channel-playlist-research

# Channel & playlist research Covers everything about a YouTube channel or playlist short of fetching an individual video's transcript (see the `fetch-transcript` skill for that). ## Trigger - "What has @channel posted recently?" -> latest videos (1 credit) - "List every video @channel has ever uploaded" -> full upload history (paginated) - "Search @channel's videos for X" -> in-channel search (paginated) - "List all videos in this playlist" -> playlist contents (paginated) - "What's this channel's ID / is this the right channel?" -> resolve a handle/URL to a canonical channel ID (1 credit) ## Preferred path: the bundled MCP tools If the `youtube-transcript` MCP server is connected, use whichever tool matches the ask: | Tool | Use for | Cost | |---|---|---| | `get_channel_latest_videos({ channel })` | Channel metadata + its home tab's recent uploads | 1 credit | | `list_channel_videos({ channel \| continuation })` | Every video the channel has ever uploaded, paginated | 1 credit/page | | `search_channel_videos({ channel, query \| continuation })` | Search within one channel's videos | 1 credit/page | | `list_playlist_videos({ playlist \| continuation })` | Every video in a playlist | 1 credit/page | `channel` accepts an `@handle`, a channel URL, or a `UC...` ID. `playlist` accepts a playlist URL or ID. For any of the paginated tools, pass the previous response's opaque continuation token back verbatim to `continuation` for the next page - never construct or decode it. A `null`/absent token means there are no more pages. ## Fallback: the REST API Same base URL and auth as `fetch-transcript` (`https://getyoutubetranscript.com/api/v1`, `Authorization: Bearer $YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`): | Endpoint | Params | Cost | |---|---|---| | `GET /resolve?handle=@mkbhd` | `handle` (ID, URL, or @handle) | 1 credit | | `GET /channel/latest?channel=@mkbhd` | `channel` | 1 credit | | `GET /channel/videos?channel=@mkbhd` (or `&continuation=`) | `channel` or `continuation` | 1 credit/page | | `GET /channel/search?channel=@mkbhd&q=iphone` (or `&continuation=`) | `channel`+`q`, or `continuation` | 1 credit/page | | `GET /playlist?list=<id or URL>` (or `&continuation=`) | `list` or `continuation` | 1 credit/page | See the `fetch-transcript` skill for how to obtain `YOUTUBE_TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`, and for the shared error-code table (401/402/404/429/503). ## Which one to reach for - Just want to know what's new? `get_channel_latest_videos` / `channel/latest` - it's one credit for the whole latest shelf, use it before reaching for the paginated full-history tool. - Need the complete history (for an archive, a database, or "has this channel ever covered X")? `list_channel_videos` / `channel/videos`. - Only care about one topic within a channel? `search_channel_videos` / `channel/search` - cheaper than paginating the full history and filtering yourself. - Before paginating a large channel or playlist, consider checking remaining balance first (`get_credits` tool, or `GET /credits`, both free) so a long pagination loop doesn't die partway through on a `402`.