---
name: youtubeapi-mcp-server
description: Official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server & Claude Skill for VideoData API (videodataapi.com). Extract real-time timed video transcripts, complete video metadata, comments, keyword search, channel profiles, and uploaded video feeds for AI agents, RAG pipelines, and LLM context windows.
version: 1.0.0
homepage: https://videodataapi.com/mcp
documentation: https://videodataapi.com/docs
openapi: https://videodataapi.com/openapi.json
llms_txt: https://videodataapi.com/llms.txt
license: MIT
author: VideoData API (https://videodataapi.com)
tags:
  - mcp
  - claude-skill
  - youtube-api
  - youtube-transcript-api
  - youtube-transcripts
  - rag
  - llm-context
  - youtube-scraper
  - youtube-comments
  - ai-agents
---

# VideoData API — Official MCP Server & Claude Skill (`@youtubeapi/mcp-server`)

Connect **Claude Code**, **Claude Desktop**, **Cursor**, **Windsurf**, **Cline**, **OpenAI Agents**, and **LangChain** directly to **[VideoData API (`https://videodataapi.com`)](https://videodataapi.com)** — the high-performance YouTube Data & Transcript API designed specifically for AI Agents, RAG Pipelines, and Developers.

- **Website & Interactive Playground**: [https://videodataapi.com](https://videodataapi.com)
- **Claim Free API Key ($1.20 Free Credits = 12,000 Credits, No Card Required)**: [https://videodataapi.com/signup](https://videodataapi.com/signup)
- **Developer Sandbox Streak (+$2.00 Bonus)**: [https://videodataapi.com/dashboard](https://videodataapi.com/dashboard)
- **Interactive Documentation**: [https://videodataapi.com/docs](https://videodataapi.com/docs)
- **MCP Server Integration Hub**: [https://videodataapi.com/mcp](https://videodataapi.com/mcp)
- **Developer Pricing ($1 = 10,000 Credits, 0% Fee Crypto & PAYG)**: [https://videodataapi.com/pricing](https://videodataapi.com/pricing)
- **Real-Time Public Status & Latency SLA (99.98% Uptime)**: [https://videodataapi.com/status](https://videodataapi.com/status)
- **OpenAPI 3.1 Specification**: [https://videodataapi.com/openapi.json](https://videodataapi.com/openapi.json)
- **LLM Context Manifests**: [https://videodataapi.com/llms.txt](https://videodataapi.com/llms.txt) · [https://videodataapi.com/llms-full.txt](https://videodataapi.com/llms-full.txt)

---

## Free Interactive Developer Tools (`/tools/*`)

Use these free interactive tools directly in the browser or integrate their underlying REST APIs:

1. **YouTube Channel ID & Handle Finder**: [https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-channel-id-finder](https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-channel-id-finder)
   - Resolve any `@handle`, custom URL, or legacy username into canonical `UC...` channel ID, verified avatar, live subscriber count, and total video count. Includes ready-to-run cURL snippets.
2. **YouTube Subtitle SRT & TXT Downloader**: [https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-subtitle-srt-downloader](https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-subtitle-srt-downloader)
   - Extract timed subtitles from any YouTube video or Short, preview formatted JSON, and download standard `.srt` or plain-text `.txt` with multi-language track switching.
3. **YouTube Transcript Extractor**: [https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-transcript-extractor](https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-transcript-extractor)
   - Zero-install instant browser tool to extract clean timestamped transcripts for LLM summarization.
4. **YouTube Data API v3 Quota Calculator**: [https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-quota-calculator](https://videodataapi.com/tools/youtube-quota-calculator)
   - Calculate how fast Google's 10,000 units/day quota burns out compared to VideoData API's unlimited concurrency and non-expiring credits.

