIF |
| `tinygif` | Small preview GIF |
| `mp4` | Video version (smaller file size) |
| `tinymp4` | Small preview video |
| `webm` | WebM video |
| `nanogif` | Tiny thumbnail |

## Notes

- URL-encode the query: spaces as `+`, special chars as `%XX`
- For sending in chat, `tinygif` URLs are lighter weight
- GIF URLs can be used directly in markdown: `![alt](url)`