Merge tags are placeholders in curly braces. When an image is generated, each one is replaced with a detail of the post — so one template gives every post its own text.
Tags in template text
Use these in any Text layer (and in a stock photo layer’s Search for field):
| Tag | Replaced with |
|---|---|
{title} | The post title |
{excerpt} | The post excerpt |
{category} | The post’s categories |
{tags} | The post’s tags |
{author} | The author’s display name |
{date} | The publish date, in your site’s date format |
{site_name} | Your site title |
{reading_time} | Estimated reading time, e.g. "4 min read" |
{custom_field:key} | The value of the custom field key |
Mix tags and plain text freely: {category} · {reading_time} or By {author}. A tag that has no value for a post (an empty excerpt, a missing custom field) becomes empty text.
In the Studio, the canvas shows sample values. Use Preview with → A real post… to see your template with a real post’s values.
Pro adds WooCommerce tags: {price}, {regular_price}, {sale_percent} and {rating}.
Custom fields
{custom_field:key} reads any post meta field by its key — for example {custom_field:subtitle} or {custom_field:episode_number}. Fields from ACF, Meta Box, Pods and similar plugins work as long as they’re stored as plain post meta.
Protected fields — keys starting with an underscore, such as _edit_lock — are never shown, so private data can’t end up on a public image.
Showing a layer only when a tag has a value
Every layer has a Show only when setting. Choose a tag and the layer is drawn only for posts where that tag is not empty. For example:
- A "Part {custom_field:part}" badge that only appears on posts in a series.
- A category label with its colored box behind it, both hidden on uncategorized posts.
Set the same condition on the text and its box so they appear and disappear together.
Tags in AI prompts
The AI Prompt setting (and a template’s AI image layer) supports:
| Tag | Replaced with |
|---|---|
{title} | The post title |
{excerpt} | The post excerpt |
{category} | The post’s categories |
{tags} | The post’s tags |
{site_name} | Your site title |
{custom_field:key} | A custom field value |
Example: An editorial photo for a {category} article titled "{title}". Context: {excerpt}. See AI Images.
Privacy tip: Whatever a tag contains is sent to OpenAI as part of the prompt. If your excerpts or custom fields contain personal information, leave those tags out of your prompt.
Adding your own tags
Developers can add tags with the aimg_merge_tags filter (values) and aimg_merge_tag_names (names shown in the Studio) — see the Developer Reference.