Datawrapper

Datawrapper API — Skill

Create and publish Datawrapper charts and maps via REST API.

Auth: Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API (env var — never print the value). Base URL: https://api.datawrapper.de/v3

⚠️ Step 0 — Verify API key before anything else

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/me" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API"

• 200 → key is valid, proceed.
• 401 or 000 → key is missing or invalid. Stop and tell the user:

  "DATAWRAPPER_API is not set or invalid. Set it with export DATAWRAPPER_API=<token> (Linux/macOS) or $env:DATAWRAPPER_API='<token>' (PowerShell)."

Do NOT proceed past a non-200 — all subsequent calls will fail silently.

Chart types

Quick reference by task

• Chart (line, bar, scatter…) → read references/chart.md
• Choropleth map (color regions by value) → read references/choropleth-map.md
• Locator map (show where something happened) → read references/locator-map.md

Always read the relevant reference file before starting — each file contains the exact step sequence, mandatory properties, and known pitfalls.

Common steps (all types)

1. Create the visualization

CHART_ID=$(curl -s -X POST "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title": "My title", "type": "<type>"}' \
  | jq -r '.id')
echo "Chart ID: $CHART_ID"

Always capture the id — needed for all subsequent calls. Print it immediately.

2. Upload data (CSV)

curl -s -X PUT "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID/data" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" \
  -H "Content-Type: text/csv" \
  --data-binary @/path/to/data.csv

3. Configure metadata (PATCH)

curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "metadata": { ... } }' \
  | jq -r '.id // .'

PATCH does a deep merge — each call merges into existing metadata. Old keys persist. To fully replace a nested object, include ALL its keys in a single PATCH call, or create a fresh chart.

4. Publish

curl -s -X POST "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID/publish" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" > /dev/null

5. Export PNG

Always wait at least 6 seconds after publish before exporting. Datawrapper's CDN takes a moment to update — exporting immediately returns the previous render. Use scale=2 to export at double resolution. Omit height so Datawrapper uses the natural chart height — avoids large blank areas on short charts.

sleep 6

curl -s "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID/export/png?unit=px&width=1200&scale=2" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" \
  --output output.png

Always read the exported PNG visually to verify it looks correct before reporting success.

6. Offer to delete the chart

After verifying the PNG, ask the user:

"The PNG has been saved locally. Do you want to delete the chart from Datawrapper?"

If yes:

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API"

If no, remind the user the chart is available at: https://app.datawrapper.de/chart/<CHART_ID>/visualize

Add descriptive metadata (recommended for all types)

Always include units of measure (number-append/number-prepend) when values have a unit — percentages, euros, kilometres, etc. An axis without a unit label is always wrong.

{
  "metadata": {
    "describe": {
      "source-name": "Data source name",
      "source-url": "https://source-url.com",
      "intro": "Chart or map description",
      "byline": "Author or organization",
      "number-append": " %",
      "number-format": "0.0"
    },
    "annotate": {
      "notes": "Methodology notes, caveats"
    }
  }
}

See references/chart.md for the full units-of-measure reference.

Inspect what Datawrapper stored

curl -s "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API" \
  | jq '.metadata'

Use this to debug when the output doesn't look right — verify what properties Datawrapper actually stored vs. what you intended to send.

Delete a chart

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.datawrapper.de/v3/charts/$CHART_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATAWRAPPER_API"

Useful when iterating: delete a broken chart and start fresh to avoid deep-merge conflicts from previous PATCH calls.

Manual fallback (browser editor)

If something doesn't render correctly via API, the user can inspect and fix it at https://app.datawrapper.de/chart/<ID>/visualize. After manual edits, read back the config via GET to make it reproducible via API.