# Youtube API > A YouTube API alternative on fetcher.sh — pay-per-call in USDC via x402, or prepaid credits with a Bearer key, no OAuth and no daily quota. Use when the user wants to search YouTube videos with filters for upload date, duration, or sort order, search channels or playlists, look up a channel by ID, @handle, or custom URL path, list a channel's videos, shorts, or live streams, fetch a video's or short's details and comments, list a playlist's videos, pull posts under a hashtag, or check trending videos by region. Also covers YouTube data pipelines, channel monitoring, video analytics input, and trend tracking without the official YouTube Data API's daily quota limits. - Skill: `fetcher-sh/youtube-api` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add fetcher-sh/youtube-api` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/fetcher-sh/youtube-api/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: fetcher-sh (https://skillmd.com/u/fetcher-sh) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/fetcher-sh/youtube-api --- # YouTube API YouTube data on demand: video/channel/playlist search with real filters (upload date, duration, sort order), channel and video lookups, videos, shorts, live streams, playlist contents, comments, hashtag feeds, and trending — one plain HTTP GET per call, paid as you go. No developer console project, no OAuth consent screen, no daily quota. Base URL: `https://youtube.fetcher.sh` ## Authentication Two ways to pay, same data — full mechanics in the [`fetcher` skill](../fetcher/SKILL.md): ```bash # 1. Prepaid credits (recommended — get a key at https://fetcher.sh/topup # or via POST /api/credits/topup, see the fetcher skill) export FETCHER_API_KEY="bby_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/video?query=hello" # 2. x402 pay-per-call — omit the header; a GET with no payment returns 402 # with machine-readable payment requirements (USDC on Base, Polygon, # Arbitrum, Monad, or Solana). @x402/fetch signs and retries automatically. ``` Every response is `{ "status": number, "message": string, "data": ... }`; the HTTP status mirrors `status`. ## Endpoints (15 — all GET, $0.005/call) | Endpoint | What it returns | | --- | --- | | `/api/search/video` | Videos matching a query; upload date, duration, sort filters | | `/api/search/channel` | Channels matching a query | | `/api/search/playlist` | Playlists matching a query | | `/api/channel/{id}` | Channel details by ID | | `/api/channel/handle/{handle}` | Channel details by @handle | | `/api/channel/path` | Channel details by custom URL path | | `/api/channel/{id}/videos` | A channel's videos | | `/api/channel/{id}/shorts` | A channel's shorts | | `/api/channel/{id}/live-streams` | A channel's live streams | | `/api/video/{id}` | Video (or short) details | | `/api/video/{id}/comments` | A video's comments | | `/api/shorts/{id}` | Short details | | `/api/playlist/{id}/videos` | A playlist's videos | | `/api/hashtag/{tag}` | Videos under a hashtag | | `/api/trending` | Trending videos, optionally by region | `{id}` / `{handle}` / `{tag}` are path parameters. Optional `cursor` / `lang` / `geo` refine results; `query` (search) and `channelPath` (path lookup) are required where they appear. ## Scenarios **Uploaded this week:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "query=ai agents" -G \ --data-urlencode "uploadDate=week" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/video" ``` **Most viewed, long-form only:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "query=x402 protocol" -G \ --data-urlencode "sortBy=view_count" \ --data-urlencode "duration=long" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/video" ``` **Newest first:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "query=stablecoin payments" -G \ --data-urlencode "sortBy=upload_date" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/video" ``` Other `uploadDate` values: `hour`, `today`, `month`, `year`. Other `duration` values: `short`, `medium`. Other `sortBy` values: `relevance`, `rating`. **Search channels or playlists:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "query=lofi hip hop" -G \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/channel" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "query=lofi hip hop" -G \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/search/playlist" ``` **A channel by ID, handle, or custom path — then its videos, shorts, and live streams:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/channel/handle/mkbhd" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" -G \ --data-urlencode "channelPath=@mkbhd" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/channel/path" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ/videos" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ/shorts" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ/live-streams" ``` **A video's details and comments, or a short's details:** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "sort=top" -G \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/comments" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/shorts/abc123XYZ90" ``` **A playlist's videos, videos under a hashtag, and trending (by region):** ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/playlist/PLFgquLnL59alCl_2TQvOiD5Vgm1hCaGSI/videos" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/hashtag/shorts" curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "geo=US" -G \ "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/api/trending" ``` ## MCP ```json { "mcpServers": { "youtube": { "url": "https://youtube.fetcher.sh/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer bby_live_..." } } } } ``` Free: `search_endpoints`, `describe_endpoint`, `check_balance`. Paid: `fetch_data` (any endpoint above), `topup_credits`, plus the named shortcut `youtube_search_video`. Drop the `headers` block to pay per call with x402 instead — see the [`fetcher` skill](../fetcher/SKILL.md) for the full flow. ## Errors - `400` — missing/invalid parameter (message names it) - `401` — unknown or rotated key - `402` — payment required (x402 challenge) or `topup_required` (credits exhausted) - `404` — not a priced path - No rate limits; no refunds on upstream failures (settlement precedes delivery) ## Reference - Full agent setup: - OpenAPI 3.1 contract: - Condensed catalog: - Payment, credits, and MCP deep dive: [`fetcher` skill](../fetcher/SKILL.md) - Site: