TubePilot

Your AI Co-Pilot for YouTube

TubePilot is an MCP server that lets AI assistants fetch and analyze YouTube data. Get video info, extract transcripts, analyze channels, compare videos, and more.

Installation

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tubepilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tubepilot"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

npx tubepilot

Or add to any MCP-compatible client config with the command npx and args ["-y", "tubepilot"].

No API key required for basic video info and transcripts!

What You Can Do

Video Analysis (No API Key)

Get info about any video:

"What is this video about? https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"

Summarize or get an outline:

"Summarize this video for me" | "Give me an outline of this lecture"

Find specific moments:

"When do they talk about pricing?" | "Find where they mention React"

Analyze what happens at a timestamp:

"What happens at 1:05?" → Gets transcript + visual frame together for full context

Developer-focused analysis:

"Extract all code snippets and commands from this tutorial"
"What tech stack is used in this video?"

Comparison & Analytics (Requires API Key)

Compare multiple videos:

"Compare these 3 videos - which performed best and why?"
→ Side-by-side: views, likes, engagement rate, comments

Compare YouTube channels:

"Compare @mkbhd vs @LinusTechTips - subscriber counts, posting frequency, engagement"

Analyze a channel:

"Analyze @veritasium - posting patterns, avg views, top videos"

Playlist insights:

"Summarize this course playlist - total duration, topics covered, key videos"

Comment sentiment:

"What's the sentiment in the comments? Are people happy with this video?"

Tools

Free Tools (No API Key) - 27 Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | health_check | Check server health, API status, cache stats | | get_video_info | Get video title, description, channel, duration, keywords | | get_transcript | Extract full video transcript (requires captions enabled) | | search_in_transcript | Find specific words/moments by timestamp | | get_video_frames | Get visual frames/screenshots at regular intervals | | get_frame_at_time | Get a video frame at a specific timestamp | | list_caption_languages | List all available caption/subtitle languages | | create_clip_url | Generate shareable timestamped URLs | | get_video_moment | Power tool: Get transcript + visual frame at a timestamp together | | find_moment_by_topic | Find when a topic is discussed, with clickable timestamps | | Developer Tools | | | extract_code_snippets | Find CLI commands, code patterns, file paths in tutorials | | get_tutorial_steps | Auto-extract step-by-step instructions from tutorials | | find_tech_stack | Detect technologies, frameworks, libraries mentioned | | convert_to_notes | Convert video transcript to structured markdown notes | | find_github_links | Extract GitHub repos, npm packages, code resource links | | Content Analysis | | | get_video_summary | Generate key points and structured summary | | answer_from_video | Q&A - find relevant segments to answer questions | | extract_links_mentions | Find URLs, @mentions, products, books referenced | | get_video_outline | Auto-detect topic structure and create outline | | Enhanced/Combo Tools | | | deep_analyze_video | POWER TOOL: Complete analysis (info + transcript + chapters + frame) | | video_timeline | Visual timeline with frames at intervals | | compare_moments | Compare same timestamp across 2-5 videos | | merge_transcripts | Combine transcripts from multiple videos | | analyze_short | Specialized YouTube Shorts analysis | | detect_music | Detect if video is a music video, parse artist/song | | get_hd_thumbnail | Get high-res thumbnail URLs (up to 1280x720) | | get_video_chapters_free | Extract chapters from description (no API) |

Extended Tools (Requires API Key) - 22 Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | Search & Discovery | | | search_videos | Search YouTube for videos, channels, playlists | | get_related_videos | Find similar videos | | search_by_hashtag | Find videos with a specific hashtag | | get_trending | Trending videos by region/category | | get_categories | List YouTube categories | | Video Analysis | | | get_video_details | Full stats: views, likes, comments, tags | | get_video_chapters | Extract chapter markers from description | | get_video_stats_history | Get current stats with performance metrics | | check_live_status | Check if video is live, upcoming, or regular | | get_video_metadata_bulk | Get metadata for up to 50 videos in one call | | compare_videos | Side-by-side stats comparison (2-10 videos) | | Channel Analysis | | | get_channel_info | Channel subscribers, video count, description | | get_channel_videos | List videos from a channel | | get_shorts | Get YouTube Shorts from a channel | | analyze_channel | Deep analytics: posting frequency, avg views, top content | | compare_channels | Compare stats of 2-5 channels side by side | | Playlists | | | get_playlist | Get playlist contents | | export_playlist | Export playlist to JSON format | | get_playlist_summary | Full analysis: duration, topics, key videos | | Comments | | | get_video_comments | Fetch top/recent comments | | get_comment_replies | Get replies to a specific comment | | analyze_comments_sentiment | Analyze positive/negative comment sentiment |

Limitations

TubePilot is a data reader, not a downloader or uploader:

| Cannot Do | Can Do | |-----------|--------| | ❌ Download full videos/audio files | ✅ Extract storyboard frames (screenshots) | | ❌ Upload, like, comment, subscribe | ✅ Read public comments and stats | | ❌ Access private videos | ✅ Access unlisted videos (with URL) | | ❌ Get transcripts without captions | ✅ List available caption languages first | | ❌ Access creator revenue data | ✅ Get public view/like/comment counts | | ❌ Bypass age restrictions | ✅ Get thumbnails at all quality levels |

Optional: Enable All Features

For search, detailed stats, and analytics, add a YouTube API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tubepilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tubepilot"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get a free API key:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a project
3. Enable "YouTube Data API v3"
4. Create credentials → API Key

Development

npm install      # Install dependencies
npm run dev      # Run in development
npm run build    # Build for production
npm test         # Run tests (113 tests)
npm run format   # Format code

Documentation

• Tool Reference - Detailed documentation for all 49 tools
• Usage Examples - Real-world workflows and examples
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT