# Unsplash Skill

> Unsplash Photo Search

- Skill: `cevatkerim/unsplash-skill` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cevatkerim/unsplash-skill`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cevatkerim/unsplash-skill/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: cevatkerim (https://skillmd.com/u/cevatkerim)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cevatkerim/unsplash-skill

---


# Unsplash Photo Search

Search and fetch high-quality photos from Unsplash with automatic attribution.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Search for photos
./scripts/search.sh "sunset beach"

# Get random photos
./scripts/random.sh "nature" 3

# Track download (when user downloads)
./scripts/track.sh PHOTO_ID
```

## Setup

**Required:** Set your Unsplash API access key:

```bash
export UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY="your_access_key_here"
```

Get your key from: https://unsplash.com/developers

**For testing**, use demo credentials:
```bash
export UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY="5FQeYyjeHclIr07-1LodnfOCHZbwLeES0RKSWsrtmzI"
```

Demo mode: 50 requests/hour. Production mode: 5,000 requests/hour (requires app approval).

## Operations

### 1. Search Photos

Find photos by keyword with optional filters.

```bash
./scripts/search.sh QUERY [PAGE] [PER_PAGE] [ORDER_BY] [ORIENTATION] [COLOR]
```

**Parameters:**
- `QUERY` (required): Search keyword(s)
- `PAGE` (optional, default: 1): Page number for pagination
- `PER_PAGE` (optional, default: 10): Results per page (1-30)
- `ORDER_BY` (optional, default: "relevant"): Sort order ("relevant" or "latest")
- `ORIENTATION` (optional): Filter by orientation ("landscape", "portrait", "squarish")
- `COLOR` (optional): Filter by color ("black_and_white", "black", "white", "yellow", "orange", "red", "purple", "magenta", "green", "teal", "blue")

**Examples:**
```bash
# Basic search
./scripts/search.sh "mountain landscape"

# Search with filters
./scripts/search.sh "sunset" 1 5 latest landscape

# Search by color
./scripts/search.sh "flower" 1 10 relevant portrait red
```

### 2. Random Photos

Get random photos with optional filtering.

```bash
./scripts/random.sh [QUERY] [COUNT] [ORIENTATION]
```

**Parameters:**
- `QUERY` (optional): Topic/keyword to filter random photos
- `COUNT` (optional, default: 1): Number of photos (1-30)
- `ORIENTATION` (optional): Filter by orientation ("landscape", "portrait", "squarish")

**Examples:**
```bash
# Single random photo
./scripts/random.sh

# Random photos by topic
./scripts/random.sh "architecture" 5

# Random landscape photos
./scripts/random.sh "nature" 3 landscape
```

### 3. Track Download

Track when a user downloads a photo (required by Unsplash API guidelines).

```bash
./scripts/track.sh PHOTO_ID
```

**When to call:**
- When user actually downloads/saves the image file
- NOT when just viewing or displaying the photo
- Helps photographers get credit for downloads

**Example:**
```bash
./scripts/track.sh "abc123xyz"
```

## Output Format

All operations return JSON with complete photo information:

```json
{
  "id": "abc123xyz",
  "description": "A beautiful sunset over mountains",
  "alt_description": "orange sunset behind mountain range",
  "urls": {
    "raw": "https://...",
    "full": "https://...",
    "regular": "https://...",
    "small": "https://...",
    "thumb": "https://..."
  },
  "width": 6000,
  "height": 4000,
  "color": "#f3a460",
  "blur_hash": "L8H2#8-;00~q4n",
  "photographer_name": "Jane Smith",
  "photographer_username": "janesmith",
  "photographer_url": "https://unsplash.com/@janesmith?utm_source=claude_skill&utm_medium=referral",
  "photo_url": "https://unsplash.com/photos/abc123xyz?utm_source=claude_skill&utm_medium=referral",
  "attribution_text": "Photo by Jane Smith on Unsplash",
  "attribution_html": "Photo by <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/@janesmith?utm_source=claude_skill&utm_medium=referral\">Jane Smith</a> on <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=claude_skill&utm_medium=referral\">Unsplash</a>"
}
```

## Image URLs

The `urls` object contains different sizes:
- **raw**: Original unprocessed image
- **full**: Full resolution (max width/height: 5472px)
- **regular**: Web display size (1080px wide)
- **small**: Thumbnail (400px wide)
- **thumb**: Small thumbnail (200px wide)

**Recommended:** Use `urls.regular` for most web content (best quality/size balance).

## Attribution Requirements

**CRITICAL:** Unsplash requires attribution for all image usage.

### Always Include Attribution

When presenting photos to users, you MUST include one of:

1. **attribution_text** (for plain text contexts):
   ```
   Photo by Jane Smith on Unsplash
   ```

2. **attribution_html** (for HTML/web contexts):
   ```html
   Photo by <a href="...">Jane Smith</a> on <a href="...">Unsplash</a>
   ```

### Placement Guidelines

- Place attribution near the image (below or in caption)
- Make it visible and readable
- Don't remove or hide the attribution
- Attribution is required by Unsplash API terms

### Why Attribution Matters

- Gives credit to photographers
- Required by Unsplash API terms of service
- Violating attribution can result in API access suspension

## Common Workflows

### Blog Post Hero Image

```bash
# Search for relevant image
./scripts/search.sh "technology workspace" 1 3 latest landscape

# Present options to user with attribution
# User selects one
# Display image with attribution_html in blog post
```

### Gallery of Random Images

```bash
# Get variety of images
./scripts/random.sh "travel" 10

# Display all images with their attributions
```

### Specific Color Palette

```bash
# Search for images matching brand colors
./scripts/search.sh "abstract" 1 5 latest "" blue
```

## Error Handling

**Missing API Key:**
```
ERROR: UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY not set
Get your key from: https://unsplash.com/developers
Then: export UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=your_key
```

**Rate Limit Exceeded:**
```
ERROR: Rate limit exceeded (50/hour in demo mode)
```
Wait an hour or use production credentials with higher limits.

**Invalid API Key:**
```
ERROR: Invalid API key
```
Check that your API key is correct.

**No Results:**
```json
[]
```
Empty array returned if no photos match search criteria.

## Dependencies

Required tools (standard on macOS/Linux):
- `bash` - Shell interpreter
- `curl` - HTTP client
- `jq` - JSON processor

Install jq if missing:
```bash
# macOS
brew install jq

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install jq
```

## Rate Limits

- **Demo mode**: 50 requests/hour
- **Production mode**: 5,000 requests/hour

Production mode requires:
1. Creating an Unsplash app
2. Getting app approval from Unsplash
3. Using your production access key

## Best Practices

1. **Use specific search terms** - More specific queries yield better results
2. **Filter by orientation** - Match your layout needs (landscape/portrait)
3. **Always include attribution** - Required by API terms
4. **Use regular size for web** - Best quality/performance balance
5. **Track actual downloads** - Only call track.sh when user downloads
6. **Cache results** - Don't re-search for the same keywords
7. **Respect rate limits** - Monitor usage in demo mode

## More Examples

See detailed usage patterns in: `examples/usage-examples.md`

## Troubleshooting

**Scripts not executable:**
```bash
chmod +x scripts/*.sh
```

**jq not found:**
```bash
brew install jq  # macOS
```

**API errors:**
- Check internet connection
- Verify API key is set correctly
- Check rate limit hasn't been exceeded
- Ensure photo_id is valid (for track.sh)

## Links

- Unsplash API Documentation: https://unsplash.com/documentation
- Get API Key: https://unsplash.com/developers
- Unsplash Guidelines: https://help.unsplash.com/en/articles/2511245-unsplash-api-guidelines