YouTube Automation via Rube MCP

Automate YouTube operations through Composio's YouTube toolkit via Rube MCP.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/youtube

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active YouTube connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit youtube

• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit youtube

• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Manage Videos

When to use: User wants to upload a video or update video metadata

Tool sequence:

• YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO

• Upload a new video [Required]

• YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO

• Update title, description, tags, privacy [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAIL

• Set a custom thumbnail [Optional]

Key parameters:

• title : Video title (max 100 characters)

• description : Video description (max 5000 bytes)

• tags : Array of keyword tags

• categoryId : YouTube category ID (e.g., '22' for People & Blogs)

• privacyStatus : 'public', 'private', or 'unlisted'

• videoFilePath : Object with {name, mimetype, s3key} for the video file

Pitfalls:

• UPLOAD_VIDEO consumes high quota; prefer UPDATE_VIDEO for metadata-only changes

• videoFilePath must be an object with s3key, not a raw file path or URL

• Tags total must not exceed 500 characters including separators

• Angle brackets < > in tags are automatically stripped

• Description limit is 5000 bytes, not characters (multibyte chars count more)

2. Search YouTube Content

When to use: User wants to find videos, channels, or playlists

Tool sequence:

• YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE

• Search for content [Required]

• YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS

• Get full details for a specific video [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH

• Get details for multiple videos [Optional]

Key parameters:

• q : Search query (supports exact phrases, exclusions, channel handles)

• type : 'video', 'channel', or 'playlist'

• maxResults : Results per page (1-50)

• pageToken : For pagination

Pitfalls:

• Search endpoint only returns 'snippet' part; use VIDEO_DETAILS for statistics

• Search results are capped at 500 total items

• Search has higher quota cost (100 units) vs list endpoints (1 unit)

• BATCH video details practical limit is ~50 IDs per call; chunk larger sets

3. Manage Playlists

When to use: User wants to create playlists or manage playlist contents

Tool sequence:

• YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS

• List user's existing playlists [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST

• Create a new playlist [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST

• Add a video to a playlist [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS

• List videos in a playlist [Optional]

Key parameters:

• playlistId : Playlist ID ('PL...' for user-created, 'UU...' for uploads)

• part : Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,contentDetails')

• maxResults : Items per page (1-50)

• pageToken : Pagination token from previous response

Pitfalls:

• Do NOT pass channel IDs ('UC...') as playlist IDs; convert 'UC' to 'UU' for uploads

• Large playlists require pagination via pageToken; follow nextPageToken until absent

• items[].id is not the videoId; use items[].snippet.resourceId.videoId

• Creating duplicate playlist names is allowed; check existing playlists first

4. Get Channel and Video Analytics

When to use: User wants to analyze channel performance or video metrics

Tool sequence:

• YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE

• Resolve a handle to channel ID [Prerequisite]

• YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS

• Get channel subscriber/view/video counts [Required]

• YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS

• List all videos from a channel [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH

• Get per-video statistics [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIES

• Get recent channel activities [Optional]

Key parameters:

• channelId : Channel ID ('UC...'), handle ('@handle'), or 'me'

• forHandle : Channel handle (e.g., '@Google')

• id : Comma-separated video IDs for batch details

• parts : Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,statistics')

Pitfalls:

• Channel statistics are lifetime totals, not per-period

• BATCH video details may return fewer items than requested for private/deleted videos

• Response data may be nested under data or data_preview ; parse defensively

• contentDetails.duration uses ISO 8601 format (e.g., 'PT4M13S')

5. Manage Subscriptions and Comments

When to use: User wants to subscribe to channels or view video comments

Tool sequence:

• YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL

• Subscribe to a channel [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_UNSUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL

• Unsubscribe from a channel [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONS

• List subscriptions [Optional]

• YOUTUBE_LIST_COMMENT_THREADS

• List comments on a video [Optional]

Key parameters:

• channelId : Channel to subscribe/unsubscribe

• videoId : Video ID for comment threads

• maxResults : Results per page

• pageToken : Pagination token

Pitfalls:

• Subscribing to an already-subscribed channel may return an error

• Comment threads return top-level comments with up to 5 replies each

• Comments may be disabled on some videos

• Unsubscribe requires the subscription ID, not the channel ID

Common Patterns

Channel ID Resolution

Handle to Channel ID:

1. Call YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE with '@handle'
2. Extract channelId from response
3. Use in subsequent channel operations

Uploads Playlist:

1. Get channel ID (starts with 'UC')
2. Replace 'UC' prefix with 'UU' to get uploads playlist ID
3. Use with LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS to enumerate all videos

Pagination

• Set maxResults (max 50 per page)

• Check response for nextPageToken

• Pass token as pageToken in next request

• Continue until nextPageToken is absent

Batch Video Details

• Collect video IDs from search or playlist listings

• Chunk into groups of ~50 IDs

• Call GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH per chunk

• Merge results across chunks

Known Pitfalls

Quota Management:

• YouTube API has a daily quota limit (default 10,000 units)

• Upload = 1600 units; search = 100 units; list = 1 unit

• Prefer list endpoints over search when possible

• Monitor quota usage to avoid hitting daily limits

ID Formats:

• Video IDs: 11-character alphanumeric strings

• Channel IDs: Start with 'UC' followed by 22 characters

• Playlist IDs: Start with 'PL' (user) or 'UU' (uploads)

• Do not confuse channel IDs with playlist IDs

Thumbnails:

• Custom thumbnails require channel phone verification

• Must be JPG, PNG, or GIF; under 2MB

• Recommended: 1280x720 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio)

Response Parsing:

• Statistics values are returned as strings, not integers; cast before math

• Duration uses ISO 8601 format (PT#H#M#S)

• Batch responses may wrap data under different keys

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

Upload video YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO title, description, tags, categoryId, privacyStatus, videoFilePath

Update video YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO video_id, title, description, tags

Set thumbnail YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAIL videoId, thumbnailUrl

Search YouTube YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE q, type, maxResults

Video details YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS id, part

Batch video details YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH id, parts

List playlists YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS maxResults, pageToken

Create playlist YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST (check schema)

Add to playlist YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST (check schema)

List playlist items YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS playlistId, maxResults

Channel statistics YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS id/forHandle/mine

List channel videos YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS channelId, maxResults

Channel ID by handle YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE channel_handle

Subscribe YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL channelId

List subscriptions YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONS (check schema)

List comments YOUTUBE_LIST_COMMENT_THREADS videoId

Channel activities YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIES (check schema)

Powered by Composio