YouTube MCP Server
Access YouTube data via Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible AI agent.
TubeLab runs a YouTube MCP server that lets Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, and any other MCP-compatible agent read YouTube data directly from chat — channel stats, viral outliers, transcripts, comments, and more.
No code, no API wiring, no scripts.
YouTube MCP server URL:
https://public-api.tubelab.net/mcp
Access YouTube data from your favourite AI
Pick your AI client and follow the setup guide:
Claude
Connect YouTube data to Claude via Settings → Connectors. OAuth.
ChatGPT
Connect YouTube data to ChatGPT as a custom app. OAuth.
Codex
Add the YouTube MCP server to Codex. API key.
Cursor
Paste a JSON config into Cursor's MCP settings. API key.
Authentication
The YouTube MCP server supports two authentication methods depending on the client:
- OAuth — used by Claude and ChatGPT. Log into TubeLab in a browser redirect, approve access, and the connector handles session refresh automatically. No API key to manage.
- API key (Bearer token) — used by Codex, Cursor, and any custom agent. Create a key and paste it as the Bearer token. Treat it like a password.
Available YouTube data
Once connected, your AI agent has access to 11 tools covering the full TubeLab YouTube dataset:
| Tool | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
search_channels | Search YouTube channels by keyword with filters (subscribers, views, language, monetization, etc.) | 5 credits |
search_related_channels | Find channels similar to a given channel | 5 credits |
search_outliers | Find viral or underperforming videos across YouTube by keyword | 2 credits |
search_related_outliers | Find outlier videos from channels similar to a given channel | 2 credits |
get_channel | Get info about a YouTube channel (accepts ID, URL, or @handle) | free |
get_channel_videos | Get recent videos from a channel | free |
get_channel_shorts | Get recent Shorts from a channel | free |
get_video | Get detailed info about a specific video | free |
get_video_transcript | Get the transcript/captions of a video | free |
get_video_comments | Get top comments from a video | free |
get_credits_balance | Check your TubeLab credit balance | free |
You don't need to call these by name. Just ask your agent what you need in plain language and it picks the right tools automatically.
Prompts
Ready-to-use prompt templates for channel teardowns, niche research, trend reports and more — paste them into any MCP-connected chat.
What you can ask
Once the YouTube MCP server is connected, interact with YouTube data in plain language — niche research, competitor analysis, outlier discovery, transcript extraction, comments mining, and more. For battle-tested prompts you can copy-paste straight into chat, head to the prompts library.
Agents without MCP support
For agents that can't use MCP (custom scripts, curl-based automation, older chat interfaces), we also publish a skill file documenting every endpoint with curl examples. Include it in your agent's system prompt or context and it will generate correct requests against TubeLab's YouTube data endpoints.
curl -o SKILL.md https://tubelab.net/docs/skill.mdThe skill is auto-generated from the OpenAPI spec and stays in sync with the API.