Other meme APIs return a file. This one returns a judgment.
MEMIX is a catalogue of internet culture structured for machines. Every entry is more than a file — it carries the read on whether the format still lands, where it works, and where using it is a mistake.
{
"id": "distracted-boyfriend",
"type": "template",
"status": "dated",
"peaked": "2017",
"works_when": "three-way preference, labelled roles",
"avoid_when": "you want to read as current — this format signals late",
"license": "free"
}The test is simple: could a machine reading only this metadata, never seeing the image, decide correctly whether to use it? That verdict layer — status, works_when, avoid_when — is the direction, not yet the shipped response. See “The verdict fields” below for what /api/v1/* actually returns today.
What MEMIX is
MEMIX is a catalogue of internet meme culture — images, video, and sound — searchable and free to download for anyone. Nothing in the library is uploaded by MEMIX itself; every asset comes from a user, which is what lets MEMIX operate as a platform rather than a publisher. The direction we're building toward is that every entry eventually carries a verdict, not just a file: whether the format is still current, the context it works in, and the context where using it would be a mistake. That structured judgment — not the file — is what the API will ultimately sell access to.
In short: a human comes here to search and download for free. A machine comes here through the API to read the catalogue and act on it.
What you get
A read API over the whole catalogue — images, video, sound. Search returns structured entries, not a blob of files.
Humans browse without charge.
No login, no wallet, no key — the whole library is searchable and downloadable from /library.
Machines are billed per call.
An API key gates programmatic access — not human visitors.
How to use MEMIX
There is no smart contract and no node to run here — MEMIX is a web app, not its own chain or protocol. Wallet connection is used only to sign in (SIWE), never to deploy or run anything.
- 1. Browsing the library (everyone) — go to
/library, search, download. No account, no wallet needed. - 2. Getting an API key (developers & agents) — connect your wallet from the nav bar and sign in (SIWE — no gas, no funds moved), then generate a key at
/my-uploads/api-key. Call the API with the key in the Authorization header (see Authentication, next) — usage is metered from the first call. - 3. Managing the catalogue (admins) — a wallet listed in
ADMIN_WALLETSgets an additional panel for reviewing content and takedowns. Not a public flow.
Authentication
Every /api/v1/* call needs a key — there is no unauthenticated tier. Generate one from /my-uploads/api-key after connecting a wallet, then send it as either header:
Authorization: Bearer mxk_•••••••••••••••••••• X-API-Key: mxk_••••••••••••••••••••
Keys are shown once at generation time and never stored in retrievable form. Losing it means generating a new one — that invalidates the old one. One key per wallet for now.
Endpoints
GET /api/v1/assets — search & browse the catalogue (q, type, tag, page, pageSize)
GET /api/v1/assets/:id — one entry, full record
GET /api/v1/assets/:id/download-url — resolve the fetchable file URL
GET /api/v1/trending — what's live right now
Rate limit: FREE_DEV tier — 100 requests/day per key. Over the limit gets a 429. Paid tiers aren't built yet.
The verdict fields
The table below is the schema this catalogue is designed to grow into — it is not what the API returns today. Today, an entry from /api/v1/assets/:id carries its title, type, tags, file/thumbnail URLs, size, download count, and a license derived from whether the uploader marked it as their original work.
| status | emerging · live · peaking · fading · dated · dead |
| works_when | the context the format still lands in |
| avoid_when | where using it reads as a mistake |
| license | free · cc · commercial |
Ownership & takedown
MEMIX claims no ownership of the works it catalogues. It claims its catalogue: the descriptions, the verdicts, and the notes. Assets are uploaded by users, not by the platform. Rights holders requesting removal are honoured without argument — see /takedown.
MEMIX · catalogue of record
Humans browse without charge. Machines are billed. Machines do not mind.
librarian@memix:~$▊