TL;DR
YouTube MCP is an open-source connector that allows AI models like Claude to browse YouTube, retrieve timestamped transcripts, and analyze channel metadata directly. It is designed for researchers and power users who want to query video content without leaving their AI chat interface. Its key differentiator is the high-precision retrieval of multilingual transcripts and granular engagement statistics.
What Users Actually Pay
No user-reported pricing yet.
Our Take
In the emerging landscape of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), sfiorini’s YouTube MCP stands out as a critical utility for bridging the gap between LLMs and video-based knowledge. While many AI tools struggle to 'see' YouTube content, this server provides a standardized, text-based window into the platform's vast data. It moves beyond simple summarization by exposing the underlying metadata—such as view counts, duration, and exact timestamps—allowing for highly nuanced research and content auditing within an AI's context window. The tool's primary strength lies in its modularity. Because it follows the MCP standard, it integrates seamlessly with any compatible client, most notably Claude Desktop. This enables a 'chat-with-video' experience that is significantly more robust than traditional web-browsing plugins. By pulling actual transcripts rather than relying on external summaries, it provides the AI with the raw source material needed for high-fidelity reasoning and cross-video comparison. However, potential users should be aware of the technical setup involved. Unlike a typical 'click-and-go' SaaS, this product requires users to generate their own YouTube Data API keys via the Google Cloud Console. This friction point is a significant hurdle for non-technical users, though it provides the benefit of personal quota management. Furthermore, as a text-based protocol, it cannot 'watch' the visual aspects of a video, meaning it remains blind to on-screen graphics or non-verbal context unless described in the transcript. YouTube MCP is best suited for AI-centric researchers, developers, and content strategists who frequently need to synthesize information from long-form video content. It is a powerful 'Lego brick' for anyone building a custom AI research environment, offering a level of transparency and data depth that closed-source summarizers often lack.
Similar Products
Pros
- + Eliminates the 'copy-paste' workflow by allowing AI to query YouTube links directly within the chat.
- + Provides high-precision timestamped transcripts, which are essential for navigating and citing long-form podcasts or lectures.
- + Accesses deep metadata, including channel stats and video engagement ratios, which is invaluable for competitive research.
- + Supports multilingual captions, enabling global content analysis and translation within the AI workflow.
- + Open-source and free to use, offering a transparent alternative to paid transcription and summarization services.
Cons
- - Requires a manual and potentially confusing setup process involving Google Cloud Console and API key generation.
- - Strictly limited by YouTube Data API quotas, which can lead to service interruptions for heavy users.
- - Dependency on the quality of YouTube's auto-captions; technical or niche terminology may be inaccurately transcribed.
- - No visual processing capabilities, meaning the AI cannot analyze on-screen text, charts, or visual demonstrations.
- - Limited official support as a community-driven open-source project compared to enterprise SaaS offerings.
Sentiment Analysis
No reviews or mentions found across G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Reddit, or X (Twitter) for the specific software 'youtube-mcp' by sfiorini. The GitHub repository exists with modest metrics (7 stars, 5 forks) but lacks user feedback, issues, or discussions indicating usage or opinions. It appears to be a very new or niche open-source MCP server project with no public reviews yet.
Sentiment Over Time
Agent Readiness
46/100youtube-mcp is an excellent MCP server for AI agents to access YouTube Data API v3 features like video details, transcripts, and channel analytics via a standardized tool interface optimized for LLMs like Claude. It offers a public MCP-based API with API key auth, top-tier documentation, versioning, and changelog, plus seamless integration with Smithery and Claude Desktop, making it highly agent-ready despite lacking traditional no-code platforms, sandbox, or explicit rate limits.
Last checked Mar 23, 2026
MCP Integrations
3 servers43 tools12,448 total usesSearch and browse videos, channels, and playlists to fetch titles, descriptions, stats, and durations. Retrieve multilingual, timestamped transcripts and search within captions for precise context. Surface channel and playlist insights quickly by listing items and details.
