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YouTube

Search for videos, retrieve video and channel details, and browse playlists using the YouTube Data API v3.

Authentication

Supported Authentication Methods

Drop in supports:

  • OAuth 2.0 — access private YouTube data such as your channel's analytics and private playlists
  • API Key (YouTube Data API v3) — access public YouTube data

Using OAuth

OAuth authentication allows Drop in to access your YouTube account securely, including private data such as your channel's analytics and private playlists.

  1. In Drop in, select YouTube when creating a drop
  2. Choose Sign in with Google as the authentication method
  3. You'll be redirected to Google's consent screen
  4. Sign in with your Google account and grant Drop in access to your YouTube data
  5. Once authorized, you're ready to use all YouTube actions

You can revoke access at any time from your Google Account Permissions page.

Using an API Key

To connect YouTube with Drop in, you'll need a Google Cloud API key with YouTube Data API v3 enabled:

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select an existing one
  3. Navigate to APIs & Services > Library
  4. Search for YouTube Data API v3 and click Enable
  5. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
  6. Click Create Credentials > API key
  7. Copy your new API key
  8. (Recommended) Click Edit API key to restrict it to only the YouTube Data API v3
  9. In Drop in, select YouTube when creating a drop and paste your API key

Important: API keys are subject to daily quota limits set by Google. The default quota is 10,000 units per day. Different operations consume different amounts of quota — search calls are more expensive than simple retrieval calls.

Resources:

Providing Context

Many YouTube actions require identifiers like a video ID, channel ID, or playlist ID so the AI knows which content to work with. You don't need to memorize these — the AI can look them up, or you can find them yourself.

How IDs Work in YouTube

YouTube uses short string IDs to identify videos, channels, and playlists. Here's how to find them:

  • Video ID — The v parameter in a YouTube URL. For example, in youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ, the video ID is dQw4w9WgXcQ.
  • Channel ID — Found in channel URLs that start with youtube.com/channel/. For example, UCWv7vMbMWH4-V0ZXdmDpPBA. You can also use the search action to find a channel by name.
  • Playlist ID — Found in playlist URLs as the list parameter. For example, in youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWKjhJtqVAbnqBxcdjVGgT3uVR10bzTEB, the playlist ID is PLWKjhJtqVAbnqBxcdjVGgT3uVR10bzTEB.

Letting the AI Find IDs for You

When you describe what you want in plain language (e.g., "find the latest videos from freeCodeCamp" or "get the playlists from this channel"), the AI will automatically search YouTube, find the right resources, and then perform the action. You only need to provide IDs yourself if you want to target a specific resource directly.

Available Actions

Search

Search YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists matching a query. Results can be ordered by relevance, date, rating, title, or view count. You can also filter by channel or publication date.

Get Video

Get details for a single YouTube video by ID, including its title, description, thumbnail, view count, like count, comment count, duration, and definition.

List Videos

Get details for multiple YouTube videos at once by providing a list of video IDs. Returns the same detail fields as Get Video for each video.

Get Channel

Get details for a YouTube channel by channel ID or username, including the channel name, description, subscriber count, total view count, and video count.

List Playlists

List all playlists for a YouTube channel. Returns each playlist's title, description, and the number of videos it contains. Supports pagination for channels with many playlists.

List Playlist Items

List the videos inside a YouTube playlist. Returns each video's title, description, position in the playlist, and video ID. Supports pagination for long playlists.

Common Issues

Video or Channel Not Found

If you receive "not found" errors when retrieving a video or channel:

  • Verify the ID is correct by checking the YouTube URL
  • The video may be private, unlisted, or deleted
  • Channel lookups by username may not work for all channels — try using the channel ID instead

Quota Exceeded

If you see quota-related errors:

  • The YouTube Data API has a default daily quota of 10,000 units
  • Search operations cost 100 units each, while most other operations cost 1 unit
  • Wait until your quota resets (resets at midnight Pacific Time) or request a quota increase in the Google Cloud Console

Empty Search Results

If search returns no results:

  • Try broadening your search query
  • Check that the type filter (video, channel, or playlist) matches what you're looking for
  • If filtering by channel, verify the channel ID is correct

Rate Limits

If you see rate limit errors:

  • Space out requests when performing bulk operations
  • Use List Videos to fetch multiple videos in a single call instead of making separate Get Video calls
  • Avoid running the same search repeatedly in a short time

Need help? Contact support