YouTube Connector
MCP server for YouTube — search videos, channels, playlists, and transcripts. Works with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client.
What is YouTube Connector?
YouTube Connector is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for youtube — search videos, channels, playlists, and transcripts. works with claude, cursor, windsurf, and any mcp client.
MCP server for YouTube — search videos, channels, playlists, and transcripts. Works with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server for YouTube — search videos, channels, playlists,
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx youtube-connectorConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use YouTube Connector
The YouTube Connector MCP server integrates the YouTube Data API v3 into AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and Cline, enabling them to search videos, retrieve channel information, fetch video transcripts with timestamps, read comments, and list playlists. It is published as a Python package on PyPI and requires a free YouTube Data API v3 key from Google Cloud Console. Once configured, developers and content researchers can analyze YouTube content, extract transcripts, and gather video metadata without ever leaving their AI workflow.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or later installed
- pipx installed (brew install pipx on macOS, apt install pipx on Ubuntu)
- A YouTube Data API v3 key from https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or Windsurf
Get a YouTube Data API v3 key
Go to the Google Cloud Console, create or select a project, enable the YouTube Data API v3 under APIs & Services, and generate an API key under Credentials. Optionally restrict the key to YouTube Data API v3 for security.
Install the package with pipx
Install the youtube-connector-mcp package using pipx so it is available as a standalone command.
pipx install youtube-connector-mcpAdd via Claude Code (easiest)
Register the server with Claude Code using the mcp add command, passing your API key as an environment variable.
claude mcp add youtube-connector-mcp youtube-connector-mcp -s user -e YOUTUBE_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"Or configure Claude Desktop manually
For Claude Desktop, edit claude_desktop_config.json to add the server with the YOUTUBE_API_KEY environment variable.
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-connector-mcp": {
"command": "youtube-connector-mcp",
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Restart your client and test
Restart your MCP client and ask it to search YouTube or fetch a video transcript to confirm the server is working correctly.
YouTube Connector Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for youtube-connector-mcp with the YouTube API key.
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-connector-mcp": {
"command": "youtube-connector-mcp",
"env": {
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to use with the YouTube Connector MCP server once configured.
- "Search YouTube for Python tutorials for beginners"
- "Get the full transcript of this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
- "How many subscribers does the channel @Fireship have?"
- "List all playlists for the channel @3Blue1Brown"
- "Show me the top comments on this video and summarize the sentiment"Troubleshooting YouTube Connector
API key error: YouTube Data API has not been enabled
In the Google Cloud Console, navigate to APIs & Services > Library, search for 'YouTube Data API v3', and click Enable. The API must be explicitly enabled for your project before the key will work.
Quota exceeded error from YouTube API
The YouTube Data API v3 has a default daily quota of 10,000 units. Transcript fetching and search are quota-heavy. You can request a quota increase in the Google Cloud Console, or reduce usage by caching results.
youtube-connector-mcp command not found after pipx install
Run 'pipx ensurepath' to add the pipx bin directory to your PATH, then open a new terminal session. Alternatively, specify the full path to the installed binary in your MCP configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Connector
What is YouTube Connector?
YouTube Connector is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for youtube — search videos, channels, playlists, and transcripts. works with claude, cursor, windsurf, and any mcp client. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install YouTube Connector?
Follow the installation instructions on the YouTube Connector GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with YouTube Connector?
YouTube Connector works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is YouTube Connector free to use?
Yes, YouTube Connector is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up YouTube Connector in Your Editor
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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