ericmjl/youtube
skills/youtube/SKILL.md
Comprehensive YouTube operations using yt-dlp - download videos/audio, extract transcripts and subtitles, get metadata, work with playlists, download thumbnails, and inspect available formats. Use this for any YouTube content processing task.
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add ericmjl/skills youtubeInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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SKILL.md
- name:
- youtube
- description:
- Comprehensive YouTube operations using yt-dlp - download videos/audio, extract transcripts and subtitles, get metadata, work with playlists, download thumbnails, and inspect available formats. Use this for any YouTube content processing task.
- license:
- MIT
YouTube operations
This skill provides comprehensive YouTube operations using yt-dlp, always using the latest version via uvx.
Requirements
uv- The Python package runner (providesuvxcommand)
No pre-installation of yt-dlp is needed. The uvx command automatically fetches and runs the latest version.
Video downloads
Download best quality (default):
uvx yt-dlp -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download to custom location:
uvx yt-dlp -o "/path/to/folder/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download specific quality (e.g., 720p):
uvx yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]" -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
List available formats before downloading:
uvx yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"
Audio downloads
Download audio only (mp3) - downloads to Synology music folder:
uvx yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "~/Library/CloudStorage/SynologyDrive-sync/music/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download audio in other formats:
# AAC format
uvx yt-dlp -x --audio-format aac -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
# Opus format
uvx yt-dlp -x --audio-format opus -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
# Best quality audio (no conversion)
uvx yt-dlp -f bestaudio -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Transcript and subtitle extraction
Download subtitles only (no video):
# Auto-generated or manual subtitles in English
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-subs --sub-lang en --sub-format vtt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s" "VIDEO_URL"
# Manual subtitles only (not auto-generated)
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-subs --sub-lang en --sub-format vtt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download subtitles in multiple languages:
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-subs --sub-lang en,es,fr --sub-format vtt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s" "VIDEO_URL"
List available subtitles:
uvx yt-dlp --list-subs "VIDEO_URL"
Convert subtitles to plain text (remove timestamps):
# Download as SRT first, then process
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-subs --sub-lang en --sub-format srt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s" "VIDEO_URL"
# Then use sed or awk to extract just the text
sed '/^[0-9]*$/d; /^[0-9][0-9]:/d; /^$/d' ~/Downloads/video-title.en.srt > ~/Downloads/transcript.txt
Download video with embedded subtitles:
uvx yt-dlp --write-subs --embed-subs --sub-lang en -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Metadata extraction
Get video information without downloading:
# Basic info as JSON
uvx yt-dlp --dump-json "VIDEO_URL"
# Just the title
uvx yt-dlp --get-title "VIDEO_URL"
# Just the description
uvx yt-dlp --get-description "VIDEO_URL"
# Duration
uvx yt-dlp --get-duration "VIDEO_URL"
# Upload date
uvx yt-dlp --get-filename -o "%(upload_date)s" "VIDEO_URL"
# Channel/uploader
uvx yt-dlp --get-filename -o "%(uploader)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Extract all metadata to JSON file:
uvx yt-dlp --dump-json --skip-download "VIDEO_URL" > video-metadata.json
Get video chapters/timestamps:
# Chapters are included in --dump-json output
uvx yt-dlp --dump-json "VIDEO_URL" | jq '.chapters'
Playlist operations
Download entire playlist:
uvx yt-dlp -o "~/Downloads/%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s-%(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
Download playlist as audio only:
uvx yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "~/Library/CloudStorage/SynologyDrive-sync/music/%(playlist)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
Download specific videos from playlist:
# Videos 1-5
uvx yt-dlp --playlist-items 1-5 -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
# Specific videos (1, 3, 5)
uvx yt-dlp --playlist-items 1,3,5 -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
Get playlist information without downloading:
# Full playlist metadata
uvx yt-dlp --dump-json --flat-playlist "PLAYLIST_URL"
# Just list video titles
uvx yt-dlp --get-filename -o "%(title)s" --flat-playlist "PLAYLIST_URL"
Download only new videos from playlist (useful for subscriptions):
# Creates archive file to track downloaded videos
uvx yt-dlp --download-archive archive.txt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
Thumbnail downloads
Download thumbnail only:
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-thumbnail --convert-thumbnails png -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download video with embedded thumbnail:
uvx yt-dlp --embed-thumbnail -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Get all available thumbnails:
uvx yt-dlp --list-thumbnails "VIDEO_URL"
Advanced options
Download with speed limit:
uvx yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download age-restricted content (requires cookies):
# Export cookies from browser first, then:
uvx yt-dlp --cookies cookies.txt -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download with custom filename:
uvx yt-dlp -o "~/Downloads/my-custom-name.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Resume interrupted download:
# yt-dlp resumes automatically if you run the same command
uvx yt-dlp -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Download with date range filter:
# Only videos uploaded after date
uvx yt-dlp --dateafter 20240101 "CHANNEL_URL"
# Only videos uploaded before date
uvx yt-dlp --datebefore 20241231 "CHANNEL_URL"
Output filename templates
The -o flag uses templates for output filenames. Common variables:
%(title)s- Video title%(id)s- Video ID%(ext)s- File extension%(uploader)s- Channel name%(upload_date)s- Upload date (YYYYMMDD)%(playlist)s- Playlist name%(playlist_index)s- Video position in playlist%(duration)s- Video duration in seconds%(resolution)s- Video resolution
Example with multiple variables:
uvx yt-dlp -o "~/Downloads/%(uploader)s/%(upload_date)s-%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Common workflows
Create audio podcast archive from YouTube channel:
uvx yt-dlp --download-archive podcast-archive.txt -x --audio-format mp3 -o "~/Music/Podcasts/%(uploader)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "CHANNEL_URL"
Extract transcripts for research:
# Download all video transcripts from a playlist
uvx yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-subs --sub-lang en --sub-format srt -o "~/Documents/transcripts/%(title)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"
Download video with all extras:
# Video + subtitles + thumbnail + metadata
uvx yt-dlp --write-subs --embed-subs --write-thumbnail --embed-thumbnail --write-info-json -o "~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
Monitor and archive a channel:
# Run periodically to get only new uploads
uvx yt-dlp --download-archive channel-archive.txt -o "~/Videos/%(uploader)s/%(upload_date)s-%(title)s.%(ext)s" "CHANNEL_URL/videos"
Notes
- The default video format is webm (YouTube's native best quality)
- The default download location is
~/Downloadsbut can be changed - MP3 audio downloads go to
~/Library/CloudStorage/SynologyDrive-sync/music/(Synology NAS) uvxensures you always have the latestyt-dlpversion without manual updates- YouTube URLs should be quoted to handle special characters
- Subtitle formats:
vtt(WebVTT),srt(SubRip),json3(timestamped JSON) - Auto-generated subtitles are often available even when manual ones aren't
- Use
--dump-jsonto explore all available metadata fields
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