Overview
WrkMate can find, retrieve, and save images to your hosting account on request. You can ask it to find a stock photo for a page section, use an image you have already uploaded, or generate a custom image with AI. This article explains how each option works and what you need to set up before using it.
The three image sources
When you ask WrkMate to get an image for something, it works through a fixed priority order:
- Your uploaded assets - WrkMate checks your
public_html/images/folder first. If you already have an image that fits the context of your request, it will use that rather than going to an external source. - Stock photos - If no suitable uploaded image is found, WrkMate searches Unsplash and Pexels for a free, high-quality photo that matches your description. This happens automatically for most image requests without any extra setup.
- AI-generated images - This source is only used when you explicitly ask for generation (for example, "generate an image of..." or "create a custom illustration of..."), or when no stock image is a close enough match. Generation requires an OpenAI or Google Gemini API key saved to your WrkMate settings.
What happens after an image is found
Once WrkMate resolves an image from any source, it saves the file to your hosting account under public_html/images/ with a descriptive filename (for example, public_html/images/hero-bg.jpg). It then returns the file path to you in the chat.
WrkMate does not automatically insert that path into any of your HTML files. If you want the image added to a page, you need to confirm this in a follow-up message. WrkMate will show you what it plans to change and ask for your approval before writing to any file.
API keys: which are required and which are optional
Stock image searches work without any image-specific API keys. WrkMate uses a shared integration with Unsplash and Pexels at a basic rate limit. If you run into rate limit errors on high-volume days, adding your own keys will raise those limits.
| Key | What it enables | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | DALL-E 3 image generation | Required for AI generation (you may already have this key saved for text tasks) |
| Google Gemini | Gemini Imagen generation | Optional - alternative to OpenAI for generation |
| Unsplash | Higher rate limit on Unsplash stock searches | Optional |
| Pexels | Access to the Pexels stock library | Optional (Unsplash is used by default without a Pexels key) |
What WrkMate will not do automatically
The following actions require your explicit instruction before WrkMate will take them:
- Generate an image without being asked. During a page build or any other task, WrkMate will not call a generation API unless you specifically request it. It will use stock images or your uploaded assets instead.
- Insert an image path into an HTML file without confirmation. Even after an image is saved to your account, WrkMate will not modify any page file until you confirm the change in a follow-up message.
- Overwrite an existing image file. If a file with the same name already exists in
public_html/images/, WrkMate will tell you before overwriting it.
Supported image formats
WrkMate saves images in the format returned by the source. Stock photos are typically JPEG. AI-generated images are PNG. If you need a specific format for a task (for example, a PNG with a transparent background), include that in your request.
Where images are saved
All images resolved by WrkMate are saved to public_html/images/ relative to your domain root. If this folder does not exist, WrkMate creates it. Filenames are generated from the context of your request (for example, a request for a "mountain sunset" hero image might save as mountain-sunset-hero.jpg).
