- name
- yt-api-cli
- description
- Manage your YouTube account from the command line. Complete CLI for YouTube Data API v3 - list/search videos, upload, manage playlists, and more.
- metadata
- {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"▶️","os":["darwin","linux"],"requires":{"env":["YT_API_AUTH_TYPE", "YT_API_CLIENT_ID", "YT_API_CLIENT_SECRET"]}}}
yt-api-cli
Manage your YouTube account from the terminal. A complete CLI for the YouTube Data API v3.
Installation
# Using go install
go install github.com/nerveband/youtube-api-cli/cmd/yt-api@latest
# Or download from releases
curl -L -o yt-api https://github.com/nerveband/youtube-api-cli/releases/latest/download/yt-api-darwin-arm64
chmod +x yt-api
sudo mv yt-api /usr/local/bin/Setup
1. Google Cloud Console Setup
- Go to Google Cloud Console
- Create/enable YouTube Data API v3
- Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop app)
- Download client configuration
2. Configure yt-api
mkdir -p ~/.yt-api
cat > ~/.yt-api/config.yaml << EOF
default_auth: oauth
default_output: json
oauth:
client_id: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
client_secret: "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
EOF3. Authenticate
yt-api auth login # Opens browser for Google login
yt-api auth status # Check auth stateCommands
List Operations
# List your videos
yt-api list videos --mine
# List channel videos
yt-api list videos --channel-id UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw
# List playlists
yt-api list playlists --mine
# List subscriptions
yt-api list subscriptions --mineSearch
# Basic search
yt-api search --query "golang tutorial"
# With filters
yt-api search --query "music" --type video --duration medium --order viewCountUpload Operations
# Upload video
yt-api upload video ./video.mp4 \
--title "My Video" \
--description "Description here" \
--tags "tag1,tag2" \
--privacy public
# Upload thumbnail
yt-api upload thumbnail ./thumb.jpg --video-id VIDEO_IDPlaylist Management
# Create playlist
yt-api insert playlist --title "My Playlist" --privacy private
# Add video to playlist
yt-api insert playlist-item --playlist-id PLxxx --video-id VIDxxxChannel Operations
# Get channel info
yt-api list channels --id UCxxx --part snippet,statistics
# Update channel description
yt-api update channel --id UCxxx --description "New description"Output Formats
# JSON (default - LLM-friendly)
yt-api list videos --mine
# Table (human-readable)
yt-api list videos --mine -o table
# YAML
yt-api list videos --mine -o yaml
# CSV
yt-api list videos --mine -o csv > videos.csvGlobal Flags
| Flag | Short | Description |
|---|---|---|
--output | -o | Output format: json (default), yaml, csv, table |
--quiet | -q | Suppress stderr messages |
--config | Path to config file | |
--auth-type | Auth method: oauth (default), service-account |
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
YT_API_AUTH_TYPE | Auth method: oauth or service-account |
YT_API_OUTPUT | Default output format |
YT_API_CLIENT_ID | OAuth client ID |
YT_API_CLIENT_SECRET | OAuth client secret |
YT_API_CREDENTIALS | Path to service account JSON |
Authentication Methods
OAuth 2.0 (Default)
Best for interactive use and accessing your own YouTube account.
yt-api auth login # Opens browserService Account
Best for server-side automation.
yt-api --auth-type service-account --credentials ./key.json list videosQuick Diagnostic Commands
yt-api info # Full system state
yt-api info --test-connectivity # Verify API access
yt-api info --test-permissions # Check credential capabilities
yt-api auth status # Authentication details
yt-api version # Version infoError Handling
Exit codes:
0- Success1- General error2- Authentication error3- API error (quota, permissions)4- Input error
For LLMs and Automation
- JSON output by default
- Structured errors as JSON objects
--quietmode for parsing--dry-runvalidates without executing- Stdin support for piping data
Notes
- Requires valid Google Cloud credentials with YouTube Data API v3 enabled
- OAuth tokens stored in
~/.yt-api/tokens.json(0600 permissions) - Default output is JSON (LLM-optimized)
- Supports all YouTube Data API v3 resources
Source
GitHub: https://github.com/nerveband/youtube-api-cli