---
name: meme-generation
description: Generate relevant memes using the memegen.link API. Use this skill when users request memes, want to add humor to content, or need visual aids for social media. Supports hundreds of popular meme templates with custom text and styling options.
---

# Meme Generation with Memegen.link

This skill enables creation of memes using the free and open-source memegen.link API.

## Quick Reference

**For comprehensive meme creation guidance:**
- See [Complete Markdown Memes Guide](complete-markdown-memes-guide.md) for **15+ textual meme formats** (greentext, copypasta, ASCII art, chat logs, Reddit AITA, Tumblr chains, wojak dialogues, etc.) AND image meme techniques
- This file focuses on the **memegen.link API** for image meme generation

## Overview

The memegen.link API allows you to:
- Generate memes using 100+ popular templates
- Add custom top and bottom text
- Use custom images as backgrounds
- Control dimensions, fonts, and styles
- Create animated memes with GIF/WebP support

## Quick Start

### Basic Meme Structure

**URL Format:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/{template}/{top_text}/{bottom_text}.{extension}
```

**Example:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/memes/memes_everywhere.png
```

This generates a Buzz Lightyear meme with "memes" at the top and "memes everywhere" at the bottom.

## Text Formatting

### Spacing
- Use **underscores** (`_`) or **dashes** (`-`) for spaces in text
- Example: `One_Does_Not_Simply` → "One Does Not Simply"

### Special Characters
- Use URL encoding for special characters
- Spaces: `_` or `-`
- Newlines: `~n`
- Question mark: `~q`
- Percent: `~p`
- Slash: `~s`
- Hash/Pound: `~h`
- Quotes: `''` for single, `""` for double

### Single Line Text
For memes with only one line of text, use an underscore for the empty line:
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/yodawg/_/your_text_here.png
```

## Available Templates

**Popular Templates:**
- `buzz` - Buzz Lightyear ("X, X Everywhere")
- `drake` - Drake Hotline Bling (two panels)
- `doge` - Doge (multiple text positions)
- `distracted` - Distracted Boyfriend
- `changemind` - Change My Mind
- `success` - Success Kid
- `skeptical` - Skeptical Third World Kid
- `awesome` - Awesome/Awkward Penguin
- `yodawg` - Yo Dawg
- `ancient` - Ancient Aliens Guy
- `wonka` - Condescending Wonka

**View all templates:**
- API endpoint: `https://api.memegen.link/templates/`
- Interactive docs: `https://api.memegen.link/docs/`

## Advanced Features

### Image Formats

**Supported Extensions:**
- `.png` - Standard format, best quality
- `.jpg` - Smaller file size
- `.webp` - Modern format, good compression
- `.gif` - Animated (if template supports it)

**Example:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/memes/memes_everywhere.webp
```

### Dimensions

**Width & Height:**
```
?width=800
?height=600
?width=800&height=600  (padded to exact dimensions)
```

**Example:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/memes/memes_everywhere.png?width=1200
```

### Layout Options

Control text positioning with the `layout` parameter:
```
?layout=top     # Text at top only
?layout=bottom  # Text at bottom only
?layout=default # Standard top/bottom
```

**Example:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/rollsafe/when_you_have/a_good_idea.png?layout=top
```

### Custom Fonts

**Available fonts:**
- View at: `https://api.memegen.link/fonts/`
- Use: `?font=impact` (default)

### Custom Images

Use any image URL as a background:
```
?style=https://example.com/your-image.jpg
```

**Example:**
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/custom/hello/world.png?style=https://i.imgur.com/abc123.jpg
```

## Practical Examples

### Example 1: Drake Meme
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/drake/manual_testing/automated_testing.png
```
Top panel (rejected): "manual testing"
Bottom panel (approved): "automated testing"

### Example 2: Distracted Boyfriend
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/distracted/my_code/new_shiny_framework/current_project.png
```
- Boyfriend: "my code"
- Other girl: "new shiny framework"
- Girlfriend: "current project"

### Example 3: One Does Not Simply
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/mordor/one_does_not_simply/fix_a_bug_without_creating_two_more.png
```

### Example 4: Change My Mind
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/changemind/tabs_are_better_than_spaces.png
```

### Example 5: Success Kid
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/success/all_tests_passing/on_the_first_try.png
```

### Example 6: Custom Dimensions
```
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/memes/memes_everywhere.png?width=1200&height=630
```
Perfect for Open Graph social media sharing (1200x630).

## Creating Contextual Memes

### For Code Reviews
```
Template: fry (Futurama Fry - "Not sure if...")
https://api.memegen.link/images/fry/not_sure_if_feature/or_bug.png
```

### For Deployments
```
Template: interesting (The Most Interesting Man)
https://api.memegen.link/images/interesting/i_dont_always_test_my_code/but_when_i_do_i_do_it_in_production.png
```

### For Documentation
```
Template: yodawg
https://api.memegen.link/images/yodawg/yo_dawg_i_heard_you_like_docs/so_i_documented_the_documentation.png
```

### For Performance Issues
```
Template: fine (This is Fine Dog)
https://api.memegen.link/images/fine/memory_usage_at_99~/this_is_fine.png
```

## Best Practices

### 1. Keep Text Concise
- Memes work best with short, punchy text
- Aim for 2-6 words per line
- Long text becomes hard to read

