youtubeSearch YouTube videos, get channel info, fetch video details and transcripts using YouTube Data API v3 via MCP server or yt-dlp fallback.
Install via ClawdBot CLI:
clawdbot install grpaiva/youtubeRequires:
Search YouTube, get video/channel info, and fetch transcripts using YouTube Data API v3.
MCP Server (primary method):
npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-serverFallback tool (if MCP fails):
# yt-dlp for transcript extraction
pip install yt-dlpOption A: Clawdbot config (recommended)
Add to ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json:
{
"skills": {
"entries": {
"youtube": {
"apiKey": "AIzaSy..."
}
}
}
}Option B: Environment variable
export YOUTUBE_API_KEY="AIzaSy..."The skill will use mcporter to call the YouTube MCP server:
# Build from source (if installed package has issues)
cd /tmp
git clone https://github.com/ZubeidHendricks/youtube-mcp-server
cd youtube-mcp-server
npm install
npm run buildmcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
search_videos query="ClawdBot AI" maxResults:5Returns video IDs, titles, descriptions, channel info.
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
channels_info channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA"mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
channels_listVideos channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" maxResults:5mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
videos_details videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU"mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
transcripts_getTranscript videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU"If MCP transcript fails (empty or unavailable), use yt-dlp:
yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --sub-format vtt \
--output "/tmp/%(id)s.%(ext)s" \
"https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FRe5AKmCU"Then read the .vtt file from /tmp/.
Or get transcript directly:
yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --print "%(subtitles)s" \
"https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" 2>&1 | grep -A1000 "WEBVTT"Example: Lex Fridman Podcast
# Get channel ID (Lex Fridman: UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA)
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
channels_listVideos channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" maxResults:1Returns most recent video with title, ID, publish date.
# Step 1: Get video ID from search or channel listing
# Step 2: Try MCP transcript first
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
transcripts_getTranscript videoId="VIDEO_ID"
# Step 3: If empty, fallback to yt-dlp
yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en \
--output "/tmp/%(id)s.%(ext)s" \
"https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
cat /tmp/VIDEO_ID.en.vttmcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
search_videos query="Laravel AI productivity 2025" maxResults:10Filter results for relevant channels or dates.
Keep frequently used channels here for quick access:
UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWATo find a channel ID:
"channelId": or "externalId"Or use search and extract from results.
YouTube Data API v3 has daily quotas:
Tip: Use transcript lookups liberally (no quota cost), be conservative with search.
Symptom: Connection closed or YOUTUBE_API_KEY environment variable is required
Fix: Build from source:
cd /tmp
git clone https://github.com/ZubeidHendricks/youtube-mcp-server
cd youtube-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
# Test
YOUTUBE_API_KEY="your_key" node dist/cli.jsSymptom: Transcript returned but content is empty
Cause: Video may not have captions, or MCP can't access them
Fix: Use yt-dlp fallback (see above)
pip install --user yt-dlp
# or
pipx install yt-dlpThe YouTube API key is safe to use with this MCP server:
googleapis.comHowever:
# 1. Find latest Lex Fridman episode
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
channels_listVideos channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" maxResults:1
# 2. Get video details
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
videos_details videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU"
# 3. Get transcript
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
transcripts_getTranscript videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU"
# If transcript empty, use yt-dlp
yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en \
--output "/tmp/%(id)s.%(ext)s" \
"https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FRe5AKmCU"
# 4. Analyze transcript for interesting topics
# (read /tmp/Z-FRe5AKmCU.en.vtt and extract key themes)# Search for recent videos
mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \
search_videos query="ClawdBot security concerns" maxResults:10
# Pick relevant ones, get transcripts
# Analyze sentiment and technical claims/tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.jsYOUTUBE_API_KEY="key" node ...--extract-audio --audio-format mp3)Generated Mar 1, 2026
Content creators can use this skill to analyze competitor videos by searching for trending topics, fetching video details like engagement stats, and extracting transcripts to study content structure and keywords. This helps in optimizing their own video titles, descriptions, and scripting strategies.
Researchers can leverage this skill to gather educational or scientific videos from YouTube, extract transcripts for qualitative analysis, and compile metadata such as publish dates and channel info for citation purposes. It supports studies on media trends or content analysis without manual data entry.
Podcast producers can automate finding the latest episodes from specific channels, fetching transcripts for show notes or subtitles, and searching for guest interviews on YouTube. This streamlines content repurposing and enhances accessibility with accurate timestamps.
Marketing teams can use this skill to search for videos related to products or services, analyze video descriptions and tags for SEO insights, and track competitor channel performance. It aids in identifying high-performing content and optimizing video marketing campaigns.
Corporate trainers or e-learning platforms can aggregate tutorial videos by topic, extract transcripts for creating study guides, and monitor channel updates for new educational content. This facilitates curated learning paths and resource libraries for employees or students.
Offer a subscription-based platform that uses this skill to provide automated YouTube analytics, including video performance tracking, transcript analysis for keyword optimization, and competitor benchmarking. Revenue is generated through tiered pricing based on API usage and features.
Provide consulting services where agencies use this skill to conduct in-depth YouTube audits for clients, including search trend analysis, transcript extraction for content improvement, and channel growth strategies. Revenue comes from project-based fees or retainer contracts.
Sell custom integrations of this skill into existing platforms like CRM or CMS systems, enabling automated video data fetching and transcript processing for clients in media or education. Revenue is generated through licensing fees and development support services.
💬 Integration Tip
Ensure the YouTube API key is properly restricted to YouTube Data API v3 only in Google Cloud Console to enhance security, and use the yt-dlp fallback for reliable transcript extraction when MCP server encounters issues.
Fetch and read transcripts from YouTube videos. Use when you need to summarize a video, answer questions about its content, or extract information from it.
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