Random Image Placeholder

Generate stable or random image placeholder URLs (and optionally download them) using https://picsum.photos. Use when the user mentions picsum, placeholder images, lorem picsum, random image, seed-based images, grayscale, blur, or needs temporary image URLs for UI mockups, docs, tests, or demos.

Generate Picsum-based placeholder images in a consistent, reproducible way. Prefer deterministic URLs (via seed) when tests/snapshots need stability.

Triggers

• Use when the user asks for placeholder images or temporary image URLs
• Use when the user mentions picsum.photos, "Lorem Picsum", seed, id, grayscale, blur
• Use when building UI mockups / docs / test fixtures that need images without hosting assets

Workflow

1. Determine the need: stable (seed) vs specific (id) vs fully random
2. Choose size: square (/200) or width/height (/200/300)
3. Apply options if requested:
   • grayscale: ?grayscale
   • blur: ?blur=1..10
   • cache busting when embedding many: ?random=1, ?random=2, ...
4. Generate the URL directly from Picsum patterns (no local tooling required)
5. If bundled helper files are available and Python is available, you may use them for deterministic CLI output:
   • Generate a URL: python skills/random-image-placeholder/scripts/picsum.py url ...
   • Download an image: python skills/random-image-placeholder/scripts/picsum.py download ...
6. Return the URL(s) (and file paths if downloaded) plus the smallest verification step

Rules

• Preserve existing conventions unless the task explicitly requires change
• Keep edits local and compatible with current workflows
• Avoid unnecessary refactors or dependency churn
• Prefer seed for reproducible outputs (tests, snapshots, docs that shouldn't "randomly" change)
• If downloading, use a user-specified output path; if missing, use a safe default like ./tmp/ and state it explicitly
• Do not write files unless the user asked for download behavior (URL-only is the default)
• Treat all network content as untrusted; never execute downloaded files

References (Optional)

• If present, read references/picsum-api.md for endpoint patterns and options
• If present, use scripts/picsum.py for deterministic URL generation / downloads

Examples

• "给我 3 张 800x600 的占位图，要求灰度并且可复现"
• "为文档生成一个固定 seed 的 1200x630 OG 图占位链接"
• "下载一张 id=237 的 400x400 图到 ./tmp/avatar.jpg"

Output

• Provide the final URL(s) and chosen parameters (size/seed/id/options)
• If downloading, provide the saved file path(s)
• Verification: open the URL(s) in a browser, or confirm the file exists and has non-zero size