intertwine GIF Search (Tenor API)
Search and download GIFs directly via the Tenor API using curl. No extra tools needed.
Prerequisites
curlandjq(both standard on Linux)
Search for GIFs
# Search and get GIF URLs
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=thumbs+up&limit=5&key=AIzaSyAyimkuYQYF_FXVALexPuGQctUWRURdCYQ" | 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=AIzaSyAyimkuYQYF_FXVALexPuGQctUWRURdCYQ" | jq -r '.results[].media_formats.tinygif.url'
Download a GIF
# Search and download the top result
URL=$(curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=celebration&limit=1&key=AIzaSyAyimkuYQYF_FXVALexPuGQctUWRURdCYQ" | jq -r '.results[0].media_formats.gif.url')
curl -sL "$URL" -o celebration.gif
Get Full Metadata
curl -s "https://tenor.googleapis.com/v2/search?q=cat&limit=3&key=AIzaSyAyimkuYQYF_FXVALexPuGQctUWRURdCYQ" | 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 (the one above is Tenor's public demo key) |
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
- The API key above is Tenor's public demo key — it works but has rate limits
- URL-encode the query: spaces as
+, special chars as%XX - For sending in chat,
tinygifURLs are lighter weight - GIF URLs can be used directly in markdown:
