YouTube Intel
Local skill by Claw0x — runs entirely in your agent environment.
Runs locally. No external API calls, no API key required. Complete privacy. Your competitive intelligence stays on your machine.
YouTube content intelligence and competitive monitoring. Two modes: Monitoring (track specific channels) and Discovery (scan markets for content opportunities using a structured six-step workflow).
Quick Reference
| When This Happens | Do This | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Need to track competitor channels | Use Monitoring mode with channel handle | Update report with new videos, view trends, content shifts |
| Exploring a new content niche | Use Discovery mode with category keyword | Competition assessment, ranked opportunities, viral patterns |
| Planning content strategy | Use Discovery mode with broad category | Subcategory breakdown, gap analysis, suggested angles |
| Want to find viral patterns | Use Discovery mode, check viral_patterns output | Title formulas, timing insights, replicable patterns |
5-Minute Quickstart
Step 1: Install (30 seconds)
openclaw skill add youtube-intel
Step 2: Monitor a Channel
const result = await agent.run('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'monitoring',
query: '@mkbhd'
});
// Returns: latest videos, view trends, content direction changes
Step 3: Discover Opportunities
const result = await agent.run('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'discovery',
query: 'AI tools'
});
// Returns: subcategory breakdown, competition levels, ranked opportunities
Step 4: Review the Report
The output includes:
- Competition assessment per subcategory (🔴 high / 🟡 medium / 🟢 low)
- Ranked content opportunities with evidence
- Viral pattern analysis with replicable lessons
- Channel profiles with aggregated metrics
Real-World Use Cases
Scenario 1: Entering a New Niche
Problem: You want to start a YouTube channel about AI tools but don't know which subcategory has the best opportunity.
Solution: Run Discovery mode with "AI tools" — the skill decomposes it into subcategories (AI image tools, AI coding tools, AI video tools, etc.), assesses competition for each, and ranks opportunities.
Example:
const report = await agent.run('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'discovery',
query: 'AI tools',
options: { max_results: 30 }
});
// report.opportunities[0]:
// {
// type: "timing",
// sub_category: "AI avatar tools",
// competition_level: "green",
// suggested_angle: "Emerging market, supply is scarce",
// suggested_titles: ["2026 Best AI Avatar Tools Compared"]
// }
Scenario 2: Tracking Competitors
Problem: You need to monitor what your top 3 competitors are publishing and how their content performs.
Solution: Run Monitoring mode for each channel — get latest uploads, view velocity, content type shifts, and trend analysis.
Example:
const report = await agent.run('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'monitoring',
query: '@competitor_channel'
});
// report.channel_profile:
// {
// latest_video_days_ago: 3,
// avg_views: 150000,
// content_type_distribution: { tutorial: 40%, review: 35%, list: 25% }
// }
Scenario 3: Finding Viral Patterns
Problem: You want to understand what makes videos go viral in your niche.
Solution: Discovery mode identifies videos with 1M+ views, analyzes title formulas, timing context, and extracts replicable patterns.
Scenario 4: Content Calendar Planning
Problem: You need data-driven topic ideas for the next month.
Solution: Combine Discovery (find gaps) + Monitoring (track what competitors are NOT covering) to generate a prioritized topic list.
Two Modes
Monitoring Mode
Track specific YouTube channels over time.
Trigger phrases: "monitor this channel", "track @channel", "what did they publish recently"
Workflow:
- Read channel history from memory (if exists)
- Fetch latest channel data via browser
- Compare with history: new videos, view changes, trend shifts
- Update memory archive
- Output change report
Discovery Mode (Six-Step Workflow)
Scan a market category for content opportunities. This is NOT a simple keyword search — it follows a structured intelligence workflow:
Step 1: Demand Analysis → Understand what the user really wants, identify ambiguity
Step 2: Strategy Design → Define search terms, subcategories, data sources
Step 3: Data Collection → Execute searches via browser
Step 4: Data Cleaning → Deduplicate, filter noise, normalize formats
Step 5: Analysis → Assess competition, identify opportunities, extract viral patterns
Step 6: Save & Present → Write to memory, output structured report
Data Models
Video Record
video:
title: string
video_id: string
url: string
channel_name: string
channel_handle: string
views: number
published_days_ago: number
duration: string
is_short: boolean
content_type: "review" | "tutorial" | "list" | "comparison" | "news" | "other"
is_viral: boolean # views > 1M
is_emerging: boolean # published < 30 days
Channel Profile
channel_profile:
name: string
handle: string
videos_in_results: number
avg_views: number
max_views: number
is_established: boolean # 3+ videos, avg views > 200K
is_emerging: boolean # new account with viral hit
Competition Assessment
competition:
sub_category: string
total_videos: number
unique_channels: number
avg_views: number
top_video_views: number
competition_level: "red" | "yellow" | "green"
# red: top video > 1M views AND 5+ established channels
# yellow: top video 300K-1M OR 2-5 established channels
# green: top video < 300K OR emerging market
Opportunity
opportunity:
type: "differentiation" | "niche" | "format" | "timing" | "data"
description: string
evidence: string[]
suggested_angle: string
risk: string
priority: number # 1-5
Integration Recipes
OpenClaw Agent
import { Claw0xClient } from '@claw0x/sdk';
const claw0x = new Claw0xClient(process.env.CLAW0X_API_KEY);
// Discovery: find opportunities in a niche
const discovery = await claw0x.call('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'discovery',
query: 'productivity tools'
});
console.log('Top opportunity:', discovery.opportunities[0]);
// Monitoring: track a competitor
const monitoring = await claw0x.call('youtube-intel', {
mode: 'monitoring',
query: '@competitor'
});
console.log('Latest video:', monitoring.report.latest_video);
LangChain Agent
from claw0x import Claw0xClient
client = Claw0xClient(api_key="ck_live_...")
result = client.call("youtube-intel", {
"mode": "discovery",
"query": "AI video editing tools"
})
for opp in result["opportunities"]:
print(f"[{opp['competition_level']}] {opp['sub_category']}: {opp['suggested_angle']}")
Custom Agent (Direct API)
const response = await fetch('https://api.claw0x.com/v1/call', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer ck_live_...',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
skill: 'youtube-intel',
input: {
mode: 'discovery',
query: 'content creation tools'
}
})
});
const data = await response.json();
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Invalid mode |
Mode is not "monitoring" or "discovery" | Use monitoring or discovery |
Missing query |
No query/channel provided | Provide a category keyword or channel handle |
Category too broad |
Query is too vague for meaningful analysis | Provide a more specific subcategory |
No results found |
Search returned no videos | Try different keywords or check spelling |
Browser timeout |
YouTube page didn't load | Retry — transient network issue |
Important Notes
- Always analyze demand before searching — don't just search a keyword and output a report
- Broad categories MUST be decomposed into subcategories first
- Confidence levels are always marked (🟢 high / 🟡 medium / 🔴 low)
- Shorts and long-form videos are analyzed separately (different markets)
- Data is saved to memory for accumulation — not starting from zero each time
Pricing
Free. No charge per call.
- No API key required for local use
- No usage charges (price_per_call = 0)
- Unlimited calls
About Claw0x
This skill is provided by Claw0x, the native skills layer for AI agents.
Cloud version available: For users who need centralized analytics and team sharing, a cloud version is available at claw0x.com/skills/youtube-intel.
Explore more skills: claw0x.com/skills