Giphy GIF Search

This skill enables searching for and sending contextually appropriate GIFs from Giphy's library in Discord conversations.

Setup

Before using this skill, you need a Giphy API key:

Go to [Giphy Developers Dashboard]()

Sign up or log in

Create a new app (select "API" not "SDK")

Copy your API key

Add to OpenClaw config or set environment variable: export GIPHY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

OpenClaw Config (Recommended)

Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "giphy-gif": {
        "apiKey": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage

Search and Send a GIF

Use this one-liner to search and get a Giphy URL:

# Basic search
exec("QUERY='excited'; API_KEY=$(jq -r '.skills.entries.\"giphy-gif\".apiKey // env.GIPHY_API_KEY' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json 2>/dev/null || echo \"$GIPHY_API_KEY\"); curl -s \" '%s' \"$QUERY\" | jq -sRr @uri)&limit=1&rating=g\" | jq -r '.data[0].url // empty'")

Practical Example

# 1. Define your search query
query="happy dance"

# 2. Get GIF URL using the helper function below
gif_url=$(exec("QUERY='$query'; API_KEY=$(jq -r '.skills.entries.\"giphy-gif\".apiKey // env.GIPHY_API_KEY' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json 2>/dev/null || echo \"$GIPHY_API_KEY\"); curl -s \" '%s' \"$QUERY\" | jq -sRr @uri)&limit=1&rating=g\" | jq -r '.data[0].url // empty'"))

# 3. Send to Discord
message(action="send", message=gif_url)

Simplified Helper Command

For easier use, create this helper in your commands:

# Function to search GIF (copy this pattern)
search_gif() {
  local query="$1"
  local api_key
  
  # Try OpenClaw config first, then env var
  api_key=$(jq -r '.skills.entries."giphy-gif".apiKey // empty' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json 2>/dev/null)
  [[ -z "$api_key" ]] && api_key="$GIPHY_API_KEY"
  
  if [[ -z "$api_key" ]]; then
    echo "Error: GIPHY_API_KEY not configured" >&2
    return 1
  fi
  
  # URL encode and search
  local encoded_query=$(printf '%s' "$query" | jq -sRr @uri)
  curl -s "" | jq -r '.data[0].url // empty'
}

# Usage:
# gif_url=$(search_gif "excited")
# message(action="send", message="$gif_url")

Discord Auto-Embed

When you send a Giphy URL to Discord, it will automatically embed as an animated GIF. No additional steps needed.

When to Use

Send GIFs in these situations:

• User requests: "send me a GIF", "show me something funny"
• Celebrations: achievements, good news, milestones
• Reactions: surprise, shock, agreement, disagreement
• Emotions: happy, sad, excited, confused, thinking
• Humor: to lighten the mood or add comedic timing
• Emphasis: to reinforce a point with visual impact

Context-Aware Sending

Be thoughtful about when to send GIFs to maintain natural conversation flow:

• Direct requests: Always send when explicitly asked
• GIF exchange initiated by user: If the user sends a GIF, match naturally 1-2 times, then resume normal chat
• Standalone reactions: Only for significant moments (big celebrations, major news, strong emotional beats)
• Normal conversation: Default to text responses; GIFs should be occasional spice, not the main dish
• Topic shift: If conversation moves to serious/informational topics, return to text-only mode

Goal: Make GIF usage feel natural and contextual, not automatic or overwhelming.

Best Practices

Match the context: Choose search terms that match the conversation tone

Keep it appropriate: The script uses 'g' rating (safe for work) by default

Don't overuse: GIFs are most effective when used sparingly

Search terms matter: Use specific, descriptive terms for better results

- Good: "celebration dance", "facepalm reaction", "mind blown"
- Poor: "thing", "stuff", "it"

Read the room: If the conversation becomes more serious or informational, stick to text

Common Search Terms

• Reactions: thumbs up, facepalm, eye roll, shocked, confused
• Emotions: excited, happy, sad, angry, love, crying
• Actions: dance, clap, wave, thinking, working
• Celebrations: party, celebrate, success, winner
• Humor: funny, lol, wtf, awkward, fail

Technical Details

• API: Giphy v1
• Rate limits:

- Beta keys: 100 requests per hour - Production keys: Higher limits available

• Response format: Giphy page URLs (Discord auto-embeds)
• Dependencies: bash, curl, jq (standard on Linux/macOS/WSL)
• Default rating: 'g' (safe for work)
• API key priority: OpenClaw config → Environment variable

API Key Tiers

• Beta Key (Free): 100 requests/hour, good for personal use
• Production Key: Higher limits, requires approval for specific use cases

Get started with a free beta key at [developers.giphy.com]().

Troubleshooting

"Unauthorized" error:

• Check API key is set correctly in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json or $GIPHY_API_KEY


• Verify key is valid at Giphy dashboard

No GIF returned:

• Try a different search term


• Check API rate limits (100/hour for beta keys)

jq not found:

• Install jq: sudo apt install jq (Linux) or brew install jq (macOS)