Provides tools for searching videos, channels, playlists, comments, and retrieving transcripts using the YouTube Data API v3 and InnerTube API for captions.
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-server-youtube search for Rust programming tutorials"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
A Rust MCP server for YouTube. Search videos, read channels, browse playlists, fetch comments, and get transcripts — all from your AI assistant.
Full YouTube Data API v3 coverage — videos, channels, playlists, comments, categories, trending, search with all filters and sorting options
Working transcripts — uses rustypipe (InnerTube API) for reliable subtitle/caption extraction, including auto-generated captions. No API key quota consumed for transcripts
Single binary, zero runtime dependencies — written in Rust, starts instantly
Typed filter enums — search filters (duration, definition, license, etc.) are exposed as typed enums in the JSON schema, so AI models know exactly which values are valid without guessing
Tool | Description |
| Get video details (snippet, statistics, content details) |
| Search videos with filters for duration, definition, date range, region, captions, license, category, and more. Supports sorting by relevance, date, rating, or view count |
| List video categories for a region |
| Get trending/most popular videos for a region, optionally filtered by category |
Tool | Description |
| Get channel info and statistics by channel ID |
| Look up a channel by its handle (e.g. |
| Search for channels by name |
| List videos from a channel (by date) with pagination |
Tool | Description |
| Get playlist info |
| List videos in a playlist with pagination |
Tool | Description |
| Get comment threads on a video with pagination |
Tool | Description |
| Get video transcript/subtitles. Works with both auto-generated and manual captions. Returns plain text by default; set |
| Fetch transcripts for multiple videos in one call with concurrent fetching. No API key quota consumed |
| List available subtitle/caption languages for a video |
Related MCP server: YouTube MCP Server
Go to Google Cloud Console
Create a project (or select an existing one)
Enable the YouTube Data API v3
Create an API key under Credentials
Environment Variable | CLI Flag | Default | Description |
|
| required | YouTube Data API v3 key |
|
|
| Default transcript language |
|
|
| Transport: |
|
|
| HTTP bind address |
|
|
| HTTP port |
|
|
| Max concurrent transcript fetches for batch operations |
The API key is stored as a SecretString and never appears in logs or debug output.
With uvx:
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-server-youtube"],
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}With rvx:
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube": {
"command": "rvx",
"args": ["mcp-server-youtube"],
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}With Nix:
nix run github:vaporif/mcp-server-youtubeWith cargo:
cargo install mcp-server-youtubeFrom releases:
Download a prebuilt binary from GitHub Releases.
YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_key mcp-server-youtube --transport streamable-http --port 3000The server listens on http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp.
Enable debug logging to see tool invocations:
RUST_LOG=debug mcp-server-youtube# Enter dev shell (requires Nix)
nix develop
# Build
cargo build
# Test
cargo test
# Lint
cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings
# Format
cargo fmt --allGPL-3.0-or-later
This server cannot be deployed
YouTube transcripts, search, channels, playlists and bulk transcript jobs for AI agents. 14 tools.
YouTube transcripts, search, channel/playlist listings and upload tracking for AI agents. No signup.
Search YouTube, read video metadata, and fetch transcripts with language preferences
YouTube public video, comment, reply, channel, search, and speech-to-text transcript tools.
