YouTube MCP Server

# Repository Notes - MCP Server with YouTube Tools These are development notes for the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server repository that provides YouTube API integration tools. ## Repository Overview This repository contains an MCP server implementation that provides tools for interacting with YouTube API, specifically for searching videos, getting channel information, and retrieving playlist items. ## Technology Stack - **Language**: TypeScript/Node.js - **Main Dependencies**: - `@modelcontextprotocol/typescript-sdk` - MCP SDK for server implementation - `googleapis` - YouTube Data API v3 client - `zod` - Schema validation - `dotenv` - Environment variable management ## Repository Structure ``` ├── src/ │ ├── server.ts # Main MCP server setup and tool definitions │ ├── index.ts # Server startup and tool handlers │ └── tools/ # Individual tool implementations │ ├── video-tool.ts # YouTube video search functionality │ ├── channel-tool.ts # Channel information retrieval │ └── playlist-tool.ts # Playlist items fetching ├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts ├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration ├── .env # Environment variables (YouTube API key) └── README.md # Main documentation ``` ## Development Setup ### Prerequisites - Node.js 18+ - YouTube Data API v3 key from Google Cloud Platform - TypeScript development environment ### Installation & Setup ```bash npm install # Install dependencies cp .env.example .env # Copy environment template # Add your YouTube API key to .env file ``` ### Build & Run Commands ```bash npm run build # Compile TypeScript to dist/ npm run start # Run compiled JavaScript npm run dev # Development mode with ts-node npm run watch # Watch mode with nodemon ``` ### Testing ```bash # No specific test scripts configured yet # Tests would typically be run with: npm test ``` ## Available Tools The MCP server provides three main tools: 1. **search_videos** - Search YouTube videos with parameters like query, maxResults, and order 2. **get_channel_info** - Retrieve channel details and statistics 3. **get_playlist_items** - Fetch items from YouTube playlists ## Configuration ### Environment Variables - `YOUTUBE_API_KEY` - Required YouTube Data API v3 key - `MCP_SERVER_PORT` - Server port (default: 3000) ### API Setup Requirements - Google Cloud Platform project with YouTube Data API v3 enabled - API key with appropriate restrictions for YouTube API access ## Key Implementation Details - Uses Zod schemas for input validation - Implements proper error handling with structured responses - Supports all standard YouTube API search and retrieval operations - Built on the official MCP TypeScript SDK ## External Documentation References - [MCP TypeScript SDK Documentation](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/typescript-sdk) - [YouTube Data API v3 Reference](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs) - [Google APIs Node.js Client](https://github.com/googleapis/google-api-nodejs-client) - [YouTube API Quickstart Guide](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/quickstart/nodejs) ## Development Notes - Server runs as MCP transport and handles tool calls via request handlers - All tools return standardized response format with content arrays - Error responses include `isError: true` flag for proper handling - Debug mode available via `DEBUG=mcp:*` environment variable ## Common Issues & Solutions - **API Key Issues**: Verify YouTube Data API v3 is enabled and key is correctly set - **Rate Limiting**: YouTube API has quotas - implement retry logic and caching - **Dependencies**: Ensure all required packages are installed and TypeScript is properly configured