YTAPI — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Brings YouTube transcripts, metadata, comments, and channel search to coding agents via a remote HTTP endpoint.
claude mcp add --transport http youtube https://api.ytapi.dev/mcpWhat YTAPI does
Cloud environments and automated agents often trigger IP blocks or HTTP 429 errors when fetching YouTube data directly. YTAPI routes calls through https://api.ytapi.dev/mcp, avoiding local scrapers like yt-dlp. It runs as a remote HTTP service.
The server retrieves subtitles in SRT, VTT, or plain text formats across different languages. Agents can also query video replay heatmaps, inspect playlists, and fetch channel profiles. Basic video metadata and search suggestions cost nothing.
Getting started requires an account, which comes with 200 complimentary credits without a payment card. The free tier caps usage at 1 request per second and 100 calls per day.
What it helps with
- extract video subtitles as timestamped SRT or VTT files
- pull recent uploads from a specific channel handle
- fetch comments and audience replay heatmaps
- search YouTube for relevant videos and playlists
Example prompts for the agent
- Summarize the talk at
https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQand list its main points. - Search for this week's top videos about Rust async and show their view counts.
- Download Spanish subtitles for this presentation and save them to
talk.srt.
How to install YTAPI
Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http youtube https://api.ytapi.dev/mcpPlatform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add ytapi --url https://api.ytapi.dev/mcpConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"ytapi": {
"url": "https://api.ytapi.dev/mcp"
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"ytapi": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.ytapi.dev/mcp"
}
}
}Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http ytapi https://api.ytapi.dev/mcpStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about YTAPI
How to install YTAPI in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --transport http ytapi https://api.ytapi.dev/mcp in your terminal. During the first run, authorize your account with the /mcp command.
What does YTAPI do?
It provides tools for coding agents to search YouTube, retrieve transcripts, inspect channels, and read viewer comments without running local scraping scripts.
Is a credit card required to use YTAPI?
No, creating an account via email provides 200 free credits without a card. Unpaid accounts stay limited to 1 call per second and 100 queries daily.
