YouTube Channel MCP Server (Python FastAPI)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that retrieves YouTube Channel statistics, metadata, and uploaded videos using the YouTube Data API v3.

This version is implemented in Python using FastAPI and the FastMCP SDK. It runs as an HTTP service over Server-Sent Events (SSE), making it ready for local development and cloud hosting on platforms like Vercel.

Features

• Server-Sent Events (SSE) Transport: Host your MCP server as a remote service.

• Auto-generated Docs: Swagger/OpenAPI interactive documentation automatically available at /docs.

• Flexible Queries: Search channel statistics and uploads using either a channel ID or handle (automatically handles @ prefix normalization).

• Vercel Ready: Contains a pre-configured vercel.json routing configuration.

Related MCP server: BACH YouTube API MCP Server

Local Setup

1. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Add Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the project root:

   YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_google_youtube_api_key_here

3. Run the Server: Start the FastAPI development server using Uvicorn:

   uvicorn api.index:app --reload

   The server will start at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Interactive API Documentation

Once the server is running, you can access the interactive Swagger UI in your browser:

• Swagger Documentation: http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs

• Redoc Documentation: http://127.0.0.1:8000/redoc

You can test endpoints and check request/response schemas directly from the Swagger UI.

Connecting to Claude Desktop (SSE Mode)

To connect Claude Desktop to your locally running FastAPI server, edit your configuration file:

• Windows Path: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• macOS Path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add the server to mcpServers using the url property:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-channel-info-sse": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/sse"
    }
  }
}

Ensure your FastAPI server is running (uvicorn api.index:app) before restarting Claude Desktop.

Deploying to Vercel

Because this server uses the SSE transport over standard HTTP endpoints, you can deploy it directly to Vercel:

1. Push your repository to GitHub.

2. Go to Vercel and import your project.

3. In Settings -> Environment Variables, add your:

   • YOUTUBE_API_KEY = <your_api_key>

4. Deploy!

Vercel will build the serverless functions. Your live remote MCP URL will be: https://your-project.vercel.app/sse You can then share this URL or use it in any remote-compatible MCP client configuration!

Available Tools

1. get_channel_details

Retrieves YouTube channel metadata and statistics.

• Arguments:

  • channel_id (string, optional): Unique ID of the channel (e.g. UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw).

  • handle (string, optional): Custom handle of the channel (e.g. @GoogleDevelopers or GoogleDevelopers).

2. get_channel_videos

Retrieves recently uploaded videos for a channel.

• Arguments:

  • channel_id (string, optional)

  • handle (string, optional)

  • limit (number, optional, default: 10, max: 50): Number of videos to retrieve.