How do I install the Video Downloader skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add zaizira/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: 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?

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

Video Downloader by zaizira — Agent Skill

Name: Video Downloader
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: zaizira

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.

zaizira Updated Sep 22, 2026

File contents

YouTube Video Downloader

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

Requirements

Python 3.8+
yt-dlp (auto-installs if not present)

Quick Start

The simplest way to download a video:

yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

This downloads the video in best available quality.

Options

Quality Settings

Use -f to specify video quality:

# Best quality (default)
yt-dlp "URL"

# Specific resolution
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]" "URL"
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]" "URL"
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=480]+bestaudio/best[height<=480]" "URL"

Format Options

# MP4 format
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]" "URL"

# WebM format
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=webm]+bestaudio[ext=webm]/best[ext=webm]" "URL"

Audio Only

Download only audio as MP3:

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "URL"

Custom Output Directory

yt-dlp -o "/path/to/directory/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

Complete Examples

Download video in 1080p as MP4:

yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080][ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=1080]" "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Download audio only as MP3:

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Download with custom filename:

yt-dlp -o "%(title)s - %(upload_date)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

Download playlist:

yt-dlp -o "%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"

Useful Options

Option	Description
`-o`	Output template
`-f`	Format selection
`-x`	Extract audio
`--audio-format`	Audio format (mp3, wav, etc.)
`--list-formats`	List available formats
`--no-playlist`	Download single video from playlist
`--write-thumbnail`	Save thumbnail image
`--write-subs`	Download subtitles
`--sub-lang`	Subtitle language (e.g., "en", "ja")

Installation

If yt-dlp is not installed:

# macOS
brew install yt-dlp

# pip
pip install yt-dlp

# Update existing installation
yt-dlp -U

Important Notes

Video filename is automatically generated from the video title
Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space
Some videos may have download restrictions
Use responsibly and respect copyright

---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.## Requirements- Python 3.8+- yt-dlp (auto-installs if not present)## Quick StartThe simplest way to download a video:```bashyt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"```This downloads the video in best available quality.## Options### Quality SettingsUse `-f` to specify video quality:```bash# Best quality (default)yt-dlp "URL"# Specific resolutionyt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]" "URL"yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]" "URL"yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=480]+bestaudio/best[height<=480]" "URL"```### Format Options```bash# MP4 formatyt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]" "URL"# WebM formatyt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=webm]+bestaudio[ext=webm]/best[ext=webm]" "URL"```### Audio OnlyDownload only audio as MP3:```bashyt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "URL"```### Custom Output Directory```bashyt-dlp -o "/path/to/directory/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"```## Complete Examples1. Download video in 1080p as MP4:```bashyt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080][ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=1080]" "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"```2. Download audio only as MP3:```bashyt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"```3. Download with custom filename:```bashyt-dlp -o "%(title)s - %(upload_date)s.%(ext)s" "URL"```4. Download playlist:```bashyt-dlp -o "%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"```## Useful Options| Option | Description ||--------|-------------|| `-o` | Output template || `-f` | Format selection || `-x` | Extract audio || `--audio-format` | Audio format (mp3, wav, etc.) || `--list-formats` | List available formats || `--no-playlist` | Download single video from playlist || `--write-thumbnail` | Save thumbnail image || `--write-subs` | Download subtitles || `--sub-lang` | Subtitle language (e.g., "en", "ja") |## InstallationIf yt-dlp is not installed:```bash# macOSbrew install yt-dlp# pippip install yt-dlp# Update existing installationyt-dlp -U```## Important Notes- Video filename is automatically generated from the video title- Higher quality videos may take longer to download and use more disk space- Some videos may have download restrictions- Use responsibly and respect copyright

Frequently asked questions