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YouTube MCP Server

Provides YouTube search, playlist management, and direct interaction via MCP clients.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aardeshir-youtube-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@a.ardeshir/youtube-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "YOUTUBE_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
        "YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can connect to YouTube through a dedicated MCP server to search videos, manage playlists, and interact with YouTube directly from your MCP clients like Claude Desktop. This server handles authentication, API requests, and the data you need to make YouTube actions seamless from your workflow.

How to use

You will interact with the YouTube MCP Server through an MCP client to perform common YouTube actions. Start by authenticating your account, then use the available commands to search for videos, create and manage playlists, add videos to playlists, list your playlists, and delete playlists. The server translates your MCP commands into YouTube Data API requests and returns results to your client.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing are Node.js 18 or higher, YouTube Data API v3 access, and a Google Cloud Console account.

Step 1: Install the MCP server locally

npm install -g @a.ardeshir/youtube-mcp

Step 2: Set up YouTube API credentials by following the OAuth flow and obtain your API credentials using the setup flow described below.

Step 3: Authenticate to generate credentials and a refresh token — this creates an environment file you will reference from the MCP client.

Step 4: Configure your MCP client to point at the YouTube MCP Server with the appropriate environment variables (see the configuration snippets in the next section).

Additional sections

Note: The following sections show how to set up and connect the server, including required environment variables and example client configurations.

Available tools

search_videos

Search YouTube videos by query and return results to the MCP client.

create_playlist

Create a new YouTube playlist with a given title and privacy setting.

add_to_playlist

Add a specified video to an existing YouTube playlist.

list_playlists

List all playlists associated with the authenticated user.

delete_playlist

Delete a specified YouTube playlist.