YouTube MCP server

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

• get_channel_metadata

  Fetch channel profile, statistics, and content details by channel ID or @handle. Returns snippet (title, description, country, thumbnails), statistics (subscriberCount, videoCount, viewCount), and contentDetails (uploads playlist ID - use with list_playlist_items to browse all channel videos). Accepts either channel_ids (comma-separated) or handle (e.g., '@MrBeast').

• get_video_metadata

  Fetch full metadata for one or more YouTube videos by ID, or retrieve the most popular videos chart. Returns snippet (title, description, channelId, tags, publishedAt), contentDetails (duration in ISO 8601, definition, caption), and statistics (viewCount, likeCount, commentCount). Provide comma-separated video_ids for lookup, or chart_type='mostPopular' for trending videos.

• get_video_transcript

  Download the full spoken transcript of a YouTube video as clean plain text using yt-dlp - no API credentials required. Tries manual English captions first (or specified language_code), then auto-generated, then falls back to the first available language. Returns concatenated plain text plus metadata about which language and caption type was used. Ideal for content research without consuming YouTub

• list_channel_activities

  Get a chronological feed of a channel's recent actions such as uploads, playlist additions, and recommendations. Returns snippet (type, publishedAt, title) and contentDetails (upload.videoId, playlist.playlistId). Useful for tracking what a channel has posted recently. Use page_token to paginate.

• list_channel_members

  List current paying members of the authenticated user's channel. Requires OAuth with the YouTube channel membership scope and an active memberships program on the channel. Returns snippet (memberDetails.channelId, creatorChannelId, membershipsDetails.highestActiveLevel.displayName).

• list_channel_sections

  Get the shelf and section layout of a YouTube channel page (e.g., 'Featured Videos', 'Popular Uploads', 'Single Playlist'). Returns snippet (title, type, style, position) and contentDetails (playlists[], channels[]). Useful for understanding how a channel organizes and surfaces its content.

• list_comment_replies

  Fetch replies to a specific comment thread using parent_comment_id, or fetch individual comments by comma-separated comment_ids. Returns snippet (textDisplay, authorDisplayName, likeCount, publishedAt, parentId). Use page_token to paginate through large reply threads.

• list_membership_levels

  List the membership tier pricing levels configured for the authenticated user's channel. Requires OAuth. Returns items[].snippet.levelDetails.displayName for each tier (e.g., 'Member', 'Super Fan'). Use alongside list_channel_members to understand which tier each member belongs to.

• list_playlist_items

  List video entries inside a YouTube playlist in order. Returns snippet (title, description, position, videoOwnerChannelTitle, thumbnails) and contentDetails (videoId). Use the videoId values with get_video_metadata or get_video_transcript for further detail. Use page_token to walk through all items.

• list_playlists

  List playlists belonging to a channel or fetch specific playlists by ID. Returns snippet (title, description, channelId, thumbnails) and contentDetails (itemCount). Use list_playlist_items with the returned playlist id to browse all videos inside a playlist. Use page_token to paginate.

• list_subscriptions

  List a channel's public subscriptions by channel_id (requires API Key), or list your own subscriptions with mine=true (requires OAuth). Returns snippet (title, description, resourceId.channelId) and contentDetails (totalItemCount, newItemCount). Use for_channel_id to check if a channel is subscribed to specific channels. Use page_token to paginate.

• list_supported_languages

  List all languages supported by YouTube (e.g., for caption and UI localization). Returns items[].snippet.hl (language code) and items[].snippet.name (human-readable name). Optionally pass language_code to get names localized in that language.

• list_supported_regions

  List all geographic regions supported by YouTube content targeting. Returns items[].snippet.gl (region code, e.g., 'US') and items[].snippet.name. Use region codes with list_video_categories or search_content to geo-filter results.

• list_trending_videos

  Fetch the currently most popular videos on YouTube for a given region and optional category. Returns snippet (title, channelTitle, publishedAt), contentDetails (duration), and statistics (viewCount, likeCount, commentCount) for each video. Use list_video_categories to discover valid category_id values for your region. Use page_token to paginate.

• list_video_captions

  List available caption track metadata for a video (requires API Key or OAuth). Returns items[].snippet with language (e.g., 'en'), name, trackKind ('standard', 'asr' for auto-generated, 'forced'), and lastUpdated. Use this to discover what caption languages exist for a video; use get_video_transcript to download the actual text.

• list_video_categories

  List standard YouTube video category names and IDs for a given region (e.g., 'US', 'IN'). Returns items[].id and items[].snippet.title. Use the returned category IDs with search_content or list_trending_videos to filter content by category.

• list_video_comments

  Fetch top-level comment threads for a video or all comments on a channel. Returns snippet.topLevelComment (authorDisplayName, textDisplay, likeCount, publishedAt) and replies.comments[] for threaded replies. Use search_terms to filter comments containing a specific phrase. Use page_token to paginate.

• revoke_oauth_token

  Revoke the stored OAuth token and sign the user out of the YouTube MCP server. Calls Google's token revocation endpoint, deletes the local token file (~/.ytmcp_tokens.json), and clears the in-process auth cache. After revoking, any tool that requires OAuth will prompt the user to re-authenticate. Requires OAuth.

• search_content

  Search YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists. Returns items[].id (videoId/channelId/playlistId) and items[].snippet (title, description, thumbnails, channelTitle, publishedAt). Use content_type to filter by resource type. Use page_token from a previous response to paginate additional pages.

• Code scan11 source files scanned25/25
• –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
• –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
• Auth qualitylocal package, no credentials required12/15
• Maintenancelast push 64 days ago12/15
• Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10

Safety score

88/100

higher than 78% of 1,337 Media servers

Tools

19

the typical Media server has 7

Tools that change things

0%

typical: 4%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break

GitHub stars

6

more than 83% of 715 Media servers

Downloads a week

48

more than 34% of 365 Media servers with a package

YouTube MCP: common questions

Is YouTube MCP server safe?

Yes, by our scan: it is graded A (88/100). Read the YouTube MCP safety report

How do I install YouTube MCP?

It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.

Does YouTube MCP need an API key?

Not as far as the registry entry and our scan can tell: no credentials are declared or required.

Is YouTube MCP maintained?

The last commit was 104 days ago (2026-07-23). The latest release is v1.0.14.

What can I use instead of YouTube MCP?

Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Openshorts MCP server, Youtube Transcript MCP server and YouTube Data MCP server.

How does YouTube MCP compare with other Media MCP servers?

safety score 88/100 (higher than 78% of 1,337 Media servers); tools 19 (the typical Media server has 7); tools that change things 0% (typical: 4%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.