Shilpi Image Kit: Free Stock Images for AI-Built WordPress Pages

AI can build a WordPress page quickly, but finding a suitable image for every hero, card and content section can still slow the work down. Shilpi Image Kit turns that repeated task into one searchable workflow: it looks across five free image sources, ranks the results for the space they need to fill, imports the best match into WordPress and keeps the image credit attached.

What is Shilpi Image Kit?

Shilpi Image Kit is a free companion plugin for Shilpi and other WordPress themes. It searches Pexels, Pixabay, the WordPress Photo Directory, Openverse and Wikimedia Commons in one pass. Instead of returning a loose list of links, it can select an image for a specific layout slot, download it to the Media Library, resize it, convert it to WebP, set useful alt text and store the source and licence details.

Why image selection becomes a bottleneck

A landing page may need a wide hero photograph, square service thumbnails, portrait team images and several editorial illustrations. Generating every image can take longer than building the page, while searching each stock library separately creates another manual queue. The final choice also has to be large enough, fit the required aspect ratio and carry a licence the site owner can accept.

Shilpi Image Kit treats those requirements as part of the search rather than leaving them for cleanup. The result is a faster workflow with fewer unsuitable downloads and fewer licensing surprises.

Five free sources in one search

• WordPress Photo Directory provides community-contributed CC0 photographs and needs no API key.
• Openverse searches openly licensed media and works without a key.
• Wikimedia Commons is especially useful for real places, plants, food, history and local subjects.
• Pexels provides polished stock photography with a free API key.
• Pixabay adds another broad commercial-friendly library and also uses a free API key.

The sources are queried together, so an agent or editor does not have to repeat the same search five times.

Ranking that understands the image slot

A keyword match alone is not enough. A narrow portrait image is a poor choice for a full-width hero even when its subject is correct. Shilpi Image Kit can rank candidates using the requested orientation, aspect ratio, minimum width and the site’s brand colour. This helps a wide hero receive a genuinely wide photograph and a square card receive an image that can be cropped without losing its subject.

Licence-aware by default

The plugin also considers what each licence requires. Images with no attribution obligation can rank above those that require a credit, while share-alike images can be restricted by the site’s licence policy. If every candidate is rejected by that policy, the search explains what happened instead of presenting an unexplained empty result.

When attribution is required, the photographer, source URL and licence are stored on the WordPress attachment. The [image_credits] shortcode can display those credits on the site.

Use it directly in the WordPress Media Library

Version 1.4.0 adds a Free stock photos tab wherever WordPress opens the media selection dialog. An editor can search, choose a result and let the plugin import and select it without leaving the page or post being edited. The same ranking, licence gate and credit storage used by the automated tools also apply to this manual workflow.

Use it from an AI agent

With the Shilpi theme active, the plugin registers a dedicated skill and four MCP tools:

• auto_image searches, ranks and imports the best result in one operation.
• find_images returns candidates when the agent or user should choose.
• import_image imports a selected source image into WordPress.
• manage_image_kit reads or changes the plugin’s permitted sources and licence settings.

This means an agent building a page can request an image for a specific purpose—such as a 16:9 hero about sustainable architecture—rather than inserting a random placeholder that someone must replace later.

Works outside Shilpi too

Shilpi provides the smoothest agent integration because the image tools appear on the theme’s MCP server automatically. On another WordPress theme, the same search and import operations remain available through the plugin’s REST API at /wp-json/shilpi-image-kit/v1/. The Media Library tab also works through the normal WordPress media dialog.

Duplicate prevention and efficient storage

Importing the same source URL again returns the existing attachment instead of filling the Media Library with copies. Search results are cached for 24 hours, and imported images can be resized and converted to WebP before storage. These details matter when an agent rebuilds a section several times during design iteration.

How to install Shilpi Image Kit

1. Open Shilpi → Plugins in WordPress.
2. Find Shilpi Image Kit and select Install and activate.
3. Open Settings → Image Kit.
4. Keep the no-key sources enabled, and optionally add free Pexels or Pixabay API keys.
5. Review the accepted licence types before using the plugin on a client or commercial website.

The plugin is free, released under GPL-2.0-or-later and requires WordPress 6.4 or newer with PHP 8.0 or newer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need API keys?

No. The WordPress Photo Directory, Openverse and Wikimedia Commons work without keys. Pexels and Pixabay are optional additions that require free API credentials.

Does it hotlink external images?

No. Selected images are downloaded into the site’s own WordPress Media Library, so the page does not depend on a third-party image URL remaining available.

Are image credits handled automatically?

The plugin stores the available creator, source and licence information on each imported attachment. Whether a visible attribution is legally required depends on the individual image licence, so the site’s licence policy should still be reviewed.

Can I choose an image manually?

Yes. Use the Free stock photos tab in the WordPress media modal, or ask an agent to return candidates with find_images before importing one.

Install it from the Shilpi plugin directory

Shilpi Image Kit is available from the Shilpi plugins directory. Sites running a compatible Shilpi version can install and activate it directly from Shilpi → Plugins. For more on agent-controlled WordPress workflows, read How to Build a WordPress Site with AI and MCP and explore the Shilpi MCP features.