---

name: gravatar-download description: Download Gravatar avatar images to local files. Use when the user wants to save Gravatar images, download profile pictures, or create local avatar caches.

Download Gravatar Images

Download Gravatar avatar images to local files.

Usage

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts <email> <output-file> [options]

Arguments

Options

Output

CopyEmail: user@example.com
Output: avatar.jpg
Hash: b48bf4373d7b7374351c0544f36f7fc3

✓ Downloaded successfully
  Size: 12.4 KB
  File: avatar.jpg

Script Execution (Preferred)

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts <email> <output-file> [options]

Options:

• --size=N - Image size in pixels (default: 200, max: 2048)
• --default=TYPE - Default image type: mp, identicon, monsterid, wavatar, retro, robohash, blank
• --rating=LEVEL - Rating level: g, pg, r, x (default: g)
• --no-cache - Bypass cache and fetch fresh data

Run from the gravatar plugin directory: ~/.claude/plugins/cache/gravatar/

How It Works

1. Generates Gravatar URL with specified parameters
2. Downloads image using cached HTTP request
3. Saves image to specified file path
4. Caches downloaded images for 24 hours

Examples

Basic download (200px PNG):

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts user@example.com avatar.png

Large avatar (800px):

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts user@example.com large-avatar.jpg --size=800

Download with fallback to identicon:

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts newuser@example.com avatar.png --default=identicon

Force fresh download:

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts user@example.com avatar.png --no-cache

Image Size Options

Default Image Types

When no Gravatar exists, these defaults are used:

Use Cases

Team Avatar Cache

Download avatars for all team members:

Copyfor email in dev1@company.com dev2@company.com dev3@company.com; do
  npx tsx scripts/download.ts "$email" "avatars/${email}.png" --size=400
done

Profile Image Backup

Save user avatars locally:

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts maintainer@project.org backup/maintainer.jpg --size=800

Generate Placeholder Avatars

Create consistent default avatars:

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts user1@example.com user1.png --default=identicon
npx tsx scripts/download.ts user2@example.com user2.png --default=identicon

High-Resolution Display

Download retina-ready images:

Copynpx tsx scripts/download.ts user@example.com avatar@2x.png --size=400

Caching

Downloaded images are cached for 24 hours:

• Same email + parameters = cached file returned
• Different parameters = new download
• --no-cache = fresh download

This reduces API calls and bandwidth usage.

Error Handling

The script will fail if:

• Email is missing or invalid format
• Output file path is missing
• Network errors occur
• Disk write fails

Error messages indicate the specific failure for troubleshooting.

File Formats

Gravatar serves images in these formats:

• JPG - Smaller file size, good for photos
• PNG - Better for geometric/generated images (identicon, robohash)
• WebP - Modern format, smallest size (when supported)

The file extension in the output path determines the format saved.

Related

• Use gravatar-check skill to verify Gravatar exists before downloading
• Use gravatar-url skill to generate URLs for web display
• Combine with npm/GitHub user data to download contributor avatars