How do I install the Youtube Downloader skill?

Run npx skillmds add tools-only/youtube-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 Youtube Downloader safe to use?

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

Which AI agents work with Youtube 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 Youtube Downloader free to use?

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

Who published Youtube Downloader?

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

Youtube Downloader by tools-only — Agent Skill

Name: Youtube Downloader
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: tools-only

Youtube 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.

tools-only a652338 3 files · 6.4 KB Updated Sep 9, 2026 7 repo stars

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

How It Works

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

Automatically installs itself if not present
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
The script handles installation of yt-dlp automatically
Only single videos are downloaded (playlists are skipped by default)
Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space

Reusability

This skill is designed to be reusable by other skills:

Used by:

youtube-to-xiaoyuzhou - Uses the audio-only download feature to get YouTube audio for podcast publishing

---name: youtube-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 Downloader Download YouTube videos with full control over quality and format settings. ## Quick Start The simplest way to download a video: ```bash 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: ```bash 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: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -f webm ``` ### Audio Only Use `-a` or `--audio-only` to download only audio as MP3: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -a ``` ### Custom Output Directory Use `-o` or `--output` to specify a different output directory: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "URL" -o /path/to/directory ``` ## Complete Examples 1. Download video in 1080p as MP4: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 1080p ``` 2. Download audio only as MP3: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -a ``` 3. Download in 720p as WebM to custom directory: ```bash python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -q 720p -f webm -o /custom/path ``` ## How It Works The skill uses `yt-dlp`, a robust YouTube downloader that: - Automatically installs itself if not present - 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 - The script handles installation of yt-dlp automatically - Only single videos are downloaded (playlists are skipped by default) - Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space ## Reusability This skill is designed to be reusable by other skills: **Used by**: - `youtube-to-xiaoyuzhou` - Uses the audio-only download feature to get YouTube audio for podcast publishing

Frequently asked questions