---

## When to Use This Skill / MCP Server

Use `@youtubeapi/mcp-server` whenever an AI agent, RAG pipeline, or developer workflow needs to:

1. **Extract Clean Timed Video Transcripts**: Fetch timestamped subtitle segments (`offset_ms`, `duration_ms`, `text`) for AI video summaries, meeting notes, podcasts, lectures, and vector embeddings without running headless browsers or risking YouTube IP blocks.
2. **Enrich RAG Documents with Full Video Metadata**: Retrieve view counts, likes, publish date, duration, description, chapters, keywords, and channel details.
3. **Search Videos, Shorts, and Channels in Real-Time**: Run keyword searches with filters (`type=video|shorts`, `sort_by=relevance|upload_date|view_count`) to discover trending video discussions or relevant context.
4. **Analyze Public Audience Sentiment via Comments**: Stream top or newest video comments with author details, upvote counts, reply counts, and pagination tokens.
5. **Monitor Channel Catalogs & Growth**: Track channel uploads, Shorts feeds, subscriber milestones, and regional trending feeds.

---

## Installation & Configuration

### 1. Get Your Free API Key
Sign up at **[https://videodataapi.com/signup](https://videodataapi.com/signup)** to receive **$1.20 Free Credits (12,000 Credits)** instantly. No credit card required.

### 2. Add to Claude Desktop (`claude_desktop_config.json`) or Cursor (`.cursor/mcp.json`)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtubeapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@youtubeapi/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "VIDEODATAAPI_KEY": "yt_live_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### 3. Add to Claude Code CLI

```bash
claude mcp add youtubeapi -e VIDEODATAAPI_KEY=yt_live_your_api_key_here -- npx -y @youtubeapi/mcp-server
```

### 4. Connect via Remote Streamable HTTP MCP (Smithery / agent-tools.cloud / LangChain)

VideoData API hosts a remote Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint:
- **Remote MCP URL**: `https://api.videodataapi.com/mcp` (or `https://api.videodataapi.com/v1/mcp`)
- **Protocol**: JSON-RPC 2.0 (Methods: `initialize`, `ping`, `tools/list`, `tools/call`)
- **Authentication**: `initialize` and `tools/list` support read-only handshake without an API key. For `tools/call`, supply your API key via `x-api-key: yt_live_...` or `Authorization: Bearer yt_live_...`.

---

## Available MCP Tools (8 Core Tools)

| Tool Name | HTTP Endpoint | Credit Cost | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `youtube_transcript` | `GET /v1/youtube/transcript` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Extract timed subtitle segments (`offset_ms`, `duration_ms`) and full text for any YouTube video or Short. Supports auto-generated and manual tracks in all languages. |
| `youtube_video_info` | `GET /v1/youtube/video` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Fetch full video metadata including title, description, viewCount, likeCount, duration, chapters, keywords, and channel info. |
| `youtube_comments` | `GET /v1/youtube/comments` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Extract top or newest video comments with like counts, author handles, and continuation pagination token. |
| `youtube_search` | `GET /v1/youtube/search` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Search YouTube videos, Shorts, or channels by query with type, duration, and sort filters. |
| `youtube_channel` | `GET /v1/youtube/channel` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Resolve any `@handle` or `UC...` channel ID into subscriber count, video count, bio, avatar, and banner. |
| `youtube_channel_videos` | `GET /v1/youtube/channel/videos` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Paginate through a YouTube channel's uploaded videos sorted by newest or popular. |
| `youtube_channel_shorts` | `GET /v1/youtube/channel/shorts` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Paginate through a YouTube channel's uploaded Shorts feed. |
| `youtube_trending` | `GET /v1/youtube/trending` | 10 Credits ($0.001) | Fetch currently trending YouTube videos by country code (`geo=US`) and category (`type=now\|music\|gaming`). |

*Pricing anchor: $1.00 = 10,000 Credits. 0 Credits charged on empty or error responses.*

---

## Example Prompts for Claude / Cursor / AI Agents

- *"Use `youtube_transcript` for video ID `dQw4w9WgXcQ` with `lang=en` and provide a concise bullet-point summary of the core arguments."*
- *"Use `youtube_search` to find the top 5 most viewed videos about 'Agentic AI Workflows' in the past month, then use `youtube_video_info` to extract their chapter timestamps."*
- *"Use `youtube_channel` to look up `@MrBeast` and tell me their exact subscriber count, avatar URL, and recent video count."*
- *"Use `youtube_comments` on video `dQw4w9WgXcQ` with `sort_by=top` to analyze community sentiment and summarize the top 10 most upvoted comments."*