YouTube

What is youtube-mcp-server?

youtube-mcp-server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI language models to interact with YouTube content. It provides a standardized interface for managing videos, transcripts, channels, and playlists on YouTube.

How to use youtube-mcp-server?

There are several ways to use youtube-mcp-server:

• Quick Setup for Claude Desktop: Install the package globally via npm (npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server) and configure Claude Desktop with the appropriate command and your YouTube API key.
• Using NPX (No Installation Required): Configure Claude Desktop to use npx to run zubeid-youtube-mcp-server directly.
• Installing via Smithery: Use the Smithery CLI to automatically install youtube-mcp-server for Claude Desktop.
• Using with VS Code: Install via one-click buttons for VS Code or manually add the MCP configuration to your VS Code user settings or workspace settings.

Configuration: You need to set the YOUTUBE_API_KEY environment variable with your YouTube Data API key. Optionally, you can set YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG for default transcript language.

YouTube API Setup: To get a YouTube Data API key, go to Google Cloud Console, create or select a project, enable the YouTube Data API v3, and create API credentials.

Key Features of youtube-mcp-server

• Video Information: Get video details (title, description, duration, etc.), list channel videos, get video statistics (views, likes, comments), and search videos across YouTube.
• Transcript Management: Retrieve video transcripts, support multiple languages, get timestamped captions, and search within transcripts.
• Channel Management: Get channel details, list channel playlists, get channel statistics, and search within channel content.
• Playlist Management: List playlist items, get playlist details, search within playlists, and get playlist video transcripts.

Use Cases of youtube-mcp-server

• AI-powered YouTube Content Analysis: AI models can use this server to fetch video details, transcripts, and statistics for analysis, summarization, or content generation.
• Automated Video Management: Develop tools that can automatically retrieve video information, manage playlists, or analyze channel performance.
• Content Creation Assistance: AI models can assist in creating new content by analyzing existing YouTube videos and their transcripts.
• Research and Data Collection: Researchers can programmatically access YouTube data for various studies.

FAQ from youtube-mcp-server

• What is an MCP Server? An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enables AI language models to interact with external services through a standardized interface.
• Do I need a YouTube API Key? Yes, a YouTube Data API key is required for the server to function.
• Can I specify the transcript language? Yes, you can set the YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG environment variable to specify a default language, and you can also specify it in individual requests.
• How do I get a YouTube API Key? You can obtain a YouTube Data API key from the Google Cloud Console by enabling the YouTube Data API v3 and creating new credentials.

YouTube MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for YouTube, enabling AI language models to interact with YouTube content through a standardized interface.

Features

Video Information

• Get video details (title, description, duration, etc.)
• List channel videos
• Get video statistics (views, likes, comments)
• Search videos across YouTube

Transcript Management

• Retrieve video transcripts
• Support for multiple languages
• Get timestamped captions
• Search within transcripts

Channel Management

• Get channel details
• List channel playlists
• Get channel statistics
• Search within channel content

Playlist Management

• List playlist items
• Get playlist details
• Search within playlists
• Get playlist video transcripts

Installation

Quick Setup for Claude Desktop

1. Install the package:

npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server

2. Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server": {
      "command": "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_youtube_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: Using NPX (No Installation Required)

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_youtube_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Installing via Smithery

To install YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @ZubeidHendricks/youtube --client claude

Configuration

Set the following environment variables:

• YOUTUBE_API_KEY: Your YouTube Data API key (required)
• YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG: Default language for transcripts (optional, defaults to 'en')

Using with VS Code

For one-click installation, click one of the install buttons below:

Manual Installation

If you prefer manual installation, first check the install buttons at the top of this section. Otherwise, follow these steps:

Add the following JSON block to your User Settings (JSON) file in VS Code. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P and typing Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "apiKey",
        "description": "YouTube API Key",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "youtube": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
        "env": {
          "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "${input:apiKey}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Optionally, you can add it to a file called .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "apiKey",
      "description": "YouTube API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "${input:apiKey}"
      }
    }
  }
}

YouTube API Setup

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Enable the YouTube Data API v3
4. Create API credentials (API key)
5. Copy the API key for configuration

Examples

Managing Videos

// Get video details
const video = await youtube.videos.getVideo({
  videoId: "video-id"
});

// Get video transcript
const transcript = await youtube.transcripts.getTranscript({
  videoId: "video-id",
  language: "en"
});

// Search videos
const searchResults = await youtube.videos.searchVideos({
  query: "search term",
  maxResults: 10
});

Managing Channels

// Get channel details
const channel = await youtube.channels.getChannel({
  channelId: "channel-id"
});

// List channel videos
const videos = await youtube.channels.listVideos({
  channelId: "channel-id",
  maxResults: 50
});

Managing Playlists

// Get playlist items
const playlistItems = await youtube.playlists.getPlaylistItems({
  playlistId: "playlist-id",
  maxResults: 50
});

// Get playlist details
const playlist = await youtube.playlists.getPlaylist({
  playlistId: "playlist-id"
});

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Build
npm run build

# Lint
npm run lint

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for information about contributing to this repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.