YouTube MCP Server for Cursor: Setup & Config

What you can do with YouTube in Cursor

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

• Discover creator channels by topic, subscriber size, and recent activity.
• Inspect channel uploads and playlist contents.

Before you start: YouTube in Cursor

• 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 Cursor configuration

1. Choose Cursor configuration scope

   For YouTube MCP Server, open Project: .cursor/mcp.json User: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Merge into mcpServers at project or user scope.

2. Add YouTube MCP Server to Cursor

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

3. Check YouTube MCP Server in Cursor

   YouTube MCP Server: Enable in Cursor’s MCP settings; inspect tools.

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

YouTube tools available to Cursor

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

videos_getVideo

Find videos_getVideo under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

videos_searchVideos

Find videos_searchVideos under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

transcripts_getTranscript

Find transcripts_getTranscript under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

channels_getChannel

Find channels_getChannel under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

channels_getChannels

Find channels_getChannels under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

channels_searchChannels

Find channels_searchChannels under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Find channels by handle, name, or query with subscriber and activity filters.

channels_findCreators

Find channels_findCreators under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Discover creator channels from topic-matching videos using size and activity constraints.

channels_listVideos

Find channels_listVideos under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

List videos belonging to a specified channel.

playlists_getPlaylist

Find playlists_getPlaylist under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Inspect details for a selected playlist.

playlists_getPlaylistItems

Find playlists_getPlaylistItems under YouTube in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Retrieve videos contained in a playlist.

YouTube: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting YouTube in Cursor

• Cursor must find npx zubeid-youtube-mcp-server (Node.js/npm) for YouTube MCP Server. Enable the project/user entry in MCP settings and inspect its tools.
• Review YOUTUBE_API_KEY for YouTube MCP Server before sharing project .cursor/mcp.json; project scope travels with the repository.
• YouTube MCP Server uses stdio here: Cursor 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 Cursor troubleshooting lives in the /clients/cursor guide.

Frequently asked questions