🐙 DlpDrop

A terminal tool for downloading video and audio from any site yt-dlp supports, in full quality with automatic merging via ffmpeg. Made by The Octopus.

$ npx dlpdrop

  (DlpDrop mark)

┌  DlpDrop
│  Files are saved to ~/Downloads/dlpdrop by default.
◆  Paste a video link

Running it

npx dlpdrop

Or install it permanently:

npm install -g dlpdrop
dlpdrop

Nothing to install by hand: on the first link, the program checks for yt-dlp and ffmpeg automatically, and asks before downloading them if they're missing or outdated.

How it works

1. Paste a video or playlist link.
2. Choose video or audio-only, and a quality.
3. The download starts with a live progress bar showing speed, size, and time remaining.
4. The file is saved into a dlpdrop folder inside your Downloads folder.

A full playlist? Every video downloads one at a time, and if one fails the rest continue — the result is a report of what succeeded and what didn't.

Why a terminal tool, not a website

An earlier version of this project was a website that talked to a local engine over HTTP. A whole layer of complexity — a server, a protocol, CORS, reconnection — existed only because the interface and the logic ran as two separate processes. Since both already run on the user's own machine, none of that is needed: one process, working directly with the files and with yt-dlp.

Structure

src/
  cli.ts                  entry point and the interactive loop
  ui/
    banner.ts              visual identity (mark, colours, progress bar)
    session.ts             one request's flow: link → options → download
  engine/
    binaries.ts             checks for yt-dlp and ffmpeg
    fetch-binaries.ts        downloads them automatically when needed
    doctor.ts                 bridges the check and the download prompt
    inspect.ts                 pulls video/playlist metadata
    download.ts                 builds yt-dlp commands, runs them, parses progress
    config.ts                    system paths (download folder, state)
    log.ts                        file logging, silent in the terminal during progress
  shared/
    errors.ts    every error code and its message
    protocol.ts    shared types (format, download request, progress event)
    url.ts          link validation and filename sanitising
    format.ts        size/duration/speed formatting

Development

npm install
npm run dev          # run directly, no build
npm run typecheck    # type check
npm run build        # single bundle ready to publish (dist/cli.mjs)

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for what changed in each release.

License

All rights reserved — see LICENSE.