YouTube API reference
Get public YouTube videos, channels, Shorts, live streams, comments, playlists and search results as clean JSON. Send a link, a handle or a search. No Google account and no API quota.
The YouTube API has 14 endpoints, called the same way: POST /execute with the endpoint ID as capability and its fields as input, or pin YouTube in the MCP server and call each one as a tool. The data comes back as JSON in results[0].data, with what the call cost in billing.credits_charged.
The inputs you send most are url and query. Prices run from 0.1 credits to 1–10 credits per call, and a failed call costs nothing.
Endpoints
Open an endpoint for its input, the fields it returns and the request in cURL, Python and Node.js.
| Endpoint | What it returns | Price |
|---|---|---|
youtube.video.get |
Get one video from its link or ID: title, description, channel, views, likes, length, category, keywords and publish date. | 0.5 credits |
youtube.channel.get |
Get a channel from its link, handle or ID: name, description, subscribers, video count, keywords and tabs. | 0.25 credits |
youtube.channel-videos.list |
List a channel's videos, newest first, with title, views and length, page by page. | 0.5–10 credits |
youtube.search.query |
Search YouTube for videos, Shorts, channels, playlists or live streams, filtered by upload date and length and sorted by relevance, date, views or rating. | 0.25–10 credits |
youtube.comments.list |
Read a video's top or newest comments, and the replies to any of them. | 0.5–15 credits |
youtube.channel-shorts.list |
List a channel's Shorts with their view counts. | 0.5–15 credits |
youtube.channel-live.list |
List a channel's live streams: live now, scheduled and past. | 0.5–10 credits |
youtube.channel-playlists.list |
List the playlists on a channel's Playlists tab with their video counts. | 0.25–2.5 credits |
youtube.playlist.get |
Get a playlist from its link or ID: title, owner, video and view counts, and its videos page by page. | 0.25–1.25 credits |
youtube.channel-community.list |
List the posts on a channel's community tab. | 1–10 credits |
youtube.post.get |
Get one community post from its link or ID: text, media, poll and vote count. | 0.75 credits |
youtube.hashtag.list |
List the videos YouTube shows on a hashtag's page. | 0.5–15 credits |
youtube.search.typeahead |
Get the search suggestions YouTube offers for the start of a query, in the language you choose. | 0.1 credits |
youtube.feed.trending |
Get a sample of the Shorts YouTube recommends to a visitor right now. | 0.75–1 credits |
What to know
- Some counts are rounded Lists show counts the way YouTube does, such as 84K views, and mark them as approximate. A video's own page gives the exact view count.
- Dates as YouTube gives them A video's page has its exact publish date. Lists and comments often only say how long ago, so check the field before you sort by it.
- Recommendations are samples The trending Shorts feed is a fresh sample each call, not a ranked chart.
- Live status at the moment of the call The live streams list says which streams are live now, scheduled or past, as of the call.
Something missing or unclear? Ask the team that builds the YouTube endpoints.