The YouTube Uploader MCP is a specialized tool designed to bridge the gap between AI assistants and video content management. In its simplest form, it allows an AI model to upload video files directly to a YouTube channel without requiring a human to manually navigate the website. This transforms the video publishing process into a streamlined task that an AI can initiate or manage autonomously, making it much easier to share content quickly and efficiently. Built using the Go programming language, this server provides a robust framework for handling the technical complexities of the YouTube API. It features a complete OAuth2 authentication flow, ensuring that all video transfers are secure and properly authorized through Google’s official protocols. The tool is designed to manage sensitive credentials, including access and refresh tokens, and requires a standard Google OAuth 2.0 client secret file for its initial configuration. This modular structure allows it to function effectively as both a standalone command-line utility and a backend component for more complex software systems. For developers working with Large Language Models (LLMs), this MCP tool is particularly valuable because it enables sophisticated agentic workflows. By integrating this server into environments like Claude Desktop or Cursor, an AI assistant gains the specific "skill" of video publishing. Developers can build automated pipelines where an AI can generate or process media and then deploy the final product to YouTube as part of a single continuous conversation. This integration removes the friction of manual file handling, making it an essential building block for modern, AI-driven media management and content creation platforms.
1. Installation 1. Download Binary: Visit the GitHub Releases page and download the appropriate binary for your operating system: * youtube-uploader-mcp-linux-amd64 * youtube-uploader-mcp-darwin-arm64 * youtube-uploader-mcp-windows-amd64.exe 2. Make Executable (Linux/macOS): Run the following command in your terminal: bash chmod +x path/to/youtube-uploader-mcp-<os>-<arch>
2. Configuration To use this MCP server, you must first set up Google OAuth 2.0 and obtain a client_secret.json file from the Google Developer Console. Add the following configuration to your MCP settings file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or Cursor settings): json { "mcpServers": { "youtube-uploader-mcp": { "command": "/absolute/path/to/youtube-uploader-mcp-<os>-<arch>", "args": [ "-client_secret_file", "/absolute/path/to/client_secret.json" ] } } }
3. Available Tools The MCP provides the following capabilities: * Video Upload: Functionality to upload videos directly to YouTube. * OAuth2 Authentication: Handles the authentication flow with Google. * Token Management: Manages access and refresh tokens for persistent access.
4. Example Prompts (No specific example prompts were provided in the source content.)
What you can do with YouTube Uploader MCP
Use Case 1: Automated AI-Generated Content Pipeline Problem: Content creators using AI tools to generate scripts, voiceovers, and videos often face a "manual bottleneck" where they have to download files from one tool and manually upload them to YouTube, adding titles and descriptions one by one. Solution: This MCP allows an AI assistant to handle the final leg of the content creation journey. Once the AI has helped generate the assets, it can use the YouTube Uploader MCP to push the video directly to the channel with the metadata (title, tags, description) it already helped create. Example: "Claude, now that we've finished the script and generated the video file, please upload 'ai_tutorial.mp4' to my YouTube channel. Title it '5 Tips for AI Productivity' and use the description we drafted earlier."
Use Case 2: Seamless Bug Reporting and Technical Demos Problem: Developers and QA engineers often record screen captures to demonstrate bugs or new features. Navigating the YouTube Studio UI to upload these "unlisted" videos just to share a link in a Jira ticket or GitHub PR is a distracting, high-friction task. Solution: By integrating this MCP into a developer's workflow (like in the Cursor editor), the developer can instantly upload a screen recording as an unlisted video. The AI can then provide the link to be pasted directly into documentation or code reviews. Example: "I've recorded a 30-second demo of the login bug. Upload this video as 'Unlisted' and give me the URL so I can include it in my Pull Request."
Use Case 3: Automated Archiving of Meeting Recordings Problem: Organizations frequently record internal meetings or webinars for training purposes, but these files often sit forgotten in local "Downloads" folders or cloud storage because the manual upload process is tedious. Solution: An AI assistant can be used to monitor a local directory for new video files. Using the MCP, it can automatically upload these recordings to a specific YouTube playlist, ensuring that team knowledge is archived and searchable without manual intervention. Example: "Upload the 'Q3_Strategy_Session.mp4' from my desktop to the 'Internal Archives' playlist. Add a description summarizing the key points from the meeting transcript."
Use Case 4: Batch Processing for Social Media Managers Problem: Social media managers often have to upload a series of short-form videos (Shorts) or promotional clips. Doing this through the web interface requires repetitive clicking, typing, and tagging for every single…
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What can YouTube Uploader MCP do?
YouTube Uploader MCP allows AI assistants to upload video files directly to YouTube channels. Through tools like upload_video and update_video, it configures metadata including titles, descriptions, tags, languages, and privacy settings such as public, private, or unlisted. It also handles scheduling publish dates, adding uploaded videos to specific playlists, uploading custom thumbnail images under two megabytes, and attaching subtitle tracks.
Which MCP clients work with YouTube Uploader MCP?
YouTube Uploader MCP works with any client supporting the Model Context Protocol standard. Verified environments include Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and AnythingLLM. You configure the server by pointing the client configuration file to the executable binary and supplying the path to your Google OAuth client secret file.
How does authentication work with YouTube Uploader MCP?
The server utilizes standard Google OAuth 2.0. Users provide a client_secret.json file downloaded from the Google Developer Console. The server provides built-in tools to generate login URLs, exchange authorization codes for access and refresh tokens, and manage multi-channel accounts locally. Sensitive API tokens and credentials remain local on your machine and are never passed to the language model.
Is YouTube Uploader MCP open source?
Yes, YouTube Uploader MCP is open-source software available on GitHub under public repository access. Users can download precompiled binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows from GitHub releases, or inspect and build the Go codebase directly from source.
Why do subtitle uploads require special permissions?
Subtitle and caption uploads require the youtube.force-ssl scope in Google OAuth settings. This scope is strictly mandated by the YouTube Data API for caption write operations. If you previously authenticated an older version of the server without this scope, you must remove the local channel cache file and re-run authentication to grant the required permission.