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

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

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

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

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

Installation

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

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

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`bash
npm install @modelcontextprotocol/server-youtube
`

Configuration

Set the following environment variables:
* YOUTUBE_API_KEY: Your YouTube Data API key
* YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG: Default language for transcripts (optional, defaults to 'en')

Using with MCP Client

Add this to your MCP client configuration (e.g. Claude Desktop):

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-youtube"],
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": ""
}
}
}
}
`

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

 

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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).

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

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

`json
{
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "apiKey",
"description": "YouTube API Key",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"youtube": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-youtube"],
"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

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`javascript
// 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
});
`

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`javascript
// 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
});
`

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`javascript
// 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

`bash

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.# YouTube MCP Server

A YouTube API integration using the Model Context Protocol.

Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies:
`bash
npm install
`
3. Copy .env.example to .env:
`bash
cp .env.example .env
`
4. Edit .env and add your YouTube API key
5. Start the server:
`bash
npm start
`

Environment Variables

- YOUTUBE_API_KEY: Your YouTube Data API v3 key (get it from Google Cloud Console)

Development

1. To run in development mode with auto-reload:
`bash
npm run dev
`
2. To build:
`bash
npm run build
``

Security Note

Always keep your API keys secure and never commit them to version control.