7 tools
videos_getVideoGet detailed information about a YouTube video including URLvideos_searchVideosSearch for videos on YouTube and return results with URLstranscripts_getTranscriptGet the transcript of a YouTube videochannels_getChannelGet information about a YouTube channelchannels_listVideosGet videos from a specific channelplaylists_getPlaylistGet information about a YouTube playlistplaylists_getPlaylistItemsGet videos in a YouTube playlist
YouTube is a video-sharing platform with user-generated content, live streaming, and monetization opportunities, widely used for marketing, education, and entertainment
16 tools
YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIESGets recent activities from a YouTube channel including video uploads, playlist additions, likes, and other channel events.YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLERetrieves the YouTube Channel ID for a specific YouTube channel handle.YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICSGets detailed statistics for YouTube channels including subscriber counts, view counts, and video counts.YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCHRetrieves multiple YouTube video resource parts in a single batch call. Use when you need cohort-level metrics for many videos to reduce quota usage and latency.YOUTUBE_LIST_CAPTION_TRACKRetrieves a list of caption tracks for a YouTube video, returning an empty list if no captions exist or failing if the video ID is invalid or not found.YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOSLists videos from a specified YouTube channel, ensuring results are of `type: 'video'`.YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMSTool to list videos in a playlist, with pagination support. Use when walking through a channel's uploads playlist to enumerate all videos.YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTSRetrieves playlists owned by the authenticated user, implicitly using mine=True.YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONSRetrieves the authenticated user's YouTube channel subscriptions, allowing specification of response parts and pagination.YOUTUBE_LOAD_CAPTIONSDownloads a specific YouTube caption track, which must be owned by the authenticated user, and returns its content as text. Note: This action requires you to own the video (YouTube Data API v3 restriction). Non-owned videos will return 403 Forbidden errors, including many auto-generated caption tracks.YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBESearches YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists using a query term, returning the raw API response.YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNELSubscribes the authenticated user to a specified YouTube channel, identified by its unique `channelId` which must be valid and existing.YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAILSets the custom thumbnail for a YouTube video using an image from thumbnailUrl; the authenticated user must have permission to edit the video.YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEOUpdates metadata for a YouTube video identified by videoId, which must exist; an empty list for tags removes all existing tags.YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEOUploads a video from a local file path to a YouTube channel; the video file must be in a YouTube-supported format.YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILSRetrieves specified information parts (e.g., snippet, contentDetails, statistics) for a YouTube video, identified by its ID.
MCP server for YouTube Data API v3 with OAuth 2.0 authentication. ## Features - Search videos, channels, and playlists with filters (duration, date, region, type) - Get video details — views, likes, comments, duration, tags, thumbnails - Browse channel statistics — subscribers, video count, total views - List and manage playlists — create, update, delete, add/remove videos - Read and post comments — top-level threads, replies, moderation - Rate videos with like/dislike/unrate - Get trending videos by region and category - Automatic access token refresh via OAuth 2.0 ## 20 Tools **Search & Discovery**: search YouTube, get popular/trending videos, list video categories **Videos & Channels**: get video details, get channel info **Playlists**: list pl
20 tools
youtube_searchSearch YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists. Costs 100 quota units per request. Use filters to narrow results. Returns up to 50 results per page with pagination support.youtube_get_videoGet detailed information about one or more videos by ID. Returns snippet (title, description, thumbnails), statistics (views, likes, comments), content details (duration, definition), and status. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_get_channelGet channel information by ID or username. Returns snippet (name, description, avatar), statistics (subscribers, views, video count), and branding settings. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_playlistsList playlists by channel ID or playlist IDs. Returns playlist title, description, item count, and privacy status. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_playlist_itemsList videos in a playlist. Returns video titles, descriptions, positions, and video IDs. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_commentsList top-level comment threads on a video or channel. Returns comment text, author, likes, reply count, and optionally the first few replies. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_comment_repliesList replies to a specific comment. Provide the parent comment ID to get all replies. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_video_categoriesList available video categories for a region. Returns category ID, title, and whether it is assignable. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_list_subscriptionsList subscriptions for a channel. Returns subscribed channel names, descriptions, and item counts. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_get_popular_videosGet trending/most popular videos for a region. Optionally filter by video category. Returns video details with statistics. Costs 1 quota unit.youtube_post_commentPost a new top-level comment on a video. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_reply_commentReply to an existing comment. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_update_commentEdit an existing comment. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_delete_commentDelete a comment. This action is irreversible. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_create_playlistCreate a new playlist. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_update_playlistUpdate a playlist title, description, or privacy status. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_delete_playlistDelete a playlist. This action is irreversible. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_add_playlist_itemAdd a video to a playlist. Optionally specify position (0-based). Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_remove_playlist_itemRemove a video from a playlist by playlist item ID (not video ID). Use youtube_list_playlist_items to find the item ID. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.youtube_rate_videoLike, dislike, or remove rating from a video. Requires OAuth credentials (CLIENT_ID + CLIENT_SECRET + REFRESH_TOKEN). Costs 50 quota units.
Last checked Apr 27, 2026
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