---

name: gif-whatsapp version: 1.1.0 description: Search and send GIFs on WhatsApp. Handles the Tenor→MP4 conversion required for WhatsApp. author: Leo 🦁 homepage: https://clawhub.com/skills/gif-whatsapp metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🎬","requires":{"bins":["gifgrep","ffmpeg","curl"]},"requiresTools":["message"],"notes":"Uses the platform message tool (already configured) for WhatsApp delivery. gifgrep searches Tenor/Giphy only. Downloads are saved to /tmp and cleaned up after sending."}} allowed-tools: [exec, message]

GIF Sender

Send GIFs naturally in WhatsApp conversations.

CRITICAL: WhatsApp GIF Workflow

WhatsApp doesn't support direct Tenor/Giphy URLs. You MUST:

1. Download the GIF
2. Convert to MP4
3. Send with gifPlayback: true

Complete Workflow

Step 1: Search for GIF

gifgrep "SEARCH QUERY" --max 5 --format url

Search in English for best results.

Always get 5 results and pick the best one based on the filename/description - don't just take the first result.

Step 2: Download the GIF

curl -sL "GIF_URL" -o /tmp/gif.gif

Step 3: Convert to MP4

ffmpeg -i /tmp/gif.gif -movflags faststart -pix_fmt yuv420p -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" /tmp/gif.mp4 -y

Step 4: Send via message tool

message action=send to=NUMBER message="‎" filePath=/tmp/gif.mp4 gifPlayback=true

Note: Use invisible character ‎ (left-to-right mark, U+200E) as message to send GIF without visible caption.

One-liner Example

# Search
gifgrep "thumbs up" --max 3 --format url

# Pick best URL, then:
curl -sL "https://media.tenor.com/xxx.gif" -o /tmp/g.gif && \
ffmpeg -i /tmp/g.gif -movflags faststart -pix_fmt yuv420p -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" /tmp/g.mp4 -y 2>/dev/null

# Then send with message tool, gifPlayback=true

When to Send GIFs

✅ Good times:

• User asks for a GIF
• Celebrating good news
• Funny reactions
• Expressing emotions (excitement, facepalm, etc.)

❌ Don't overuse:

• One GIF per context is enough
• Not every message needs a GIF

Popular Search Terms

Security & Safety Notes

• Source domains: gifgrep only searches trusted GIF providers (Tenor, Giphy)
• File handling: All downloads go to /tmp and are overwritten each time (-y flag)
• Empty caption: The ‎ character (U+200E, Left-to-Right Mark) is used as an invisible caption so WhatsApp sends the GIF without visible text. This is a standard Unicode control character, not an injection technique
• WhatsApp integration: Uses the platform's built-in message tool — no separate WhatsApp credentials needed
• ffmpeg safety: Processes only GIF files from trusted providers; no arbitrary file execution

Why This Works

• WhatsApp converts all GIFs to MP4 internally
• Direct Tenor/Giphy URLs often fail
• MP4 with gifPlayback=true displays as looping GIF
• Small file size = fast delivery