YouTube MCP Server

YouTube MCP Server

What is YouTube MCP Server about?

YouTube MCP Server exposes YouTube Data API functionality via a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, allowing AI models and applications to query video details, fetch transcripts, manage channels and playlists, and perform analytics without dealing directly with raw YouTube API calls.

How to use YouTube MCP Server?

1. Installation – the most convenient method uses npx:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "youtube": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
         "env": { "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "<YOUR_API_KEY>" }
       }
     }
   }
   

   Add the above block to your Claude Desktop or VS Code MCP configuration.
2. Environment variable – set YOUTUBE_API_KEY to a valid YouTube Data API v3 key.
3. Running – the configured command starts the MCP server; AI agents can then call methods such as youtube.videos.getVideo, youtube.transcripts.getTranscript, etc.
4. Code examples (shown in the README):

   const video = await youtube.videos.getVideo({ videoId: "abc123" });
   const transcript = await youtube.transcripts.getTranscript({ videoId: "abc123", language: "en" });
   const channel = await youtube.channels.getChannel({ channelId: "UCxyz" });
   

Key features of YouTube MCP Server

• Video Information: retrieve details, statistics, and perform search across YouTube.
• Transcript Management: obtain multi‑language transcripts, timestamped captions, and search within subtitles.
• Channel Management: fetch channel metadata, playlists, statistics, and content search.
• Playlist Management: list items, get playlist metadata, search within playlists, and access transcripts of playlist videos.
• Easy configuration via environment variables and npx command.

Use cases of YouTube MCP Server

• Content creators building AI‑driven tools to analyze performance and generate video ideas.
• Analytics platforms that need bulk video or channel statistics without writing custom API wrappers.
• AI assistants (e.g., Claude) that can answer user queries about YouTube content using natural language.
• Automation scripts for batch downloading transcripts, generating summaries, or monitoring channel growth.

FAQ from the YouTube MCP Server

Q: Which environment variable is required? A: YOUTUBE_API_KEY – a valid YouTube Data API v3 key.

Q: Can I change the default transcript language? A: Yes, set YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG (defaults to en).

Q: Do I need to install the package globally? A: No, using the npx configuration is sufficient and avoids a global install.

Q: What rate limits apply? A: The server forwards requests to the YouTube Data API, so you are subject to Google’s quota limits for your API key.

Q: Is the server compatible with other MCP clients? A: Yes, any client that follows the MCP specification can interact with the exposed methods.

YouTube MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for YouTube, enabling AI language models to interact with YouTube content through a standardized interface.

Features

Video Information

• Get video details (title, description, duration, etc.)
• List channel videos
• Get video statistics (views, likes, comments)
• Search videos across YouTube

Transcript Management

• Retrieve video transcripts
• Support for multiple languages
• Get timestamped captions
• Search within transcripts

Channel Management

• Get channel details
• List channel playlists
• Get channel statistics
• Search within channel content

Playlist Management

• List playlist items
• Get playlist details
• Search within playlists
• Get playlist video transcripts

Installation

Quick Setup for Claude Desktop

1. Install the package:

npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server

2. Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server": {
      "command": "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_youtube_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: Using NPX (No Installation Required)

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_youtube_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Installing via Smithery

To install YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @ZubeidHendricks/youtube --client claude

Configuration

Set the following environment variables:

• YOUTUBE_API_KEY: Your YouTube Data API key (required)
• YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG: Default language for transcripts (optional, defaults to 'en')

Using with VS Code

For one-click installation, click one of the install buttons below:

Manual Installation

If you prefer manual installation, first check the install buttons at the top of this section. Otherwise, follow these steps:

Add the following JSON block to your User Settings (JSON) file in VS Code. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P and typing Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "apiKey",
        "description": "YouTube API Key",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "youtube": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
        "env": {
          "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "${input:apiKey}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Optionally, you can add it to a file called .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "apiKey",
      "description": "YouTube API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "${input:apiKey}"
      }
    }
  }
}

YouTube API Setup

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Enable the YouTube Data API v3
4. Create API credentials (API key)
5. Copy the API key for configuration

Examples

Managing Videos

// Get video details
const video = await youtube.videos.getVideo({
  videoId: "video-id"
});

// Get video transcript
const transcript = await youtube.transcripts.getTranscript({
  videoId: "video-id",
  language: "en"
});

// Search videos
const searchResults = await youtube.videos.searchVideos({
  query: "search term",
  maxResults: 10
});

Managing Channels

// Get channel details
const channel = await youtube.channels.getChannel({
  channelId: "channel-id"
});

// List channel videos
const videos = await youtube.channels.listVideos({
  channelId: "channel-id",
  maxResults: 50
});

Managing Playlists

// Get playlist items
const playlistItems = await youtube.playlists.getPlaylistItems({
  playlistId: "playlist-id",
  maxResults: 50
});

// Get playlist details
const playlist = await youtube.playlists.getPlaylist({
  playlistId: "playlist-id"
});

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Build
npm run build

# Lint
npm run lint

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for information about contributing to this repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.