| name | gif-search |
| description | 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. |
| version | 1.1.0 |
| author | Gauss Agent |
| license | MIT |
| prerequisites | {"env_vars":["TENOR_API_KEY"],"commands":["curl","jq"]} |
| metadata | {"gauss":{"tags":["GIF","Media","Search","Tenor","API"]}} |
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 ~/.gauss/.env):
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
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=thumbs+up&limit=5&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq -r '.results[].media_formats.gif.url'
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=nice+work&limit=3&key=${TENOR_API_KEY}" | jq -r '.results[].media_formats.tinygif.url'
Download a GIF
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 "$URL" -o celebration.gif
Get Full Metadata
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=cat&limit=3&key=${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:
