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coyaSONG

YouTube MCP Server

by coyaSONG
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JavaScript
Remote

YouTube MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with YouTube data. This server provides resources and tools to query YouTube videos, channels, comments, and transcripts through a stdio interface.

Features

  • Search for YouTube videos with advanced filtering options

  • Get detailed information about specific videos and channels

  • Compare statistics across multiple videos

  • Discover trending videos by region and category

  • Analyze channel performance and video statistics

  • Retrieve video comments and transcripts/captions

  • Generate video analysis and transcript summaries

Related MCP server: YouTube Translate MCP

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v16+)

  • YouTube Data API key

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server --client claude

Installing Manually

  1. Clone this repository:

    git clone https://github.com/coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server.git cd youtube-mcp-server

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create a .env file in the root directory:

    YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_youtube_api_key_here PORT=3000

Usage

Building and Running

  1. Build the project:

    npm run build

  2. Run the server (HTTP transport):

    npm start

    The server will listen on port 3000 (or PORT environment variable) and accept MCP requests at /mcp endpoint.

  3. Run in development mode:

    npm run dev

  4. Clean build artifacts:

    npm run clean

HTTP Transport Migration

Migration Status: ✅ Complete - Successfully migrated from STDIO to Streamable HTTP transport

This server has been updated to use the modern Streamable HTTP transport as required by Smithery hosting platform. The migration includes:

  • Modern Protocol: Uses Streamable HTTP transport (protocol version 2025-03-26)

  • Express.js Framework: Built on Express.js for robust HTTP handling

  • Session Management: Supports stateful operations with proper session tracking

  • MCP Endpoint: All requests handled at /mcp endpoint

  • Backwards Compatibility: Maintains full compatibility with all existing tools and resources

  • Enhanced Performance: Improved scalability and better error handling

Testing the Migration

Local Testing:

# Start the server npm start # Test with MCP Inspector npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector # Connect to: http://localhost:3000/mcp

Smithery Integration:

  • The server is fully compatible with Smithery's new hosting requirements

  • All existing Claude Desktop integrations will continue to work seamlessly

  • No changes required for end users

Docker Deployment

The project includes a Dockerfile for containerized deployment:

# Build the Docker image docker build -t youtube-mcp-server . # Run the container with HTTP transport docker run -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env youtube-mcp-server

Important: The container now exposes port 3000 for HTTP-based MCP communication instead of STDIO.

API Reference

Resources

  • youtube://video/{videoId} - Get detailed information about a specific video

  • youtube://channel/{channelId} - Get information about a specific channel

  • youtube://transcript/{videoId} - Get transcript for a specific video

    • Optional query parameter: ?language=LANGUAGE_CODE (e.g., en, ko, ja)

Tools

Basic Tools

  • search-videos - Search for YouTube videos with advanced filtering options

  • get-video-comments - Get comments for a specific video

  • get-video-transcript - Get transcript for a specific video with optional language

  • enhanced-transcript - Advanced transcript extraction with filtering, search, and multi-video capabilities

  • get-key-moments - Extract key moments with timestamps from a video transcript for easier navigation

  • get-segmented-transcript - Divide a video transcript into segments for easier analysis

Statistical Tools

  • get-video-stats - Get statistical information for a specific video

  • get-channel-stats - Get subscriber count, view count, and other channel statistics

  • compare-videos - Compare statistics across multiple videos

Discovery Tools

  • get-trending-videos - Retrieve trending videos by region and category

  • get-video-categories - Get available video categories for a specific region

Analysis Tools

  • analyze-channel-videos - Analyze performance trends of videos from a specific channel

Prompts

  • video-analysis - Generate an analysis of a YouTube video

  • transcript-summary - Generate a summary of a video based on its transcript with customizable length and keywords extraction

  • segment-by-segment-analysis - Provide detailed breakdown of content by analyzing each segment of the video

Examples

Accessing a Video Transcript

youtube://transcript/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Getting a Transcript in a Specific Language

youtube://transcript/dQw4w9WgXcQ?language=en

Using the Statistical Tools

// Get video statistics { "type": "tool", "name": "get-video-stats", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" } } // Compare multiple videos { "type": "tool", "name": "compare-videos", "parameters": { "videoIds": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ", "9bZkp7q19f0"] } }

Using the Transcript Summary Prompt

{ "type": "prompt", "name": "transcript-summary", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en" } }

Using the Enhanced Transcript Tool

// Basic multi-video transcript extraction { "type": "tool", "name": "enhanced-transcript", "parameters": { "videoIds": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ", "9bZkp7q19f0"], "format": "timestamped" } } // With search and time filtering { "type": "tool", "name": "enhanced-transcript", "parameters": { "videoIds": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "filters": { "timeRange": { "start": 60, // Start at 60 seconds "end": 180 // End at 180 seconds }, "search": { "query": "never gonna", "contextLines": 2 } }, "format": "merged" } } // With smart segmentation for easier analysis { "type": "tool", "name": "enhanced-transcript", "parameters": { "videoIds": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "filters": { "segment": { "count": 5, "method": "smart" // Breaks at natural pauses } }, "format": "timestamped", "language": "en" } }

Using the Enhanced Transcript Analysis Features

// Get key moments from a video { "type": "tool", "name": "get-key-moments", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "maxMoments": "5" } } // Get a segmented transcript { "type": "tool", "name": "get-segmented-transcript", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "segmentCount": "4" } } // Get a segment-by-segment analysis { "type": "prompt", "name": "segment-by-segment-analysis", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "segmentCount": "4" } } // Get customized transcript summary { "type": "prompt", "name": "transcript-summary", "parameters": { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en", "summaryLength": "detailed", "includeKeywords": "true" } }

Error Handling

The server handles various error conditions, including:

  • Invalid API key

  • Video or channel not found

  • Transcript not available

  • Network issues

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

One-click Deploy
A
security – no known vulnerabilities
F
license - not found
A
quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

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