How do I install the Video Downloader skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add davepoon/video-downloader in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Video Downloader safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Video Downloader?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Video Downloader free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Video Downloader?

davepoon (@davepoon) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Video Downloader by davepoon — Agent Skill

Name: Video Downloader
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: davepoon

Video Downloader

Download YouTube videos with customizable quality and format options. Use this skill when the user asks to download, save, or grab YouTube videos. Supports various quality settings (best, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p), multiple formats (mp4, webm, mkv), and audio-only downloads as MP3.

davepoon Updated Sep 8, 2026

File contents

YouTube Video Downloader

Download YouTube videos with full control over quality and format settings.

Quick Start

The simplest way to download a video:

python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

This downloads the video in best available quality as MP4 to /mnt/user-data/outputs/.

Options

Quality Settings

Use -q or --quality to specify video quality:

best (default): Highest quality available
1080p: Full HD
720p: HD
480p: Standard definition
360p: Lower quality
worst: Lowest quality available

Example:

python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -q 720p

Format Options

Use -f or --format to specify output format (video downloads only):

mp4 (default): Most compatible
webm: Modern format
mkv: Matroska container

Example:

python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -f webm

Audio Only

Use -a or --audio-only to download only audio as MP3:

python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -a

Custom Output Directory

Use -o or --output to specify a different output directory:

python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -o /path/to/directory

Complete Examples

Download video in 1080p as MP4:

python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 1080p

Download audio only as MP3:

python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -a

Download in 720p as WebM to custom directory:

python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 720p -f webm -o /custom/path

Supported URLs

HTTPS only — http:// links are rejected.
YouTube hosts only — allowed hostnames include youtube.com (and subdomains such as www, m, music), youtu.be, and youtube-nocookie.com (including www). Other sites are rejected.

yt-dlp installation

The script does not install packages into your system Python (no --break-system-packages).

If yt-dlp is on your PATH, it is used.
Otherwise it creates a local virtualenv at video-downloader/.venv, installs yt-dlp there with pip, and runs that binary.
If venv creation or install fails, follow the printed message or install globally, for example: pipx install yt-dlp, brew install yt-dlp, or your OS package manager.

The .venv directory is gitignored and stays inside the skill folder.

How It Works

The skill uses yt-dlp, a robust YouTube downloader that:

Resolves yt-dlp via PATH or the skill-local .venv as described above
Fetches video information before downloading
Selects the best available streams matching your criteria
Merges video and audio streams when needed
Supports a wide range of YouTube video formats

Important Notes

Downloads are saved to /mnt/user-data/outputs/ by default
Video filename is automatically generated from the video title
Only single videos are downloaded (playlists are skipped by default)
Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space

Source: davepoon/buildwithclaude → plugins/all-skills/skills/video-downloader/SKILL.md

---name: video-downloaderdescription: Download YouTube videos with customizable quality and format options. Use this skill when the user asks to download, save, or grab YouTube videos. Supports various quality settings (best, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p), multiple formats (mp4, webm, mkv), and audio-only downloads as MP3.---# YouTube Video DownloaderDownload YouTube videos with full control over quality and format settings.## Quick StartThe simplest way to download a video:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"```This downloads the video in best available quality as MP4 to `/mnt/user-data/outputs/`.## Options### Quality SettingsUse `-q` or `--quality` to specify video quality:- `best` (default): Highest quality available- `1080p`: Full HD- `720p`: HD- `480p`: Standard definition- `360p`: Lower quality- `worst`: Lowest quality availableExample:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "URL" -q 720p```### Format OptionsUse `-f` or `--format` to specify output format (video downloads only):- `mp4` (default): Most compatible- `webm`: Modern format- `mkv`: Matroska containerExample:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "URL" -f webm```### Audio OnlyUse `-a` or `--audio-only` to download only audio as MP3:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "URL" -a```### Custom Output DirectoryUse `-o` or `--output` to specify a different output directory:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "URL" -o /path/to/directory```## Complete Examples1. Download video in 1080p as MP4:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 1080p```2. Download audio only as MP3:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -a```3. Download in 720p as WebM to custom directory:```bashpython scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 720p -f webm -o /custom/path```## Supported URLs- **HTTPS only** — `http://` links are rejected.- **YouTube hosts only** — allowed hostnames include `youtube.com` (and subdomains such as `www`, `m`, `music`), `youtu.be`, and `youtube-nocookie.com` (including `www`). Other sites are rejected.## yt-dlp installationThe script does **not** install packages into your system Python (no `--break-system-packages`).1. If `yt-dlp` is on your `PATH`, it is used.2. Otherwise it creates a **local virtualenv** at `video-downloader/.venv`, installs `yt-dlp` there with `pip`, and runs that binary.3. If venv creation or install fails, follow the printed message or install globally, for example: `pipx install yt-dlp`, `brew install yt-dlp`, or your OS package manager.The `.venv` directory is gitignored and stays inside the skill folder.## How It WorksThe skill uses `yt-dlp`, a robust YouTube downloader that:- Resolves `yt-dlp` via PATH or the skill-local `.venv` as described above- Fetches video information before downloading- Selects the best available streams matching your criteria- Merges video and audio streams when needed- Supports a wide range of YouTube video formats## Important Notes- Downloads are saved to `/mnt/user-data/outputs/` by default- Video filename is automatically generated from the video title- Only single videos are downloaded (playlists are skipped by default)- Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space---**Source:** [`davepoon/buildwithclaude`](https://github.com/davepoon/buildwithclaude) → `plugins/all-skills/skills/video-downloader/SKILL.md`

Frequently asked questions