Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for yt-dlp
Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. Yt Dlp MCP MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for yt-dlp.
An MCP server implementation that integrates with yt-dlp, providing video and audio content download capabilities from YouTube and other platforms for LLMs.
The server publishes 1 tool. What each one is for:
Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this serverInstallation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @gtvar/yt-dlp-mcp on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
Configuration is passed through the environment: YTDLP_PATH, FFMPEG_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.
Install yt-dlp based on your operating system: ```bash
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Yt Dlp MCP's toolset — Prerequisites — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Gtvar; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Yt Dlp MCP's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"yt-dlp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@gtvar/yt-dlp-mcp"],
"env": {
"YTDLP_PATH": "your-value",
"FFMPEG_PATH": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
Install yt-dlp based on your operating system: ```bash
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| YTDLP_PATH | Filesystem location the server is allowed to use. | Optional |
| FFMPEG_PATH | Filesystem location the server is allowed to use. | Optional |
A knowledge graph your assistant keeps between sessions — entities, relations and observations that persist.
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
Your workspace, on speaking terms with AI — search, read and write Notion pages and databases.
A structured scratchpad for hard problems — stepwise reasoning with revisions, branches and visible logic.
Symbol-level code navigation, refactoring and memory for coding agents — the IDE brain your assistant has been missing.
Chat with your second brain — search, read and write vault notes through the Local REST API.