### 2. Choose Appropriate Templates
- Match the template to your message
- Drake = comparisons/choices
- Distracted boyfriend = priorities/distractions
- Change my mind = controversial opinions
- Success kid = victories/wins

### 3. Consider Context
- Know your audience
- Keep it professional for work contexts
- Use humor that resonates with your team

### 4. Optimize for Platform
- Social media: 1200x630 (Open Graph)
- Slack/Discord: 800x600 works well
- GitHub: Default size is fine

### 5. Test Your URLs
- Preview memes before sharing
- Check for typos in text
- Verify template name is correct

## Workflow Integration

### 1. Generating Memes in Response
When a user requests a meme or you want to add humor:

```markdown
Here's a relevant meme about your situation:

![Meme](https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/bugs/bugs_everywhere.png)
```

### 2. Creating Meme Collections
Generate multiple memes for a topic:

```python
base_url = "https://api.memegen.link/images"

memes = [
    f"{base_url}/buzz/features/features_everywhere.png",
    f"{base_url}/drake/manual_testing/automated_testing.png",
    f"{base_url}/success/all_tests_passing/on_first_try.png"
]

for meme in memes:
    print(f"![Meme]({meme})")
```

### 3. Dynamic Meme Generation
Generate memes based on context:

```python
def generate_status_meme(status: str, message: str):
    template_map = {
        "success": "success",
        "failure": "fine",
        "review": "fry",
        "deploy": "interesting"
    }

    template = template_map.get(status, "buzz")
    top_text = message.split()[0:3]  # First 3 words
    bottom_text = message.split()[3:6]  # Next 3 words

    top = "_".join(top_text)
    bottom = "_".join(bottom_text)

    return f"https://api.memegen.link/images/{template}/{top}/{bottom}.png"
```

## Template Selection Guide

### Comparison/Choice Templates
- **drake** - Two options (reject/approve)
- **awesome** - Good/bad situations (split penguin)
- **distracted** - Priorities/distractions (3 elements)

### Reaction Templates
- **success** - Victories and wins
- **fine** - Things going wrong but acting OK
- **surprised** - Unexpected outcomes
- **yuno** - Why aren't you doing X?

### Statement Templates
- **buzz** - X, X everywhere
- **yodawg** - Yo dawg, I heard you like X
- **interesting** - I don't always X, but when I do Y
- **mordor** - One does not simply X
- **changemind** - Controversial statement

### Questioning Templates
- **fry** - Not sure if X or Y
- **skeptical** - Skeptical about claims
- **suspicious** - Suspicious about something
- **roll** - Points head (you can't X if Y)

## Error Handling

If a meme URL doesn't work:
1. Check template name at `https://api.memegen.link/templates/`
2. Verify text formatting (underscores for spaces)
3. Check for special characters that need encoding
4. Ensure extension is valid (.png, .jpg, .webp, .gif)
5. Test in browser before sharing

## API Limitations

- Free and open-source (no API key needed)
- No rate limiting for normal use
- Stateless (all info in URL)
- No storage (images generated on-demand)
- No authentication required

## Examples for Egregora Project

### Privacy-Focused Memes
```
# For anonymization features
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/pii/pii_everywhere.png

# For data privacy
https://api.memegen.link/images/success/all_data_anonymized/no_leaks.png
```

### WhatsApp Export Memes
```
# Processing messages
https://api.memegen.link/images/yodawg/yo_dawg_i_heard_you_like_messages/so_i_parsed_your_messages.png

# Data pipeline
https://api.memegen.link/images/buzz/dataframes/dataframes_everywhere.png
```

### LLM Content Generation
```
# AI writing
https://api.memegen.link/images/interesting/i_dont_always_write_blog_posts/but_when_i_do_llms_write_them.png

# AI confusion
https://api.memegen.link/images/fry/not_sure_if_ai_generated/or_human_written.png
```

## Interactive API Documentation

For complete, interactive documentation:
- **Docs**: https://api.memegen.link/docs/
- **Templates**: https://api.memegen.link/templates/
- **Fonts**: https://api.memegen.link/fonts/
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/jacebrowning/memegen

## Tips for Claude

When generating memes:
1. **Listen for keywords**: "meme", "funny", "humor", "reaction"
2. **Match context**: Choose templates that fit the situation
3. **Be relevant**: Connect memes to the current conversation
4. **Preview first**: Generate URL and describe what it will show
5. **Embed properly**: Use markdown image syntax for display
6. **Respect tone**: Only use memes when appropriate for context

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. **Forgetting underscores** - `hello world` won't work, use `hello_world`
2. **Wrong template name** - Check templates list if unsure
3. **Too much text** - Keep it concise and readable
4. **Missing extension** - Always include `.png`, `.jpg`, etc.
5. **Special characters** - Use URL encoding for ?, /, %, etc.

## Quick Reference

```
Basic URL:
https://api.memegen.link/images/{template}/{top}/{bottom}.png

With sizing:
?width=1200&height=630

With layout:
?layout=top

With custom background:
?style=https://example.com/image.jpg

View all templates:
https://api.memegen.link/templates/

Interactive docs:
https://api.memegen.link/docs/
```

## Summary

The memegen.link API is a powerful, free tool for generating contextual memes. Use it to:
- Add humor to conversations
- Create visual aids for social media
- Make code reviews more engaging
- Celebrate successes
- Communicate complex ideas simply

Remember: A good meme is concise, relevant, and uses the right template for the message.