YouTube Music MCP server

This MCP server enables AI models to control YouTube Music playback through Google Chrome, creating a bridge for AI assistants to search for and play songs based on song names and artist names using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard.

Prerequisites

• Google Chrome installed on your system
• Node.js and npm installed
• YouTube Music access (free or premium)

Installation

Step 1: Install the package

npm install

Step 2: Build the server

npm run build

Step 3: Configure with Claude Desktop

To use this server with Claude Desktop, you need to add the server configuration to Claude's settings file:

On MacOS: Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows: Add to %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-music-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/youtube-music-server/build/index.js"
    }
  }
}

Make sure to replace /path/to/youtube-music-server with the actual path where you installed the server.

Usage

Playing Music

You can use the MCP server to search for and play songs on YouTube Music. Here are some examples of commands you might use through an AI assistant:

1. Play a specific song:

   • "Play 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen"
   • "I want to listen to 'Blinding Lights' by The Weeknd"

2. Search by artist:

   • "Play some music by Taylor Swift"
   • "I'd like to hear songs from Coldplay"

Using with Claude

When using Claude with this MCP server configured, you can simply ask Claude to play music, and it will use the YouTube Music MCP server behind the scenes. For example:

• "Claude, could you play 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles for me?"
• "I'm in the mood for some jazz. Can you play something by Miles Davis?"

Claude will interpret your request, use the MCP server to search YouTube Music, and play the requested content in your Chrome browser.

Troubleshooting

Chrome Automation Issues

If you encounter issues with Chrome automation:

• Ensure Chrome is installed and not running in incognito mode
• Check that you're logged into YouTube Music if trying to access premium features
• Verify Chrome permissions (especially on macOS which may require accessibility permissions)

Server Connection Problems

If Claude can't connect to the MCP server:

• Verify the path in claude_desktop_config.json is correct
• Ensure the server is built properly with npm run build
• Check Claude logs for connection errors

Debugging

For advanced debugging, use the MCP Inspector:

npm run inspector

This will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser, allowing you to see communication between the AI and the MCP server.

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "youtube-music-server" '{"command":"/path/to/youtube-music-server/build/index.js"}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "youtube-music-server": {
            "command": "/path/to/youtube-music-server/build/index.js"
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "youtube-music-server": {
            "command": "/path/to/youtube-music-server/build/index.js"
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect