YouTube MCP Server

What is YouTube MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for YouTube that enables AI language models to interact with YouTube content through a standardized interface. It exposes 10 tools for retrieving video details, searching videos and channels, fetching transcripts, and accessing playlist information.

How to use YouTube MCP Server?

Install the package via npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server or use npx (no installation required). Configure at least one YouTube API key in environment variables (YOUTUBE_API_KEY, YOUTUBE_API_KEY2, YOUTUBE_API_KEY3). Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration (or VS Code settings) with the appropriate command and API keys. The server automatically falls back to secondary keys when a quota is exhausted.

Key features of YouTube MCP Server

• 10 MCP tools covering videos, channels, transcripts, and playlists
• Automatic API key failover when quota runs out
• Retrieve video transcripts with optional language fallback
• Search videos with filters like date, channel, subscriber band, and creator classification
• Get detailed channel metadata including latest upload time, country, and contact links

Use cases of YouTube MCP Server

• Search for YouTube videos with advanced filtering (recency, subscriber count, channel activity)
• Fetch transcripts of YouTube videos for analysis or summarization
• Discover and filter creator channels based on topic and activity criteria
• Retrieve structured channel information and metadata from YouTube IDs
• List videos in a YouTube playlist for content curation

FAQ from YouTube MCP Server

What API keys are required?

At least one of YOUTUBE_API_KEY, YOUTUBE_API_KEY2, or YOUTUBE_API_KEY3 must be set. Multiple keys enable automatic fallback on quota exhaustion.

How do I install YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop?

Install globally: npm install -g zubeid-youtube-mcp-server. Then add the server block with the command zubeid-youtube-mcp-server and your API keys to claude_desktop_config.json. Alternatively, use npx without installation by specifying the npx -y zubeid-youtube-mcp-server command.

Can I run the server in Docker?

Yes. A Dockerfile is provided. The container defaults to HTTP transport on port 8088 with the endpoint /mcp and a readiness check at /ready. It loads .env automatically if present during build.

What default transcript language is used?

If not specified in a transcript request, the server uses the YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG environment variable, which defaults to en (English).

Does the server support automatic quota failover?

Yes. When a request fails because the current API key's quota is exhausted, the server retries the same request with the next configured key (YOUTUBE_API_KEY2, then YOUTUBE_API_KEY3).