name: pexels
description: Access free stock photos and videos on Pexels - search, download, and curate visual content for projects
category: design

Pexels Skill

Overview

Enables Claude to use Pexels for finding and downloading high-quality, royalty-free photos and videos for creative projects without attribution requirements.

Quick Install

curl -sSL https://canifi.com/skills/pexels/install.sh | bash

Or manually:

cp -r skills/pexels ~/.canifi/skills/

Setup

Configure via canifi-env:

# First, ensure canifi-env is installed:
# curl -sSL https://canifi.com/install.sh | bash

canifi-env set PEXELS_EMAIL "[email protected]"
canifi-env set PEXELS_PASSWORD "your-password"

Privacy & Authentication

Your credentials, your choice. Canifi LifeOS respects your privacy.

Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)

If you prefer not to share credentials with Claude Code:
1. Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
2. Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
3. Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password

Option 2: Environment Variables

If you're comfortable sharing credentials, you can store them locally:

canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"

Note: Credentials stored in canifi-env are only accessible locally on your machine and are never transmitted.

Capabilities

• Search photos and videos by keyword
• Download in multiple resolutions
• Create and manage collections
• Filter by color, orientation, and size
• Access curated collections
• Download videos for projects

Usage Examples

Example 1: Find Video Background

User: "Find a looping video background of city lights"
Claude: I'll search for city lights videos.
1. Opening Pexels via Playwright MCP
2. Switching to video search
3. Searching "city lights night loop"
4. Previewing top video results
5. Downloading selected video in HD

Example 2: Download Product Photos

User: "Get minimalist product photography backgrounds"
Claude: I'll find minimalist backgrounds.
1. Searching "minimalist product background"
2. Filtering by white/neutral colors
3. Selecting high-resolution options
4. Downloading to your project folder

Example 3: Color-Matched Search

User: "Find photos with our brand color #FF6B35"
Claude: I'll search for matching color photos.
1. Navigating to Pexels color search
2. Entering hex color #FF6B35
3. Browsing color-matched results
4. Saving relevant images to collection

Authentication Flow

1. Navigate to pexels.com via Playwright MCP
2. Click "Join" or "Login"
3. Enter email and password
4. Handle social login if configured
5. Maintain session for collections

Error Handling

• Login Failed: Retry up to 3 times, notify via iMessage
• Session Expired: Re-authenticate automatically
• Rate Limited: Implement exponential backoff
• Download Failed: Retry or try alternate resolution
• Video Processing: Wait for video to be ready
• Search Empty: Suggest related keywords

Self-Improvement Instructions

When Pexels updates its platform:
1. Document new search capabilities
2. Update video download workflows
3. Track collection feature changes
4. Log any new filter options

Notes

• Pexels photos are free without attribution
• Video files can be large - allow download time
• Some content from partner photographers
• API access available with key
• Collections sync across devices