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