YouTube MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation utilizing the YouTube Data API. It allows AI language models to interact with YouTube content through a standardized interface.
Key Features
Video Information
- Retrieve detailed video information (title, description, duration, statistics)
- Search for videos by keywords
- Get related videos based on a specific video
- Calculate and analyze video engagement ratios
Transcript/Caption Management
- Retrieve video captions with multi-language support
- Specify language preferences for transcripts
- Access time-stamped captions for precise content reference
Channel Analysis
- View detailed channel statistics (subscribers, views, video count)
- Get top-performing videos from a channel
- Analyze channel growth and engagement metrics
Trend Analysis
- View trending videos by region and category
- Compare performance metrics across multiple videos
- Discover popular content in specific categories
Available Tools
The server provides the following MCP tools:
| Tool Name | Description | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
getVideoDetails | Get detailed information about multiple YouTube videos including metadata, statistics, and content details | videoIds (array) |
searchVideos | Search for videos based on a query string | query, maxResults (optional) |
getTranscripts | Retrieve transcripts for multiple videos | videoIds (array), lang (optional) |
getRelatedVideos | Get videos related to a specific video based on YouTube's recommendation algorithm | videoId, maxResults (optional) |
getChannelStatistics | Retrieve detailed metrics for multiple channels including subscriber count, view count, and video count | channelIds (array) |
getChannelTopVideos | Get the most viewed videos from a specific channel | channelId, maxResults (optional) |
getVideoEngagementRatio | Calculate engagement metrics for multiple videos (views, likes, comments, and engagement ratio) | videoIds (array) |
getTrendingVideos | Get currently popular videos by region and category | regionCode (optional), categoryId (optional), maxResults (optional) |
compareVideos | Compare statistics across multiple videos | videoIds (array) |
Installation
Automatic Installation via Smithery
Automatically install YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @icraft2170/youtube-data-mcp-server --client claudeManual Installation
# Install from npm
npm install youtube-data-mcp-server
# Or clone repository
git clone https://github.com/icraft2170/youtube-data-mcp-server.git
cd youtube-data-mcp-server
npm installEnvironment Configuration
Set the following environment variables:
YOUTUBE_API_KEY: YouTube Data API key (required)YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG: Default caption language (optional, default: 'ko')
MCP Client Configuration
Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "youtube-data-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE",
"YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG": "ko"
}
}
}
}YouTube API Setup
- Access Google Cloud Console
- Create a new project or select an existing one
- Enable YouTube Data API v3
- Create API credentials (API key)
- Use the generated API key in your environment configuration
Development
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode
npm run dev
# Build
npm run buildNetwork Configuration
The server exposes the following ports for communication:
- HTTP: 3000
- gRPC: 3001
System Requirements
- Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
Security Considerations
- Always keep your API key secure and never commit it to version control systems
- Manage your API key through environment variables or configuration files
- Set usage limits for your API key to prevent unauthorized use
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
