YouTube

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for YouTube videos with caption extraction and markdown conversion capabilities

typescript

GitHub Stars

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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": {
    "nattyraz-youtube-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "path/to/youtube-mcp/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your_refresh_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can run a YouTube MCP Server to extract video metadata, retrieve captions, and convert content to Markdown using flexible templates. This server supports multiple languages, authentication methods, and template options, making it easy to integrate YouTube data into your workflows.

How to use

You interact with the YouTube MCP Server through an MCP client to fetch video information, retrieve captions, and convert transcripts into Markdown using predefined templates. Start by obtaining a YouTube video URL, then decide which action you want: view metadata, pull captions in a chosen language, or generate a Markdown transcript with a selected template. You can also search within captions and customize the output with options like including chapters or a keyword search context.

How to install

Prerequisites: Node.js v16 or higher, and npm or yarn.

Step 1: Install dependencies and build the server.

# 1) Install dependencies
npm install

# 2) Build the project
npm run build

Configuration and running the server

Configure your YouTube credentials in a .env file at the project root with the following keys.

YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_api_key
YOUTUBE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
YOUTUBE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN=your_refresh_token  # Optional, for OAuth2

MCP configuration example

Add this server to your MCP settings to enable local execution with Node.js and the built build output.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/youtube-mcp/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "alwaysAllow": []
    }
  }
}

Usage examples

Once the server is running, you can use the MCP client to perform actions such as getting video info, retrieving captions, or converting transcripts to Markdown with a chosen template.

Available tools

get_video_info

Fetches comprehensive metadata for a YouTube video given its URL.

get_captions

Extracts captions for a video in a specified language, supporting auto-generated and manual captions.

convert_to_markdown

Converts video metadata and captions into Markdown using a selected template (basic, detailed, or search).

list_templates

Lists available Markdown templates and their formats.

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