YouTube MCP (Zubeid)

Install

Works in

• Claude Desktop
• VS Code
• SourceCraft
• Koda
• Coddy

npx skillfoxx add mcp/zubeid-youtube-mcp-server

What it does

YouTube MCP by the author Zubeid Hendricks gives an agent ten read tools over YouTube data. The server installs as the npm package `zubeid-youtube-mcp-server` and starts with `npx -y zubeid-youtube-mcp-server`. It needs at least one YouTube Data API key in the `YOUTUBE_API_KEY`, `YOUTUBE_API_KEY2` or `YOUTUBE_API_KEY3` variables. When a key runs out of quota the server repeats the request with the next one. For videos there are `videos_getVideo` and `videos_searchVideos` with filters by date, channel and the channel's subscriber count. For channels there are `channels_getChannel`, `channels_getChannels`, `channels_searchChannels` and `channels_listVideos`. The `channels_findCreators` tool finds channels by mentions in videos and selects them by audience size, last upload date and a creator-or-brand heuristic. For playlists there are `playlists_getPlaylist` and `playlists_getPlaylistItems`. `transcripts_getTranscript` returns a video's transcript; the language comes from a parameter or from `YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG`, English by default. A channel reply adds the last upload date and normalized data: country, default language, creation date, found email addresses and contact links. The Docker image starts the same server over HTTP on port 8088.

Who it is for. For marketers, producers and researchers who search YouTube through Claude Desktop or VS Code for videos, creators to work with and transcripts for notes, and for developers who need a simple server on a Data API key.

Example request

Find videos about a home coffee shop from the last three months, keep channels under 50 thousand subscribers and send a table with titles, views and last upload date

MCP

Transport

stdio, http

Authentication

API key

Limitations

• The server is unofficial: YouTube and Google did not release it.
• The server spends Data API key quota on every request except transcripts. For that it holds up to three keys and moves to the next when the current one runs out.
• The `creatorOnly` flag rests on a heuristic, not on YouTube data, so creator selection can be wrong.
• Building the Docker image copies the `.env` file into the final image, and the keys stay inside it. Such an image must not be published.
• The image listens on `0.0.0.0:8088` over stateless HTTP, and the documentation does not describe access control for the `/mcp` address.
• Transcripts are requested in English by default: set another language with the `language` parameter or the `YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG` variable.
• The license is MIT.

How to disable. Remove the youtube entry from the client config and restart the app. If you no longer need the keys, disable or delete them in the Google Cloud Console under the project's credentials.

README in short

The documentation opens with a table of ten tools with required and optional parameters and a detailed description of each. Next come installation as a global package, through `npx` and Smithery, the list of environment variables, VS Code setup that asks for the key at launch, development commands and a Docker run with the `/mcp` and `/ready` addresses. The repository has a smoke test, an `llms.txt` file, a `.mcp.json` example, a Smithery configuration and a project page.