YouTube MCP Server

Connect YouTube to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. Enables AI assistants to interact with the YouTube API through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The youtube mcp server is what makes that connection.

What the server does

This is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows Claude and other AI assistants to interact with the YouTube API. The server provides tools to search for videos, get details about specific videos, search for channels, and obtain detailed information about channels.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard developed by Anthropic (creators of Claude) to connect AI assistants with external data sources and tools. It allows models like Claude to access up-to-date information and perform actions in external systems in a standardized way.

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: YOUTUBE_API_KEY. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

• Node.js v16 or higher - A YouTube API key (obtained from the Google Developer Console)

Installation

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client.

Where it fits

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. It is maintained by Nocodeboy; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against YouTube's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Worth knowing first

• It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
• Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
• Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.