YouTube

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing real-time YouTube Data API access for AI assistants. Features 14 functions including intelligent content evaluation with technology freshness scoring for knowledge base curation.

python

GitHub Stars

python

Language

6 months ago

First Indexed

2 months ago

Catalog Refreshed

Documentation & install

Readme and setup notes from the catalogue, plus a client-ready config you can copy for your MCP host.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dannysubsense-youtube-mcp-server": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/youtube-mcp-server/youtube_mcp_server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can run a Python-based MCP server that exposes YouTube data through the YouTube Data API v3, enabling your AI assistants to search, analyze, and retrieve videos, channels, playlists, and more in real time. This guide shows you how to install, configure, and use the server with MCP-compatible clients for practical, production-friendly workflows.

How to use

You interact with the YouTube MCP Server through an MCP client by pointing it at the local server (stdio) or a remote MCP endpoint (http) when available. Use the server to get detailed video information, search results, channel analytics, playlist contents, captions, transcripts, and intelligent content evaluations for knowledge-base curation. Typical usage patterns include: querying for video details, listing channel videos, fetching trending or region-specific content, extracting transcripts, and evaluating content freshness for knowledge bases.

How to install

git clone https://github.com/dannySubsense/youtube-mcp-server.git
cd youtube-mcp-server

pip install -r requirements.txt

# Obtain and configure API key as described in the steps below

Configuration and security

Prepare your API key and run the server locally as an MCP component. The server expects the YouTube Data API v3 key and can be configured to use environment variables or a credentials file. For local development, you typically set the API key via an environment variable or a credentials file and run the server as a standard stdio MCP server.

youtube_api_key: "YOUR_YOUTUBE_API_KEY_HERE"

Usage examples

Get detailed information for a specific video by URL or ID, then search for related content within the same session.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter API key or quota issues, verify your key is valid and unrestricted for the YouTube Data API v3. Check that your credentials file is not committed to version control and that environment variables are correctly loaded by the MCP client.

Tools and functions

The server exposes a comprehensive set of 14 functions to access and analyze YouTube data.

Available tools

get_video_details

Return full video details including title, description, statistics, duration, and metadata.

get_playlist_details

Fetch playlist metadata such as title, description, and video count.

get_playlist_items

List videos in a playlist with details for each item.

get_channel_details

Retrieve channel information including subscriber count and description.

get_video_categories

List available video categories for a region.

get_channel_videos

Get recent videos from a YouTube channel.

search_videos

Search YouTube with filters and sorting options.

get_trending_videos

Retrieve region-specific trending videos.

get_video_comments

Fetch comments for a video with sorting options.

analyze_video_engagement

Analyze engagement metrics and provide insights.

get_channel_playlists

List all public playlists from a channel.

get_video_caption_info

List caption/transcript availability for a video.

evaluate_video_for_knowledge_base

Intelligent content evaluation with freshness scoring for knowledge-base curation.

get_video_transcript

Extract full transcript content with optional language filtering.

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