Alt Text Generator

What it does

Scans the media library for images missing alt text, looks at each image, and writes a concise, accessible description you can approve in bulk or one at a time. Directly addresses one of the most common WordPress accessibility and SEO gaps.

Install

This skill isn't packaged in an installable registry. It's a plain SKILL.md file you can copy directly. Copy it from the SKILL.md tab and save it at the path for your assistant:

Use it in your AI assistant

Claude Code

.claude/skills/alt-text-generator/ (or ~/.claude/skills/alt-text-generator/ for all projects)

GitHub Copilot (VS Code)

.github/skills/alt-text-generator/

OpenAI Codex

.codex/skills/alt-text-generator/

Cursor

.cursor/skills/alt-text-generator/ (or ~/.cursor/skills/alt-text-generator/ globally)

Compatibility

Any WordPress site. Requires the agent to be able to view the actual image (not just its filename) and write to the attachment’s alt text field.

The complete SKILL.md for this skill:

---
name: alt-text-generator
description: Use when a user wants alt text added or fixed for images in the WordPress media library, or mentions accessibility, screen readers, or missing alt attributes.
---

# Alt Text Generator

## When to use
Images in the media library (or in a specific post) are missing alt text, or existing alt text is decorative filler ("image123.jpg", "photo", empty string).

## Procedure
1. Query the media library (or the images in a given post) for attachments with empty or filename-only alt text.
2. For each image, look at the actual image content and write one concise sentence describing what's visible and functionally relevant, not a poetic description, not keyword stuffing.
3. For purely decorative images (dividers, background textures), mark alt="" explicitly rather than inventing a description, that is the correct accessible behavior, not a gap.
4. Present a batch (10-20) for approval before writing, since alt text is user-facing and mistakes are visible to real visitors using screen readers.
5. Skip any image already carrying meaningful, non-filename alt text, don't overwrite good existing work.

## Guardrails
- Never write a description you can't actually verify from the image, no guessing from filename or surrounding text alone.
- Keep it under ~125 characters; screen readers and SEO both penalize sprawling alt text.