GIF Picker

Select and send local reaction GIFs by tag without depending on third-party CDNs or API keys.

The Problem

OpenClaw agents can attach media via MEDIA:<path-or-url>. But Tenor URLs rot, GIPHY links expire, and a 404 on an attached URL causes Telegram to silently drop the entire message — text and all. There's no reliable, tag-based way for an agent to include a reaction GIF as a gesture.

How It Works

A local GIF library with a Python tag-matching picker:

{baseDir}/
├── gifs/          # Local GIF files (user-provided or downloaded)
├── index.json     # Tag mapping: name → file, tags, mood, description
├── pick_gif.py    # Tag-based selection script (stdlib only)
└── populate.sh    # Download script for sample reaction GIFs

The agent calls pick_gif.py with tags describing the emotional context, and gets back a MEDIA: line it can include in its reply.

python3 {baseDir}/pick_gif.py praise well-done
# → MEDIA:~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library/gifs/pat-on-back.gif

Commands

# Pick by tag (returns best match MEDIA line)
python3 {baseDir}/pick_gif.py praise good-job

# List all GIFs with tags
python3 {baseDir}/pick_gif.py --list

# List all available search tags
python3 {baseDir}/pick_gif.py --list-tags

# Verify all GIFs exist and are valid
python3 {baseDir}/pick_gif.py --verify

First-Time Setup

# 1. Create the library directory
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library

# 2. Copy the contents of this skill to that directory
#    (pick_gif.py, index.json, populate.sh)

# 3. Populate with sample reaction GIFs
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library && bash populate.sh

# 4. Verify
python3 pick_gif.py --verify
python3 pick_gif.py --list

Adding New GIFs

1. Find a stable GIF URL (GitHub raw URLs are preferred — never use Tenor)
2. Download: curl -sL <url> -o ~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library/gifs/<name>.gif
3. Add entry to index.json:

   "my-gesture": {
     "file": "my-gesture.gif",
     "tags": ["tag1", "tag2", "tag3"],
     "mood": "descriptive/mood",
     "description": "What this GIF communicates"
   }
   

4. Verify: python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library/pick_gif.py --verify

Why This Over Tenor/GIPHY

Sample GIFs in populate.sh

The script downloads ~16 reaction GIFs from freely-available GitHub reaction repos:

• Pat on back (Community Abed-Troy)
• Fist bump (Top Gun volleyball high-five)
• Nod of respect (Big Lebowski cowboy nod)
• Facepalm (Picard TNG)
• Celebration (general win)
• Salute (Conan O'Brien salute-clap)
• Deal with it (sunglasses flourish)
• Mind blown (Tim & Eric)
• And more...

Note: GIF files are not shipped with the skill due to copyright. populate.sh downloads them from public repos with freely-licensed reaction media.

In-Session Usage

When the context calls for a non-textual gesture:
1. Identify the mood/occasion (praise, celebration, acknowledgment, apology)
2. Run: `python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/gif-library/pick_gif.py <tag1> <tag2>`
3. Include the resulting `MEDIA:<path>` line in your reply on its own line

Environment Variables (optional overrides)