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

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

Clone this repository:

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

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```

Create a .env file in the root directory:

YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_youtube_api_key_here
PORT=3000

Usage

Building and Running

Build the project:
```
npm run build
```
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.
Run in development mode:
```
npm run dev
```
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

Youtube Mcp Server

Author

coyaSONG

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