TwitterShots Skill
Generate high-quality screenshots of Twitter/X posts via REST API.
Prerequisites
- API key from TwitterShots Account Settings
- Store the key securely (environment variable
TWITTERSHOTS_API_KEYrecommended)
Extract Tweet ID
Parse tweet ID from various URL formats:
https://twitter.com/username/status/1617979122625712128
https://x.com/username/status/1617979122625712128
https://twitter.com/username/status/1617979122625712128?s=20
Extract pattern: /status/(\d+) → Tweet ID is the numeric part after /status/
API Request
Endpoint: GET https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/:statusId
Required Header:
X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: image/svg+xml, image/png, text/html
Common Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| format | png | svg, png, html | Output format (Note: API default is svg, skill defaults to png) |
| theme | light | light, dark | Color theme |
| aspectRatio | auto | auto, 1:1, 4:5, 5:4, 16:9, 9:16 | Screenshot ratio |
| returnType | buffer | buffer, url | Return image directly or URL |
| showStats | true | true, false | Show reply/retweet/like counts |
| showViews | true | true, false | Show view count |
| showTimestamp | true | true, false | Show timestamp |
| showMedia | true | true, false | Show images/videos |
| showFullText | true | true, false | Show full tweet or collapsed with "Show more" |
| mediaLayout | grid | grid, vertical | Media display layout |
| timeZoneOffset | UTC+0 | UTC±N, UTC±N:M | Fixed UTC offset for timestamp formatting |
| logo | x | x, bluebird, none | Logo style |
| width | 410 | 300-1000 | Content width in pixels |
| height | auto | auto, numeric | Content height in pixels |
| containerBackground | theme default | hex, rgba, linear-gradient | Background color |
| backgroundImage | none | HTTPS URL | Background image URL |
| borderRadius | 16 | numeric | Border radius in pixels |
| containerPadding | 16 | numeric | Padding in pixels |
Usage Examples
Basic Screenshot (SVG)
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?format=svg&theme=light" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Accept: image/svg+xml" \
-o tweet.svg
Dark Theme PNG
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?format=png&theme=dark" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Accept: image/png" \
-o tweet.png
Instagram Ready (4:5 ratio)
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?format=png&aspectRatio=4:5&theme=light" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Accept: image/png" \
-o tweet-instagram.png
Get URL Instead of Buffer
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?returnType=url&format=svg" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"
Response:
{
"url": "https://i.twittershots.com/twitter-screenshots/2025/12/15/tweet-1617979122625712128-xxx.svg",
"format": "svg",
"tweetId": "1617979122625712128"
}
Minimal Style (No Stats)
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?format=png&showStats=false&showViews=false&showTimestamp=false" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Accept: image/png" \
-o tweet-minimal.png
Custom Background
# Gradient background
curl -X GET "https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/1617979122625712128?format=png&containerBackground=linear-gradient(90deg,%23003f5b,%232b4b7d,%235f5195)" \
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Accept: image/png" \
-o tweet-gradient.png
Python Example
import requests
import os
def screenshot_tweet(
tweet_id: str,
format: str = "png",
theme: str = "light",
aspect_ratio: str = "auto",
show_full_text: bool = True,
media_layout: str = "grid",
time_zone_offset: str = "UTC+0",
height: str = "auto",
background_image: str = None,
**kwargs
) -> bytes:
"""Generate a screenshot of a tweet."""
api_key = os.environ.get("TWITTERSHOTS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
raise ValueError("TWITTERSHOTS_API_KEY environment variable not set")
params = {
"format": format,
"theme": theme,
"aspectRatio": aspect_ratio,
"showFullText": str(show_full_text).lower(),
"mediaLayout": media_layout,
"timeZoneOffset": time_zone_offset,
"height": height,
**kwargs
}
if background_image:
params["backgroundImage"] = background_image
response = requests.get(
f"https://api.twittershots.com/api/v1/screenshot/{tweet_id}",
headers={
"X-API-KEY": api_key,
"Accept": f"image/{format}" if format != "html" else "text/html"
},
params=params
)
response.raise_for_status()
return response.content
# Extract tweet ID from URL
def extract_tweet_id(url: str) -> str:
import re
match = re.search(r'/status/(\d+)', url)
if match:
return match.group(1)
raise ValueError(f"Could not extract tweet ID from: {url}")
# Usage
tweet_url = "https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1617979122625712128"
tweet_id = extract_tweet_id(tweet_url)
image_data = screenshot_tweet(tweet_id, format="png", theme="dark")
with open("tweet.png", "wb") as f:
f.write(image_data)
Response Headers
Monitor quota via response headers:
X-Quota-Remaining: Remaining requestsX-Quota-Limit: Total quota for period
Error Handling
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 200 | Success |
| 400 | Invalid parameters |
| 401 | Missing API key |
| 403 | Invalid API key |
| 404 | Tweet not found |
| 429 | Rate limit exceeded |
| 5xx | Server error |
Workflow
- Parse input: Extract tweet ID from URL or use directly if numeric
- Apply defaults: Use
format=pngandtheme=lightunless the user explicitly sets either value - Build request: Construct URL with desired parameters
- Execute: Make GET request with API key header
- Handle response: Save buffer to file or use returned URL
- Report: Show quota remaining from response headers