Skill: grpaiva/youtube (version 1.0.1)

--- name: youtube description: Search YouTube videos, get channel info, fetch video details and transcripts using YouTube Data API v3 via MCP server or yt-dlp fallback. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📹","requires":{"bins":["yt-dlp"],"npm":["zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"]},"primaryEnv":"YOUTUBE_API_KEY"}} --- # YouTube Research & Transcription Search YouTube, get video/channel info, and fetch transcripts using YouTube Data API v3. ## Features - 📹 Video details (title, description, stats, publish date) - 📝 Transcripts with timestamps - 📺 Channel info and recent videos - 🔍 Search within YouTube - 🎬 Playlist info ## Setup ### 1. Install dependencies **MCP Server (primary method):** ```bash npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server ``` **Fallback tool (if MCP fails):** ```bash # yt-dlp for transcript extraction pip install yt-dlp ``` ### 2. Get YouTube API Key 1. Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com) 2. Create/select a project (e.g., "YouTube Research") 3. Enable the API: - Menu → "APIs & Services" → "Library" - Search: "YouTube Data API v3" - Click "Enable" 4. Create credentials: - "APIs & Services" → "Credentials" - "Create Credentials" → "API Key" - Copy the key 5. Optional - Restrict: - Click the created key - "API restrictions" → Select only "YouTube Data API v3" - Save ### 3. Configure API Key **Option A: Clawdbot config** (recommended) Add to `~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json`: ```json { "skills": { "entries": { "youtube": { "apiKey": "AIzaSy..." } } } } ``` **Option B: Environment variable** ```bash export YOUTUBE_API_KEY="AIzaSy..." ``` ### 4. Setup MCP Server The skill will use `mcporter` to call the YouTube MCP server: ```bash # 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 build ``` ## Usage ### Search Videos ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ search_videos query="ClawdBot AI" maxResults:5 ``` Returns video IDs, titles, descriptions, channel info. ### Get Channel Info ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ channels_info channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" ``` ### List Recent Videos from Channel ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ channels_listVideos channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" maxResults:5 ``` ### Get Video Details ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ videos_details videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU" ``` ### Get Transcript (Primary) ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ transcripts_getTranscript videoId="Z-FRe5AKmCU" ``` ### Get Transcript (Fallback with yt-dlp) If MCP transcript fails (empty or unavailable), use `yt-dlp`: ```bash 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:** ```bash 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" ``` ## Common Workflows ### 1. Find Latest Episode from a Podcast **Example: Lex Fridman Podcast** ```bash # Get channel ID (Lex Fridman: UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA) mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ channels_listVideos channelId="UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA" maxResults:1 ``` Returns most recent video with title, ID, publish date. ### 2. Get Transcript for Research ```bash # 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.vtt ``` ### 3. Search for Topics ```bash mcporter call --stdio "node /tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js" \ search_videos query="Laravel AI productivity 2025" maxResults:10 ``` Filter results for relevant channels or dates. ## Channel IDs Reference Keep frequently used channels here for quick access: - **Lex Fridman Podcast:** `UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA` - **Indie Hackers:** (add when needed) - **Laravel:** (add when needed) To find a channel ID: 1. Go to channel page 2. View page source 3. Search for `"channelId":` or `"externalId"` Or use search and extract from results. ## API Quota Limits YouTube Data API v3 has daily quotas: - Default: 10,000 units/day - Search: 100 units per call - Video details: 1 unit per call - Transcript: 0 units (uses separate mechanism) **Tip:** Use transcript lookups liberally (no quota cost), be conservative with search. ## Troubleshooting ### MCP Server Not Working **Symptom:** `Connection closed` or `YOUTUBE_API_KEY environment variable is required` **Fix:** Build from source: ```bash 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.js ``` ### Empty Transcripts **Symptom:** 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) ### yt-dlp Not Found ```bash pip install --user yt-dlp # or pipx install yt-dlp ``` ## Security Note The YouTube API key is safe to use with this MCP server: - ✅ Key only used to authenticate with official YouTube Data API - ✅ No third-party servers involved - ✅ All network calls go to `googleapis.com` - ✅ Code reviewed (no data exfiltration) However: - 🔒 Keep the key in Clawdbot config (not in code/scripts) - 🔒 Restrict API key to YouTube Data API v3 only (in Google Cloud Console) - 🔒 Don't commit the key to git repositories ## Examples ### Research Podcast for LinkedIn Post Ideas ```bash # 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) ``` ### Find Videos About a Trending Topic ```bash # 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 ``` ## Notes - MCP server path: `/tmp/youtube-mcp-server/dist/cli.js` - Always pass API key via environment: `YOUTUBE_API_KEY="key" node ...` - Or set globally in shell/Clawdbot config - Transcripts may be auto-generated (check accuracy for quotes) - yt-dlp can also download audio if you need it (`--extract-audio --audio-format mp3`)

path: README.md
content: # YouTube 📹

YouTube research and transcription skill for [Clawdbot](https://clawdbot.com).

## Features

- 📹 **Video Details** - Get title, description, stats, publish date
- 📝 **Transcripts** - Extract transcripts with timestamps
- 📺 **Channel Info** - Get channel details and recent videos
- 🔍 **Search** - Find videos by keywords
- 🎬 **Playlist Info** - Get playlist details

## Installation

```bash
clawdhub install youtube
```

## Configuration

Get a YouTube API key from [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com):
1. Create a project
2. Enable YouTube Data API v3
3. Create credentials → API Key

```bash
export YOUTUBE_API_KEY="your-api-key"
```

Or add to `~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json`:
```json
{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "youtube": {
        "apiKey": "AIzaSy..."
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Usage Examples

```
"Find the latest Lex Fridman podcast episode"
"Get the transcript for this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FRe5AKmCU"
"Search YouTube for Laravel tutorials"
"Show me recent videos from channel UCSHZKyawb77ixDdsGog4iWA"
"Get video details for Z-FRe5AKmCU"
```

## Credits

This skill uses the [youtube-mcp-server](https://github.com/ZubeidHendricks/youtube-mcp-server) by Zubeid Hendricks for YouTube Data API integration.

## License

MIT


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: suspicious | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)