Install YouTube MCP

Pick your client, copy the command, done.

claude mcp add -e "YOUTUBE_API_KEY=${YOUTUBE_API_KEY}" youtube-mcp-8bfd -- uvx glonorce-youtube-mcp

Required:YOUTUBE_API_KEY

Environment Variables

Set these before running YouTube MCP.

VariableDescriptionRequired

YOUTUBE_API_KEYYouTube Data API v3 key required for inventory, search, and comment tools.Yes

Once configured, YouTube MCP gives your AI agent access to:

get_yt_video_infoRetrieves video metadata and transcript for a given video ID or URL.

video_id_or_url

resolve_youtube_channelResolves a YouTube channel reference to its details.

channel_ref

list_youtube_channel_videosLists videos from a specific YouTube channel with pagination support.

channel_ref

list_youtube_channel_playlistsLists playlists belonging to a specific YouTube channel.

channel_ref

list_youtube_playlist_videosLists all videos contained within a specific YouTube playlist.

playlist_id

search_youtube_channel_videosPerforms a keyword search within a specific YouTube channel.

channel_refquery

list_youtube_video_commentsRetrieves public comment threads for a specific YouTube video.

video_id

After setup, try these prompts with your AI agent:

→Get the transcript and metadata for this video: [URL]

→List the latest 10 videos from the channel [Channel Name/ID]

→Search for videos about 'machine learning' in the [Channel Name] channel

→Fetch the comments for the video [Video ID] to summarize user feedback

→Get all videos from the playlist [Playlist ID]

Prerequisites & system requirements

An MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, or Codex)
Python 3.8+ with pip installed
YOUTUBE_API_KEY — YouTube Data API v3 key required for inventory, search, and comment tools.

Save the docs, env vars, and workflow around YouTube MCP in Conare so Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor remember it next time.