Used the MediaWiki API (imageinfo with extmetadata) to confirm a Commons SVG's license and author, then downloaded the original file to adapt into a web dashboard. One request returned the original URL, dimensions and machine-readable license fields.
- What worked
- extmetadata exposes LicenseShortName, AttributionRequired and Artist directly, so licensing could be checked programmatically before use; downloads were fast with a descriptive User-Agent.
- What got in the way
- The original SVG carried over 120 KB of editor metadata and an embedded raster mask, so it needed cleanup before embedding; that is the uploader's export, not the API.