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video-downloader-skill skill

/skills/.trae/skills/video-downloader-skill

This skill lets you download videos from YouTube and many platforms using yt-dlp, with format selection and custom output directories.

npx playbooks add skill feiwanghub/playground --skill video-downloader-skill

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
712 B
---
name: video-downloader-skill
description: "Download videos from YouTube and other platforms using yt-dlp."
---

# Video Downloader Skill

This skill allows you to download videos from various online platforms using the powerful `yt-dlp` library.

## Capabilities

- Download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, and hundreds of other sites.
- Support for format selection (best, audio-only, etc.).
- Custom output directory support.

## Usage

Download a video:

```bash
python3 .shared/video-downloader-skill/scripts/download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
```

Download to specific folder:

```bash
python3 .shared/video-downloader-skill/scripts/download.py "URL" --output "./downloads"
```

Overview

This skill provides a command-line interface to download videos from YouTube and hundreds of other sites using the yt-dlp engine. It focuses on reliable downloads, flexible format selection, and simple configuration of output directories. The implementation is lightweight and designed for integration into larger automation workflows.

How this skill works

The skill wraps yt-dlp to fetch and save media from supported platforms. It exposes options to choose quality or audio-only formats and accepts a destination directory for output files. The script handles URL parsing, invokes yt-dlp with the requested options, and reports download progress and status.

When to use it

  • Save online videos for offline viewing when bandwidth is limited or intermittent.
  • Extract audio tracks from video pages (podcasts, lectures, music).
  • Automate batch downloads as part of content-archiving or research workflows.
  • Download specific formats for editing or transcoding pipelines.
  • Integrate into CI/CD or media processing systems that require local copies.

Best practices

  • Confirm you have permission to download and store the content; respect copyright and platform terms.
  • Prefer audio-only mode for podcasts or music to save bandwidth and storage.
  • Use a dedicated output directory and consistent naming pattern for easy automation.
  • Keep yt-dlp updated to support new sites and formats and to avoid breakage.
  • Test downloads on a single URL before running large batch operations to validate options.

Example use cases

  • Download a lecture series for offline study while traveling.
  • Extract a podcast episode from a video and save it as an MP3 for a playlist.
  • Archive a collection of public domain videos from a specific channel or creator.
  • Fetch the highest-quality video format for editing in a local NLE (non-linear editor).
  • Automate nightly downloads of newly published tutorial videos for team review.

FAQ

Which sites are supported?

The skill leverages yt-dlp, which supports hundreds of sites including YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, and many more. Keep yt-dlp up to date to maximize compatibility.

Is it legal to download videos with this skill?

Legality depends on the content and your jurisdiction. Use the tool only for content you have rights to download or for which platform terms allow downloading.