YouTube MCP Server

Name: YouTube MCP Server
Author: icraft2170

@icraft2170

Repository

About YouTube MCP Server

No overview available yet

Basic information

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-data-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli",
        "install",
        "@icraft2170/youtube-data-mcp-server",
        "--client",
        "claude"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Get detailed information about multiple YouTube videos including metadata, statistics, and content details

Search for videos based on a query string

Retrieve transcripts for multiple videos

Get videos related to a specific video based on YouTube's recommendation algorithm

Retrieve detailed metrics for multiple channels including subscriber count, view count, and video count

Get the most viewed videos from a specific channel

Calculate engagement metrics for multiple videos (views, likes, comments, and engagement ratio)

Get currently popular videos by region and category

Compare statistics across multiple videos

Overview

What is YouTube MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with the YouTube Data API, allowing AI language models to retrieve video details, search content, fetch transcripts, analyze channels, and compare performance metrics through a standardized tool interface.

How to use YouTube MCP Server?

Install via npm or Smithery, set the required YOUTUBE_API_KEY environment variable (and optional YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG), then add the server to your MCP client configuration. Invoke any of the nine provided tools (e.g., getVideoDetails, searchVideos, getTrendingVideos) to interact with YouTube content.

Key features of YouTube MCP Server

Retrieve detailed video information and statistics
Search videos by keywords with configurable results
Fetch multi‑language, time‑stamped video transcripts
Get related videos based on YouTube's recommendation algorithm
View detailed channel statistics (subscribers, views, count)
Obtain a channel's most viewed videos
Calculate engagement ratios (views, likes, comments)
Discover trending videos by region and category
Compare statistics across multiple videos simultaneously

Use cases of YouTube MCP Server

Research video performance and engagement for content analysis
Extract transcripts and captions for accessibility or summarization
Discover trending content per region or category for trend analysis
Analyze channel growth and top‑performing videos for marketing
Compare metrics across several videos to benchmark performance

FAQ from YouTube MCP Server

What runtime is required?

Node.js 18.0.0 or higher.

How do I obtain a YouTube API key?

Access the Google Cloud Console, create or select a project, enable the YouTube Data API v3, and generate an API key under credentials.

What environment variables must be set?

YOUTUBE_API_KEY is required; YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG (default 'ko') is optional.

How are transcripts retrieved?

Use the getTranscripts tool with video IDs and an optional language parameter; the server returns time‑stamped captions.

How should I keep my API key secure?

Never commit the key to version control; manage it through environment variables or configuration files and set usage limits in the Google Cloud Console.