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Youtube
by
Gustavo Paiva
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.1
9609
Downloads
6
Stars
0
Active Installs
2
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install youtube
Description
Search YouTube videos, get channel info, fetch video details and transcripts using YouTube Data API v3 via MCP server or yt-dlp fallback.
Usage Guidance
Review this skill before installing. Prefer pinned, reviewed dependency versions or an isolated container, avoid global installs where possible, provide only the YouTube API key in the process environment, restrict the key to YouTube Data API v3 with quotas, and treat generated transcript files as local data that may need deletion.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: youtube
Version: 1.0.1
The skill is classified as suspicious due to its instructions in `SKILL.md` for the AI agent to `git clone` an external repository (`https://github.com/ZubeidHendricks/youtube-mcp-server`) into `/tmp` and then execute `npm install` and `npm run build` within that directory. This constitutes a significant supply chain risk, as it allows for arbitrary code execution if the remote GitHub repository were compromised or contained malicious code. While presented as a setup or troubleshooting step, it's a direct instruction to fetch and execute unverified code from an external source, introducing a high-risk capability without clear malicious intent within the provided skill files themselves.
Capability Assessment
Credentials
Using a YouTube API key is proportionate, but handing it to unpinned third-party runtime/build code with global installation guidance is broader than the reviewed skill artifact can justify.
Install Mechanism
Setup tells users to install a global npm package, install yt-dlp via pip, and clone/build a GitHub repository from its current state without pinned versions, checksums, signatures, or a reviewed commit.
Instruction Scope
The instructions include a security note claiming no third-party servers and only googleapis.com network calls, while the same artifact instructs use of npm, GitHub, youtube.com, and yt-dlp; that under-discloses the trust boundary.
Persistence & Privilege
The artifact recommends storing the API key in Clawdbot config or an environment variable, which is explicit user-directed configuration; I found no cron job, startup hook, hidden state file, privilege escalation, or backdoor persistence.
Purpose & Capability
The declared YouTube search, channel lookup, video details, and transcript features coherently require YouTube network access and a YouTube API key.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install youtube - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/youtube - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.1
- Documentation expanded and clarified in README.md.
- Additional usage examples, troubleshooting advice, and step-by-step setup instructions included.
- Security guidance and common workflow sections improved for easier reference.
v1.0.0
Initial release of YouTube research & transcription skill.
- Search YouTube videos, channels, and playlists using the YouTube Data API v3.
- Retrieve video details (title, description, stats, publish date) and channel info.
- Fetch video transcripts via MCP server, with yt-dlp fallback when needed.
- Provides setup instructions for both MCP server and yt-dlp.
- Includes example usage workflows for video research, transcript extraction, and troubleshooting.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Youtube?
Search YouTube videos, get channel info, fetch video details and transcripts using YouTube Data API v3 via MCP server or yt-dlp fallback. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 9609 downloads so far.
How do I install Youtube?
Run "/install youtube" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Youtube free?
Yes, Youtube is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Youtube support?
Youtube is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Youtube?
It is built and maintained by Gustavo Paiva (@grpaiva); the current version is v1.0.1.
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