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video-downloader skill

/video-downloader

This skill downloads videos from YouTube and other platforms in multiple formats and qualities for offline viewing, editing, or archival.

npx playbooks add skill yousufjoyian/claude-skills --skill video-downloader

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

Files (1)
SKILL.md
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---
name: video-downloader
description: Downloads videos from YouTube and other platforms for offline viewing, editing, or archival. Handles various formats and quality options.
---

# Video Downloader

This skill downloads videos from YouTube and other platforms directly to your computer.

## When to Use This Skill

- Downloading YouTube videos for offline viewing
- Saving educational content for reference
- Archiving important videos
- Getting video files for editing or repurposing
- Downloading your own content from platforms
- Saving conference talks or webinars

## What This Skill Does

1. **Downloads Videos**: Fetches videos from YouTube and other platforms
2. **Quality Selection**: Lets you choose resolution (480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K)
3. **Format Options**: Downloads in various formats (MP4, WebM, audio-only)
4. **Batch Downloads**: Can download multiple videos or playlists
5. **Metadata Preservation**: Saves title, description, and thumbnail

## How to Use

### Basic Download

```
Download this YouTube video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=...
```

```
Download this video in 1080p quality
```

### Audio Only

```
Download the audio from this YouTube video as MP3
```

### Playlist Download

```
Download all videos from this YouTube playlist: [URL]
```

### Batch Download

```
Download these 5 YouTube videos:
1. [URL]
2. [URL]
...
```

## Example

**User**: "Download this YouTube video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123"

**Output**:
```
Downloading from YouTube...

Video: "How to Build Products Users Love"
Channel: Lenny's Podcast
Duration: 45:32
Quality: 1080p

Progress: ████████████████████ 100%

✓ Downloaded: how-to-build-products-users-love.mp4
✓ Saved thumbnail: how-to-build-products-users-love.jpg
✓ Size: 342 MB

Saved to: ~/Downloads/
```

**Inspired by:** Lenny's workflow from his newsletter

## Important Notes

⚠️ **Copyright & Fair Use**
- Only download videos you have permission to download
- Respect copyright laws and platform terms of service
- Use for personal, educational, or fair use purposes
- Don't redistribute copyrighted content

## Tips

- Specify quality if you need lower file size (720p vs 1080p)
- Use audio-only for podcasts or music to save space
- Download to a dedicated folder to stay organized
- Check file size before downloading on slow connections

## Common Use Cases

- **Education**: Save tutorials and courses for offline learning
- **Research**: Archive videos for reference
- **Content Creation**: Download your own content from platforms
- **Backup**: Save important videos before they're removed
- **Offline Viewing**: Watch videos without internet access

Overview

This skill downloads videos from YouTube and other supported platforms for offline viewing, editing, or archival. It supports multiple resolutions and formats, including audio-only extractions, and preserves basic metadata like title and thumbnail. Use it to fetch single videos, playlists, or batches for local storage and post-processing.

How this skill works

Given a video or playlist URL, the skill resolves the source, enumerates available streams, and downloads the requested format and quality. It can select video resolutions (480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K), extract audio-only files (MP3/M4A), and save metadata and thumbnails alongside the media. Batch and playlist handling automates downloading multiple items into a specified folder.

When to use it

  • Save tutorials, lectures, or conference talks for offline study
  • Archive important or at-risk videos before they are removed
  • Download your own uploads for backup or editing
  • Grab audio-only versions for podcasts or music with lower storage use
  • Batch-download playlists or multiple links for bulk processing

Best practices

  • Only download content you have permission to use; respect copyright and platform terms
  • Specify resolution to balance quality and file size (e.g., 720p for smaller files)
  • Choose audio-only when you only need sound to save bandwidth and storage
  • Organize downloads into named folders and include metadata for easier retrieval
  • Check estimated file sizes and connection stability before starting large batches

Example use cases

  • Download a single YouTube tutorial in 1080p for offline editing
  • Extract MP3 audio from a lecture series for mobile listening
  • Archive all videos from a short-lived webinar playlist to a dated folder
  • Batch-download several creator videos for a compilation project
  • Download your channel’s uploads for local backup and re-editing

FAQ

Can I download private or age-restricted videos?

You must have access rights. Private or age-restricted content typically requires authenticated credentials and should only be downloaded if you own or have permission.

What formats and qualities are available?

Common options include MP4 and WebM for video, and MP3 or M4A for audio. Resolutions commonly range from 480p up to 4K when provided by the source.