Youtube

YouTube Research Pro

The most comprehensive YouTube skill for AI agents.

We analyzed 15+ YouTube MCP servers and found each does one thing well, but none does everything. So we built the skill we wished existed.

Why This Skill?

The Killer Feature: FREE Transcripts

Most tools use the YouTube Data API for transcripts = 100 quota units per request. Daily limit is 10,000 units = only ~100 transcripts/day.

We use youtube-transcript-api — extracts directly from YouTube's frontend. Zero API quota. Unlimited transcripts.

Quick Reference

Setup (One Time)

# 1. Get credentials from Google Cloud Console
#    - Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID (Desktop app)
#    - Download JSON

# 2. Save credentials
mkdir -p ~/.config/youtube-skill
mv ~/Downloads/client_secret*.json ~/.config/youtube-skill/credentials.json

# 3. Authenticate
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py auth

Transcripts (FREE!)

# Plain text transcript
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript VIDEO_ID

# With timestamps
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript VIDEO_ID --timestamps

# Specific language (falls back to available)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript VIDEO_ID -l es

# List what's available
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript-list VIDEO_ID

# JSON output
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript VIDEO_ID --json

Works with URLs too:

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py transcript "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"

Search

# Basic search
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py search "AI news 2026"

# With filters
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py search "tutorial" -l 20 --order date
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py search "lecture" --duration long
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py search "news" --published-after 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Video Details (Batch Supported)

# Single video
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py video dQw4w9WgXcQ

# Multiple videos at once (up to 50)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py video id1 id2 id3 id4 id5

# JSON output for processing
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py video id1 id2 --json

Comments

# Top comments
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py comments VIDEO_ID

# With replies
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py comments VIDEO_ID --replies

# Recent comments
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py comments VIDEO_ID --order time -l 50

Downloads (requires yt-dlp)

# Video (best quality)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py download VIDEO_ID

# Specific resolution
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py download VIDEO_ID -r 720p

# With subtitles
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py download VIDEO_ID -s en

# Audio only (MP3)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py download-audio VIDEO_ID

# Audio as M4A
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py download-audio VIDEO_ID -f m4a

User Data

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py subscriptions
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py playlists
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py playlist-items PLAYLIST_ID
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py liked
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py channel

Command Aliases

Use Cases

Research: Fetch transcript → analyze with LLM → extract insights

Learning: Batch transcripts from playlist → create study notes

Monitoring: Search recent videos → extract transcripts → track trends

Podcasts: Download audio for offline listening

Analysis: Get channel stats → compare competitors

Multi-Account

uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py -a work subscriptions
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/youtube.py -a personal liked

Why We Built This

We surveyed the landscape:

• kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript (463⭐) — Great transcripts, no search
• kevinwatt/yt-dlp-mcp (211⭐) — Great downloads, no transcripts
• dannySubsense/youtube-mcp-server (9⭐) — Most functions, but uses paid API for transcripts
• kirbah/mcp-youtube (9⭐) — Batch ops, but no free transcripts

None combined free transcripts + search + downloads + batch ops.

Now one does.