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YouTube MCP Server

The best YouTube MCP for marketers: have Claude search videos, pull transcripts, compare channels and find creators by niche. Free with an API key.

Pricing
free
GitHub stars
575
Last commit
2026-08-08
Page updated

Open source (MIT). The YouTube Data API is free within Google's default 10,000 units a day; a search costs 100 units.

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zubeid-youtube-mcp-server
Website

There's no official YouTube MCP server from Google, so this is community territory. My pick is ZubeidHendricks/youtube-mcp-server, installed as zubeid-youtube-mcp-server. It's the most-starred of the ones I checked, it got a release in July 2026, and it runs on the official YouTube Data API with your own key.

What makes it useful for marketing is creator discovery. Beyond video search, transcripts and channel stats, it can find creator channels from a topic and filter them by subscriber band and last upload date. That's a decent influencer shortlist in one prompt, before you pay for a tool like Modash.

Try this: ask Claude for the top 20 videos on your main keyword from the last 90 days, pull the transcripts of the top five, and write down the hooks and angles they share. Then turn those into scripts for your own Shorts, or chop the long ones with OpusClip.

One limit to know: it reads public data only. It can't see your channel's watch time, retention or revenue, because that needs the YouTube Analytics API with OAuth. If that's what you're after, look at the pauling-ai server below. Also watch your quota. The API gives you 10,000 units a day and each search costs 100, so you can add up to two backup keys.

What you can ask it

  • “Find the 20 most-viewed videos about 'email marketing automation' from the last 90 days”
  • “Pull the transcripts of the top 5 and list the hooks they use in the first 30 seconds”
  • “Find creator channels that talk about budgeting apps, 10k to 100k subscribers, uploaded in the last month”
  • “Compare subscriber count, total views and upload frequency for these three competitor channels”
  • “Summarise this 40-minute webinar transcript into a blog outline and five tweet ideas”

Features

  • Search videos with date, channel and subscriber-band filters
  • Pull video transcripts in any available language
  • Get video details and stats (views, likes, metadata) for any public video
  • Look up single or multiple channels, with latest upload date and contact links when listed
  • Find creator channels by topic, filtered by subscriber count and recent activity
  • List a channel's videos and read playlists
  • Rotates across up to three API keys when one runs out of quota

How to set up the YouTube MCP Server

Works with: Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code

1. In Google Cloud Console, enable YouTube Data API v3 and create an API key. Restrict it to that API. 2. Claude Desktop: add to claude_desktop_config.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "your_primary_youtube_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}
3. Claude Code: 
claude mcp add youtube -e YOUTUBE_API_KEY=your_key -- npx -y zubeid-youtube-mcp-server
4. Cursor / VS Code: use the same npx -y zubeid-youtube-mcp-server command with YOUTUBE_API_KEY in the env block. 5. Optional: set YOUTUBE_API_KEY2 and YOUTUBE_API_KEY3 as backups, and YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG to change the default transcript language from en.

Alternatives

kirbah/mcp-youtube

Leaner responses to save tokens, transcripts with no API key, plus comments and trending videos. Actively released.

pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server

Python server with YouTube Analytics and Reporting APIs (retention, traffic sources, revenue) for your own channel. Needs Google OAuth credentials.

FAQ

Is there an official YouTube MCP server?
No, Google doesn't ship one as of September 2026. The community servers use the official YouTube Data API with your own key.
How do I connect YouTube to Claude?
Get a YouTube Data API v3 key from Google Cloud, then add npx -y zubeid-youtube-mcp-server to your Claude config with YOUTUBE_API_KEY set. In Claude Code, use claude mcp add with the same command.
Can a YouTube MCP get transcripts?
Yes. This server's transcripts_getTranscript tool pulls a video's transcript by ID, with an optional language code.
Can it see my channel analytics like watch time?
Not this one. It reads public data. Watch time, retention and revenue need the YouTube Analytics API with OAuth, which the pauling-ai server supports.
Is it free?
The server is free and MIT licensed. The YouTube Data API is free up to 10,000 quota units a day, and searches are the expensive calls at 100 units each.

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Added: 2026-09-22 · Last reviewed: 2026-09-22