YouTube MCP Server

Download YouTube video subtitles into your AI workspace using yt-dlp integrations.

Data last scanned today · Reviewed today

35★ 536JavaScriptMIT

Overview

This server utilizes the yt-dlp utility to fetch and process subtitles from YouTube videos. It functions as a bridge that allows AI assistants to ingest video content, facilitating tasks such as summarization or specific data extraction directly from a provided URL.

Our verdict

This tool carries a high risk level with a security score of 35/100, primarily due to the lack of OAuth support and being community-maintained rather than an official YouTube offering. While it has a small supply-chain surface with only three direct dependencies, potential users should proceed with caution given the absence of an editorial review and the reliance on a single contributor. It is best suited for experimental use in non-sensitive environments.

Integrated with the established yt-dlp utility
Small supply-chain surface with three dependencies
Open source under the MIT license

High security risk level with a 35/100 score
Community-maintained without official vendor support
Single-contributor repository increases bus-factor risk

Setup

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-youtube": {
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@anaisbetts/mcp-youtube"
      ],
      "command": "npx"
    }
  }
}

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows), then restart Claude Desktop. Some servers require API keys or tokens as environment variables — check the project's README and add an "env" object if needed.

No read-only mode — running this grants full read/write access.
No built-in authentication — anyone with access to this config can invoke every tool it exposes.

Compatibility

Client	Local	Docker	Remote	Read-only
Claude Desktop
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf
ChatGPT

Frequently asked questions

›What system dependency must be installed to use this server?

You must have yt-dlp installed locally on your machine, for example via Homebrew or WinGet.

›How do I install the YouTube MCP server?

You can install this server using mcp-installer with the package name @anaisbetts/mcp-youtube.

›What functionality does this server provide to Claude?

The server enables Claude to download and summarize subtitles from YouTube videos provided via URL.

Badge

Maintain this server? Add the live badge to your README.