vellum-ai / meme-generator

Overview

Generate classic memes using the Memegen.link API — a free, open-source, stateless meme generator. No API key, no auth, no rate limits. Just URLs.

The API has 170+ templates covering all the classics: Drake, Distracted Boyfriend, This is Fine, Change My Mind, Always Has Been, etc.

How It Works

The API is entirely URL-based. Every meme is a deterministic URL:

https://api.memegen.link/images/{template_id}/{top_text}/{bottom_text}.{format}

No POST requests needed for basic generation — just construct the URL and fetch it.

Tools

All operations use bash with curl and python3.

Search Templates

Find a template by keyword:

curl -s "https://api.memegen.link/templates" | python3 - "SEARCH_TERM" <<'PYEOF'
import json, sys
templates = json.load(sys.stdin)
query = sys.argv[1].lower()
matches = [t for t in templates if query in t['name'].lower() or query in t['id'].lower() or any(query in k.lower() for k in t.get('keywords', []))]
for t in matches[:15]:
    print(f"{t['id']:25s} | {t['name']:45s} | {t['lines']} lines | Keywords: {', '.join(t.get('keywords', []))}")
print(f'\n{len(matches)} matches')
PYEOF

Browse Popular Templates

Quick reference for the most Twitter-worthy templates:

Generate a Meme

Build the URL and download the image:

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/{template_id}/{line1}/{line2}.{format}" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme_{descriptive_name}.png

Text encoding rules (critical — get these right):

Multi-line templates: Some templates support 3+ lines. Each line is a path segment:

# 3-line template (e.g., Distracted Boyfriend)
curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/db/{label_on_guy}/{label_on_girlfriend}/{label_on_other_woman}.png" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme_db.png

# 4-line template (e.g., Gru's Plan)
curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/gru/{step1}/{step2}/{step3}/{step4}.png" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme_gru.png

Blank lines: Use _ (single underscore) for an empty text line. Useful for templates where you only want text on one panel.

Customize Appearance

Dimensions (for Twitter, 1200x675 or similar works well):

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/drake/top/bottom.png?width=1200" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme.png

Fonts:

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/cmm/hot_take.png?font=impact" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme.png

Text colors (comma-separated for multiple lines):

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/drake/top/bottom.png?color=red,blue" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme.png

Layout — move text to top only:

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/rollsafe/big_brain_move.png?layout=top" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme.png

Animated formats (GIF/WebP — text animates onto static backgrounds, or animated templates play):

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/oprah/you_get_a_meme/and_you_get_a_meme.gif" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme.gif

Custom Background

Use any image URL as the meme background:

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/custom/top_text/bottom_text.png?background=https://example.com/photo.jpg" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme_custom.png

Image Overlays

Layer an image on top of a template using the style parameter:

curl -sL "https://api.memegen.link/images/pigeon/Engineer/_/Is_this_AI~q.png?style=https://i.imgur.com/example.png" \
  -o /workspace/scratch/meme_overlay.png

Overlay position and scale can be tuned with center=<x>,<y> and scale=<float>.

Workflow: Generating Memes for Tweets

1. Start with the take. What's the observation, hot take, or joke?

2. Pick the template. Match the joke structure to the meme format:

   • Comparison/preference → Drake, Pooh
   • Hot take → Change My Mind
   • Misidentification → Pigeon
   • Denial → This is Fine
   • Realization → Always Has Been, Anakin and Padme
   • Escalation → Galaxy Brain, Vince McMahon
   • Dilemma → Daily Struggle, Left Exit
3. Write tight copy. Meme text should be short — 3-8 words per line max. If you need a sentence, the joke isn't tight enough.
4. Generate and preview. Download the image, review it visually.
5. Pair with tweet text. The meme is the hook; the tweet text adds context or lands the punchline.

Workflow: Using the Helper Script

The meme script in [scripts/](scripts/) wraps the API for quick CLI usage:

# Search for templates
meme search dragon

# Generate a meme
meme gen drake "Building from scratch" "Using the free API"

# Generate with custom width
meme gen --width 1200 cmm "Most hot takes are lukewarm"

# List popular templates
meme list

Install it:

cp <skill-dir>/scripts/meme ~/.local/bin/meme && chmod +x ~/.local/bin/meme

Tips

• Keep text short. The best memes have 3-8 words per line. Long text gets tiny and unreadable.
• Test encoding. Special characters are the main failure mode. When in doubt, preview the image before sending.
• Use .png for Twitter. JPG works but PNG is crisper for text. Twitter accepts both.
• Width 1200 is a good default for Twitter image cards.
• Blank panels: Use _ for lines you want empty. E.g., images/pigeon/Engineer/_/Is_this_AI~q.png leaves the middle line blank.
• The API is stateless and free. No caching needed, no API keys, no rate limits to worry about. Generate freely.