Youtube MCP Server

MCP stdio server for analyzing YouTube videos with Google Gemini

Local serverstdio

What is the Youtube MCP server?

MCP stdio server for analyzing YouTube videos with Google Gemini. That is what the youtube mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

Getting it running

@ludylops/youtube-video-analyzer-mcp on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 11 tools. What each one is for:

  • get_youtube_analyzer_capabilities — inspects local support for long-video strategies
  • get_youtube_video_metadata — fetches normalized public YouTube metadata
  • get_youtube_video_frame — extracts a high-resolution JPEG frame at a timestamp, with optional Gemini timestamp refinement before local extraction
  • analyze_youtube_video — analyzes short videos or bounded clip windows
  • analyze_youtube_video_audio — analyzes speech-focused videos using audio-first instructions
  • analyze_long_youtube_video — analyzes long videos or VODs as a required MCP task
  • start_long_youtube_analysis — starts a background long-video job and returns a jobId
  • get_long_youtube_analysis_status — polls a background long-video job
  • get_long_youtube_analysis_result — fetches a completed background long-video job result
  • cancel_long_youtube_analysis — cancels a background long-video job
  • continue_long_video_analysis — asks follow-up questions for a previous long-video session as a required MCP task

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: GEMINI_API_KEY, YOUTUBE_API_KEY, YT_DLP_PATH. 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 20 or newer. - A Gemini API key. - Optional: a YouTube Data API key for metadata lookup. - Optional for best long-video support: yt-dlp and ffmpeg.

Things to watch

  • 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.
  • With 11 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Youtube.
  • 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.

How it compares

This sits in the planning and project tracking group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Youtube's toolset — get_youtube_analyzer_capabilities, get_youtube_video_metadata, get_youtube_video_frame and 8 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by ludmila-omlopes; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
get_youtube_analyzer_capabilitiesinspects local support for long-video strategies.
get_youtube_video_metadatafetches normalized public YouTube metadata.
get_youtube_video_frameextracts a high-resolution JPEG frame at a timestamp, with optional Gemini timestamp refinement before local extraction.
analyze_youtube_videoanalyzes short videos or bounded clip windows.
analyze_youtube_video_audioanalyzes speech-focused videos using audio-first instructions.
analyze_long_youtube_videoanalyzes long videos or VODs as a required MCP task.
start_long_youtube_analysisstarts a background long-video job and returns a jobId.
get_long_youtube_analysis_statuspolls a background long-video job.
get_long_youtube_analysis_resultfetches a completed background long-video job result.
cancel_long_youtube_analysiscancels a background long-video job.
continue_long_video_analysisasks follow-up questions for a previous long-video session as a required MCP task.

How to install the Youtube MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-analyzer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ludylops/youtube-video-analyzer-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your_gemini_key_here",
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "optional_youtube_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js 20 or newer. - A Gemini API key. - Optional: a YouTube Data API key for metadata lookup. - Optional for best long-video support: yt-dlp and ffmpeg.
VariableDescriptionRequired
GEMINI_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YOUTUBE_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YT_DLP_PATHFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Youtube to get youtube analyzer capabilities.
  • Use Youtube to get youtube video metadata.
  • Use Youtube to get youtube video frame.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Youtube to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 11 tools (get_youtube_analyzer_capabilities, get_youtube_video_metadata, get_youtube_video_frame, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Youtube directly.