name	pixabay
description	Search and download royalty-free images and videos from Pixabay. This skill should be used when the user needs stock photos, illustrations, vectors, or videos for projects. Supports filtering by type, category, color, orientation, and more.

Pixabay API

Search and retrieve royalty-free images and videos from Pixabay's library of over 4 million assets.

Configuration

The API key is stored in ~/.config/pixabay/api_key. To set up:

mkdir -p ~/.config/pixabay
echo "YOUR_API_KEY" > ~/.config/pixabay/api_key

Read the key with:

PIXABAY_KEY=$(cat ~/.config/pixabay/api_key)

Quick Start

Search Images

PIXABAY_KEY=$(cat ~/.config/pixabay/api_key)
curl -s "https://pixabay.com/api/?key=${PIXABAY_KEY}&q=yellow+flowers&image_type=photo" | jq

Search Videos

PIXABAY_KEY=$(cat ~/.config/pixabay/api_key)
curl -s "https://pixabay.com/api/videos/?key=${PIXABAY_KEY}&q=nature" | jq

Image Search Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`key`	str	Required. API key
`q`	str	URL-encoded search term (max 100 chars). Example: `yellow+flower`
`lang`	str	Language code: cs, da, de, en, es, fr, id, it, hu, nl, no, pl, pt, ro, sk, fi, sv, tr, vi, th, bg, ru, el, ja, ko, zh. Default: `en`
`id`	str	Retrieve specific image by ID
`image_type`	str	`all`, `photo`, `illustration`, `vector`. Default: `all`
`orientation`	str	`all`, `horizontal`, `vertical`. Default: `all`
`category`	str	backgrounds, fashion, nature, science, education, feelings, health, people, religion, places, animals, industry, computer, food, sports, transportation, travel, buildings, business, music
`min_width`	int	Minimum width. Default: 0
`min_height`	int	Minimum height. Default: 0
`colors`	str	Comma-separated: grayscale, transparent, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, lilac, pink, white, gray, black, brown
`editors_choice`	bool	Editor's Choice only. Default: `false`
`safesearch`	bool	Safe content only. Default: `false`
`order`	str	`popular` or `latest`. Default: `popular`
`page`	int	Page number. Default: 1
`per_page`	int	Results per page (3-200). Default: 20

Video Search Parameters

Same as images, except:

Endpoint: https://pixabay.com/api/videos/
Use video_type instead of image_type: all, film, animation

Response Structure

Image Response

{
  "total": 4692,
  "totalHits": 500,
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": 195893,
      "pageURL": "https://pixabay.com/en/blossom-bloom-flower-195893/",
      "type": "photo",
      "tags": "blossom, bloom, flower",
      "previewURL": "https://cdn.pixabay.com/.../flower-195893_150.jpg",
      "webformatURL": "https://pixabay.com/get/...640.jpg",
      "largeImageURL": "https://pixabay.com/get/..._1280.jpg",
      "imageWidth": 4000,
      "imageHeight": 2250,
      "views": 7671,
      "downloads": 6439,
      "likes": 5,
      "user": "Josch13",
      "userImageURL": "https://cdn.pixabay.com/user/.../250x250.jpg"
    }
  ]
}

Video Response

{
  "total": 42,
  "totalHits": 42,
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": 125,
      "pageURL": "https://pixabay.com/videos/id-125/",
      "type": "film",
      "tags": "flowers, yellow, blossom",
      "duration": 12,
      "videos": {
        "large": { "url": "..._large.mp4", "width": 1920, "height": 1080 },
        "medium": { "url": "..._medium.mp4", "width": 1280, "height": 720 },
        "small": { "url": "..._small.mp4", "width": 960, "height": 540 },
        "tiny": { "url": "..._tiny.mp4", "width": 640, "height": 360 }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Image URL Sizes

Replace _640 in webformatURL to get other sizes:

_180 - 180px height
_340 - 340px height
_960 - max 960x720px

Rate Limits

100 requests per 60 seconds
Results must be cached for 24 hours
Check headers: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset

Usage Requirements

When displaying search results, credit Pixabay as the source. Hotlinking images is not allowed - download to local storage for use. Videos may be embedded directly.

Common Workflows

Download Best Image for a Query

PIXABAY_KEY=$(cat ~/.config/pixabay/api_key)
# Search and get the first result's large image URL
URL=$(curl -s "https://pixabay.com/api/?key=${PIXABAY_KEY}&q=mountain+sunset&image_type=photo&per_page=3" | jq -r '.hits[0].largeImageURL')
# Download it
curl -o mountain_sunset.jpg "$URL"

Browse Categories

To explore available content, search with category filter:

curl -s "https://pixabay.com/api/?key=${PIXABAY_KEY}&category=nature&editors_choice=true&per_page=5" | jq '.hits[] | {id, tags, previewURL}'

pixabay

Install Skill

SKILL.md