--- name: generate-qr-code description: Generate a PNG QR code for any URL via Lora's QR API. Anonymous calls are free, rate-limited, and encode the destination behind a `lora-links.com` redirect (so Lora can layer analytics and abuse-blocking on the public flow). Authenticated calls with a Lora API key encode the destination verbatim and can hide the Lora logo on Basic / Business / Enterprise plans. --- # Generate a QR code with Lora ## What this does `GET https://api.uselora.com/v1/qr?url=` returns a PNG image of a QR code. Two modes: - **Anonymous** (no `Authorization` header): the QR encodes a `https://lora-links.com/?u=` redirect URL. Scanners hit the redirector, which 302s to the original destination. Free; rate-limited per IP. - **Authenticated** (`Authorization: Bearer lora_sk_…`): the QR encodes the destination URL verbatim — no proxy hop. Subject to the workspace's per-key rate limit. Required for `hideLogo`. Either mode returns `Content-Type: image/png` and is CDN-cached. Responses vary by `Authorization`, so repeat calls hit the cache only when the auth mode matches — anonymous and authenticated requests for the same `url` + params are stored as separate cache entries. ## When to use this skill Trigger when a user wants a QR-code image for a URL. Examples: "generate a QR code for this link", "give me a QR image for the meeting URL", "make a QR for my business card". If the caller doesn't care about the proxy hop, anonymous mode is the simplest path — no signup, no key. Reach for authenticated mode when they need the destination encoded verbatim (e.g. a static printed QR they don't want changing behavior if the proxy ever gates the URL), or when they want to hide the Lora logo. ## Endpoint `GET https://api.uselora.com/v1/qr` Optional header: `Authorization: Bearer lora_sk_…`. ## Minimum request ```bash curl -o qr.png "https://api.uselora.com/v1/qr?url=https://www.uselora.com" ``` Embed the URL directly in HTML/Markdown: ```html QR code ``` Authenticated variant (encodes destination verbatim, no logo): ```bash curl -o qr.png \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $LORA_API_KEY" \ "https://api.uselora.com/v1/qr?url=https://www.uselora.com&hideLogo=true" ``` ## Query parameters | Param | Default | Range / values | Notes | | ---------- | ----------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `url` | — | string | Required. The URL the QR ultimately points at. URL-encode it. Anonymous calls wrap this in a `lora-links.com/?u=…` redirect before encoding into the QR; authenticated calls encode it verbatim. Schema cap 32 000 chars, but encoder caps usable length far lower (see below). | | `size` | `600` | integer, 64–2048 | Output edge length in pixels. Bigger = sharper print, larger file. | | `level` | `L` | `L` \| `M` \| `Q` \| `H` | Error-correction hint. When the QR carries the Lora logo overlay (any call without a valid `hideLogo=true` on a paid plan), the server bumps the effective level to `H`, so a lower value here doesn't expand the data budget. | | `fgColor` | `#000000` | hex | Foreground (modules). Keep contrast high vs. `bgColor` or scanners fail. | | `bgColor` | `#FFFFFF` | hex | Background. Solid colour only. | | `margin` | `2` | integer, 0–20 | Quiet-zone modules around the code. Going below `2` makes some scanners struggle. | | `hideLogo` | `false` | boolean | Omits the "Powered by Lora" logo overlay. Requires `Authorization: Bearer lora_sk_…` on a Basic, Business, or Enterprise plan. Anonymous calls and keys whose plan lacks `removeWatermark` get `403 plan_requires_upgrade`. | ## Practical capacity The Lora logo overlay covers ~20% of the QR modules, so error-correction level `H` is required to recover scannable data when the logo is present. Byte-mode capacity at level `H` is ~1 273 bytes — that's the effective `url` cap for any call that doesn't successfully set `hideLogo=true`. With the logo off, capacity climbs back toward the level-`L` ceiling (~2 953 bytes). URLs longer than the active cap return `400 qr_data_too_long`. ## Common picks - **Print/poster**: `size=1200&margin=4`. - **Small inline thumbnail**: `size=200`. - **Brand-coloured**: `fgColor=%23ff5722` (URL-encode `#` as `%23`). - **Logo-free, branded**: pass `Authorization` + `hideLogo=true` (paid plan). ## Error handling Errors return JSON `{ error, code?, requestId }` with `X-Lora-Request-Id` for support. | Status | `code` | What to do | | ------ | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 400 | `validation_error` | A param failed schema validation (bad size, malformed hex, etc.). Fix and retry. | | 400 | `qr_data_too_long` | The `url` exceeds the encoder's byte-mode capacity for the active level (~1 273 bytes with logo, ~2 953 without). Shorten the URL or authenticate and pass `hideLogo=true`. | | 401 | — | Sent an `Authorization` header but the key is missing, malformed, expired, or disabled. Re-check the key. | | 403 | `plan_requires_upgrade` | Requested `hideLogo=true` from an anonymous call or a key on a plan without `removeWatermark`. Upgrade to Basic / Business / Enterprise, or drop `hideLogo`. | | 429 | `rate_limit_exceeded` | Anonymous: per-IP budget exhausted (60/min). Authenticated: per-key cap exhausted (600/min on Basic, 1 500/min on Business). Honour `Retry-After`. | The 429 response is `Cache-Control: no-store`, so a single blocked CDN POP can't lock out everyone behind it. ## Related - Full API reference: .