How do I search stickers by keyword with an API?
Send a GET request to the sticker search endpoint with your keyword as a query parameter and your API key in the header, then read the returned sticker objects (id, title, description, image URL) from the JSON response. memecub.com offers a REST API where each search costs 1 credit, plus a keyless trial of 20 searches a day so you can test the request shape first. If you only need a few stickers, the website search at memecub.com is free and needs no sign-up.
Send it when a 401 reminds you the API key was never in the header.
The exact mood of swapping a hardcoded sticker list for a keyword query.
For the moment your search returns nothing because the keyword was too literal.
When the sticker you want exists but the right search term won't come to you.
A joke about keyword filters for anyone tuning search terms and getting odd matches.
For the README or launch post where you explain what your sticker search tool does.
When one search term leads your results somewhere you did not expect.
How keyword sticker search works
The pattern is the same across sticker APIs: you send a search term, the service matches it against sticker titles, tags or descriptions, and returns a list of sticker records. In memecub's REST API a search call costs 1 credit, and the remote MCP server at https://memecub.com/mcp exposes the same search to AI agents.
A typical request looks like this (replace the placeholder with your own key):
GET https://memecub.com/api/search?q=cat&limit=10 Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
The response is JSON with a list of sticker objects. Each object carries an id, a title, a description and an image URL you can render or download. Read the id first: it is the stable handle you store when a user picks a sticker.
Trying it without a key
You can test the request shape before creating an account: the keyless trial allows 20 searches a day. That is enough to check the response fields, wire up your UI and confirm your keyword matching behaves as expected.
For local scripts, the CLI is the shortest path: run npx memecub and search from the terminal. If you work inside an AI coding assistant, install the skill with npx skills add https://memecub.com into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or a similar tool, and the agent can call the search for you.
When you move to production, plans start at a free tier of 1000 credits a month, with paid tiers and credit packs above that. Each search is 1 credit, so budget by expected query volume.
Choosing between API, website and AI maker
Use the API when stickers need to appear inside your own app, bot or agent without a human browsing. Use the website when a person is picking stickers by hand: browsing, searching, copying and downloading on memecub.com are free and need no sign-up.
If a keyword search returns nothing that fits, the AI meme maker at /generate can create one: describe a character, an action and a caption, or start from an existing meme as a reference. It takes about 10 seconds per image at 500 credits each and refuses real people.
For articles and long text, /match takes a pasted piece of writing and picks a fitting meme for each paragraph, which saves you from writing keyword queries per section.
Licensing and etiquette
Most memes in the library are collected from the web: they are fine for personal chats, copyright stays with the original creators, and they are not for commercial use. If your product is commercial, turn on the filter that shows only openly licensed images (Openverse, open-source emoji, public-domain art), which can be used commercially.
Cache the image URLs you return rather than re-searching on every render, and keep the sticker id with any user selection so you can resolve it later. Do not strip creator attribution where the license requires it.
Let your AI find the memes
REST API, remote MCP, CLI and a skill. Try 20 searches a day without a key.
More that fit
FAQ
How do I use a sticker API to find stickers by keyword?
Send a search request with your term as a query parameter and your key in the Authorization header, then read the sticker list from the JSON response. memecub's REST API charges 1 credit per search, and a keyless trial gives 20 searches a day.
How do I query stickers by search term using an API?
The search term goes in the query string, for example ?q=cat, and the API matches it against sticker titles and descriptions. Keep the returned sticker id so you can reference the same sticker later.
Is there a free sticker API to test with?
memecub offers a keyless trial of 20 searches a day, and the free plan includes 1000 credits a month. Browsing and downloading on the website are also free with no sign-up.
Can I use API search results in a commercial product?
Most library memes are collected from the web and are for personal use only, with copyright held by the original creators. Enable the openly licensed filter to get images that can be used commercially.
Can an AI agent search stickers for me?
Yes. memecub provides a remote MCP server at https://memecub.com/mcp, a CLI via `npx memecub`, and a skill installable with `npx skills add https://memecub.com` for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and similar tools.