@m8lab/mcp-youtube

MCP server for YouTube — upload videos, manage playlists, and moderate comments via Claude Code/Desktop.

Install

npx @m8lab/mcp-youtube

Or install globally:

npm install -g @m8lab/mcp-youtube

OAuth Setup Guide

You need a Google OAuth 2.0 client with the YouTube Data API v3 enabled.

1. Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Enable the YouTube Data API v3 under APIs & Services
4. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
5. Click Create Credentials > OAuth 2.0 Client ID
6. Choose Desktop app as the application type
7. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

2. Create a .env file

cp .env.example .env

Add your credentials:

YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
YOUTUBE_CHANNEL_ID=your-channel-id   # optional

3. Run the token helper

npm run get-token

Follow the prompts:

1. Open the authorization URL in your browser
2. Grant access to your YouTube account
3. Copy the authorization code and paste it
4. The refresh token will be printed — add it to your .env:

YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN=your-refresh-token

Claude Code Configuration

Add to your Claude Code MCP config (~/.claude/mcp.json or project .mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@m8lab/mcp-youtube"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
        "YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token",
        "YOUTUBE_CHANNEL_ID": "your-channel-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@m8lab/mcp-youtube"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "YOUTUBE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
        "YOUTUBE_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token",
        "YOUTUBE_CHANNEL_ID": "your-channel-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Tool	Description	Quota Cost
upload_video	Upload a video file to YouTube	1600 units
update_video	Update video title, description, tags, or privacy	50 units
delete_video	Permanently delete a video from your channel	50 units
create_playlist	Create a new playlist	50 units
add_to_playlist	Add a video to a playlist	50 units
get_channel_stats	Get channel statistics and details	1 unit
get_comments	Retrieve comment threads for a video	1 unit
reply_comment	Post a reply to a comment thread	50 units

Quota Management

YouTube Data API v3 provides 10,000 units per day by default.

Quota-intensive operations:

• upload_video costs 1,600 units — limit to ~6 uploads/day on the free tier
• All other write operations cost 50 units each
• Read operations (get_channel_stats, get_comments) cost only 1 unit

To increase your quota, request an increase via the Google Cloud Console.

Development

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/lmtNoLimit/mcp-youtube.git
cd mcp-youtube
npm install

# Type check
npm run typecheck

# Build
npm run build

# Watch mode
npm run dev

# Get OAuth refresh token
npm run get-token

License

MIT — see LICENSE