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YouTube MCP Server for Claude Desktop: Setup & Config

YouTube MCP Server gives Claude Desktop video search, transcripts, channel research, and playlist access.

What you can do with YouTube in Claude Desktop

A research-focused YouTube interface with transcripts, filtered creator discovery, and quota fallback.

  • Search videos within publication dates and channel constraints.
  • Retrieve transcripts for assistant-led content review.

Before you start: YouTube in Claude Desktop

  • Node.js and npx
  • At least one YouTube Data API key
  • An MCP-compatible client

Uses the README's npx configuration, not the different package in the structured config hint. YOUTUBE_API_KEY2 and YOUTUBE_API_KEY3 are optional fallback keys. YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_LANG optionally changes the default transcript language. Docker defaults to HTTP at http://localhost:8088/mcp.

YouTube Claude Desktop configuration

  1. Choose Claude Desktop configuration scope

    For YouTube MCP Server, open macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Merge under mcpServers via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

  2. Add YouTube MCP Server to Claude Desktop

    Use the youtube-mcp-server entry below in mcpServers. Keep YouTube MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Desktop entries.

  3. Check YouTube MCP Server in Claude Desktop

    YouTube MCP Server: Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop; check developer diagnostics.

Config file · macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "zubeid-youtube-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "<YouTube Data API key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

YouTube tools available to Claude Desktop

YouTube's stored tool list documents 10 tools; compare it with Claude Desktop's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

videos_getVideo

When Claude Desktop requests videos_getVideo from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

Retrieve video details, optionally selecting resource parts.

videos_searchVideos

When Claude Desktop requests videos_searchVideos from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

Search videos using date, channel, subscriber, activity, and ordering filters.

transcripts_getTranscript

When Claude Desktop requests transcripts_getTranscript from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

Retrieve a video's transcript in a requested or configured language.

channels_getChannel

When Claude Desktop requests channels_getChannel from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

Inspect a channel with latest-upload and normalized metadata fields.

channels_getChannels

When Claude Desktop requests channels_getChannels from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

Retrieve several channels, optionally including their latest upload dates.

channels_searchChannels

When Claude Desktop requests channels_searchChannels from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

channels_findCreators

When Claude Desktop requests channels_findCreators from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

channels_listVideos

When Claude Desktop requests channels_listVideos from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

playlists_getPlaylist

When Claude Desktop requests playlists_getPlaylist from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

playlists_getPlaylistItems

When Claude Desktop requests playlists_getPlaylistItems from YouTube, review the action before approving it.

YouTube: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting YouTube in Claude Desktop

  • Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop for YouTube MCP Server. If npx zubeid-youtube-mcp-server (Node.js/npm) is missing, check the desktop process's PATH, which may differ from your terminal.
  • In Claude Desktop's YouTube MCP Server entry, check YOUTUBE_API_KEY. Keep secrets out of shared screenshots and repositories.
  • YouTube MCP Server uses stdio here: Claude Desktop must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
  • Known limitation: At least one YouTube Data API key is required.
  • Known limitation: Creator-only filtering uses heuristics rather than a guaranteed classification.
  • Known limitation: The Docker build can include credentials from its copied environment file.
  • General Claude Desktop troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-desktop guide.

YouTube MCP Server — details. Claude Desktop guide

Frequently asked questions

Claude Desktop loads YouTube MCP Server from claude_desktop_config.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows. Open it via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

Claude Desktop's youtube-mcp-server example uses stdio.

YouTube MCP Server's Claude Desktop configuration invokes npx zubeid-youtube-mcp-server (Node.js/npm).

Claude Desktop's YouTube MCP Server example references YOUTUBE_API_KEY. Check these names if startup or authentication fails; the example alone does not distinguish required from optional values.

YouTube MCP Server's stored list contains 10 tools, including videos_getVideo, videos_searchVideos, transcripts_getTranscript. Compare those names with Claude Desktop's connected tool list; the stored list is not a live check.

No. One configured key is sufficient; the second and third key variables provide optional fallbacks.

The README says the server retries that request using the next configured key.