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YouTube MCP servers: which one to use

Google has no official YouTube server. Use a transcript server for summaries, yutu to manage your channel, or an API-key server for search.

Servers
156
active
Hosted
63
nothing to install
Local
65
runs on your machine

There is no official YouTube MCP server from Google, so pick one by the job. To summarize videos, a transcript server such as jkawamoto's needs no key and only reads. To manage your own channel, yutu signs in with your Google account through YouTube's official API and can upload, edit and delete. For search and channel research, ZubeidHendricks' server uses a YouTube API key and also only reads.

Good for

  • Anyone who wants Claude or ChatGPT to summarize a video or pull quotes with timestamps
  • Creators who want an assistant to update titles, playlists, captions and uploads on their own channel
  • Marketers and researchers comparing channels and finding creators in a niche
  • Developers adding YouTube data to an agent workflow

Which YouTube MCP server to use

Use the YouTube Transcript server to summarize videos and yutu to manage your own channel. Pick ZubeidHendricks' server for search and channel research if you have a YouTube API key.

ServerBest forRunsSign-inCan change thingsGitHub stars
YouTube TranscriptTranscriptsLocalNo sign-inNo494
yutuChannel managementLocalGoogle accountYes712
YouTube MCP ServerSearch and researchLocalAPI keyNo592
vidIQChannel researchHostedvidIQ accountYes–
YouTube UploaderUploadsLocalGoogle accountYes63
BibiGPTSummariesHostedBibiGPT accountNo134

All YouTube MCP servers

156 active · official first, then by GitHub stars

Show all 156

Questions

Is there an official YouTube MCP server?

No. Google's list of official MCP servers covers Cloud, Maps, Analytics and Workspace but not YouTube. Every YouTube server is community-built.

Which YouTube MCP server is best for transcripts and summaries?

jkawamoto's YouTube Transcript server. It needs no key, only reads, and splits long transcripts so they fit in the chat. BibiGPT is a hosted option if you would rather sign in than install anything.

Do I need a YouTube API key?

Not for transcripts. Search and channel servers like ZubeidHendricks' need a YouTube Data API key, and channel managers like yutu need you to sign in with Google.

Is there a hosted YouTube MCP server that needs no API key?

Yes. vidIQ hosts a YouTube MCP server for channel and keyword research that you sign in to, included in every vidIQ plan including Free. BibiGPT hosts one for video summaries.

Can an MCP server upload or edit videos on my channel?

Yes. yutu can upload, edit and delete videos, playlists, captions and comments, and youtube-uploader-mcp uploads and schedules videos. Both act through YouTube's official API after you sign in with Google.

Why does yutu make me create a Google Cloud project?

It signs in with your own Google OAuth app, not a shared one. You create a desktop OAuth client, add yourself as a test user, and sign in once to save a token.

How many searches can I run a day?

About 100 by default. Each Google Cloud project gets 100 search calls and 100 uploads a day, plus 10,000 units for other requests, reset at midnight Pacific time.

Why does the transcript server fail on a cloud server?

YouTube blocks most IP addresses that belong to cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. Run it on your own computer, or set a residential proxy in its settings.

Is pulling transcripts allowed by YouTube?

Not clearly. YouTube's terms forbid automated access such as scrapers without its permission, and the official API only gives captions for videos you can edit. Transcript servers read the public captions outside that API.

Server facts from the official MCP registry, GitHub, npm, PyPI and the Docker catalog. Archived servers are not listed.