How do I install the Xkcd skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add kbarbel640-del/xkcd in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Xkcd?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

kbarbel640-del (@kbarbel640-del) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Xkcd by kbarbel640-del — Agent Skill

Name: Xkcd
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: kbarbel640-del

Xkcd

Fetch xkcd comics - latest, random, by number, or search by keyword. Display comics with title, image, and alt text (the hidden joke). Generate custom xkcd-style stick figure comics using image generation. Perfect for daily comic delivery via cron, on-demand requests, or creating original xkcd-inspired content.

kbarbel640-del Updated Sep 8, 2026 1 repo stars

File contents

xkcd

Fetch comics from xkcd.com or generate xkcd-style images.

Commands

Latest Comic

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py

Random Comic

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --random

Specific Comic

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 327         # Bobby Tables
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 353         # Python
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 1053        # Ten Thousand

Search by Keyword

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --search "python"
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --search "space" --limit 3

JSON Output

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --format json
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --random --format json

Output Format

Default markdown output includes:

Title: Comic title with number
Image: Direct image URL
Alt text: The hidden hover text (often the best part!)
Link: Permalink to xkcd.com

Generating Custom xkcd-Style Comics

Use an image generation skill (e.g., nano-banana-pro) with this prompt pattern:

Create an xkcd-style comic: [your scene description]

Style: simple black and white stick figures, hand-drawn wobbly lines,
minimal background, clean white background, comic panel layout

Example prompt:

Create an xkcd-style comic: Two programmers at computers. First says
"I spent 6 hours automating a task." Second: "How long did the task take?"
First: "5 minutes." Second: "How often do you do it?" First: "Once a year."

Cron Examples

# Daily latest comic at 9 AM
cron add --schedule "0 9 * * *" --task "Fetch latest xkcd and send via Telegram"

# Random classic every Monday
cron add --schedule "0 10 * * 1" --task "Fetch random xkcd comic and share"

Classic Comics

#327 "Exploits of a Mom" — Bobby Tables / SQL injection
#353 "Python" — import antigravity
#303 "Compiling" — sword fighting while code compiles
#386 "Duty Calls" — someone is wrong on the internet
#1053 "Ten Thousand" — lucky 10,000 learning something new
#979 "Wisdom of the Ancients" — unanswered forum posts
#927 "Standards" — how standards proliferate

API

Uses the official xkcd JSON API (no auth required).

Latest: https://xkcd.com/info.0.json
Specific: https://xkcd.com/{num}/info.0.json

---name: xkcddescription: Fetch xkcd comics - latest, random, by number, or search by keyword. Display comics with title, image, and alt text (the hidden joke). Generate custom xkcd-style stick figure comics using image generation. Perfect for daily comic delivery via cron, on-demand requests, or creating original xkcd-inspired content.---# xkcdFetch comics from xkcd.com or generate xkcd-style images.## Commands### Latest Comic```bashuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py```### Random Comic```bashuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --random```### Specific Comic```bashuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 327 # Bobby Tablesuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 353 # Pythonuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py 1053 # Ten Thousand```### Search by Keyword```bashuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --search "python"uv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --search "space" --limit 3```### JSON Output```bashuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --format jsonuv run {baseDir}/scripts/xkcd.py --random --format json```## Output FormatDefault markdown output includes:- **Title**: Comic title with number- **Image**: Direct image URL- **Alt text**: The hidden hover text (often the best part!)- **Link**: Permalink to xkcd.com## Generating Custom xkcd-Style ComicsUse an image generation skill (e.g., nano-banana-pro) with this prompt pattern:```Create an xkcd-style comic: [your scene description]Style: simple black and white stick figures, hand-drawn wobbly lines,minimal background, clean white background, comic panel layout```Example prompt:```Create an xkcd-style comic: Two programmers at computers. First says"I spent 6 hours automating a task." Second: "How long did the task take?"First: "5 minutes." Second: "How often do you do it?" First: "Once a year."```## Cron Examples```bash# Daily latest comic at 9 AMcron add --schedule "0 9 * * *" --task "Fetch latest xkcd and send via Telegram"# Random classic every Mondaycron add --schedule "0 10 * * 1" --task "Fetch random xkcd comic and share"```## Classic Comics- **#327** "Exploits of a Mom" — Bobby Tables / SQL injection- **#353** "Python" — import antigravity- **#303** "Compiling" — sword fighting while code compiles- **#386** "Duty Calls" — someone is wrong on the internet- **#1053** "Ten Thousand" — lucky 10,000 learning something new- **#979** "Wisdom of the Ancients" — unanswered forum posts- **#927** "Standards" — how standards proliferate## APIUses the official [xkcd JSON API](https://xkcd.com/json.html) (no auth required).- Latest: `https://xkcd.com/info.0.json`- Specific: `https://xkcd.com/{num}/info.0.json`

Frequently asked questions