| name | yt-search-setup |
| description | Set up the /yt-search slash command for Claude Code. Installs yt-dlp, creates the search script, and registers the slash command. Use when the user says 'set up yt-search', 'install youtube search', or '/yt-search-skill-setup'. |
YouTube Search Skill Setup
This skill installs the /yt-search slash command for Claude Code, enabling YouTube search directly from the CLI.
What it sets up
- yt-dlp — The CLI tool that powers the search (installed via pip/pipx/brew)
- Search script —
~/.claude/scripts/yt-search.py — Python script that queries YouTube and formats results
- Slash command —
~/.claude/commands/yt-search.md — Claude Code command that invokes the script
Setup steps
1. Check and install yt-dlp
which yt-dlp || pip install yt-dlp
If pip fails due to externally-managed-environment, try pipx install yt-dlp or brew install yt-dlp.
2. Create the scripts directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/scripts
3. Create the search script
Write ~/.claude/scripts/yt-search.py with:
- YouTube search via
yt-dlp --dump-json --flat-playlist
--count N flag (default: 20 results)--months N flag (default: 6, filters to recent videos)--no-date-filter flag (show all results regardless of date)- Formatted output: title, channel (with subscriber count), views, duration, date, URL
4. Create the slash command
Write ~/.claude/commands/yt-search.md with frontmatter:
---
description: "Search YouTube and return structured video results"
argument-hint: "<query> [--count N]"
allowed-tools:
- Bash
---
The command runs python3 ~/.claude/scripts/yt-search.py $ARGUMENTS.
5. Verify
python3 ~/.claude/scripts/yt-search.py "test query" --count 3
After setup
The user can search YouTube with:
/yt-search claude code skills
/yt-search AI agents --count 10
/yt-search react tutorials --months 3
/yt-search machine learning --no-date-filter
What it returns
For each video:
- Title
- Channel name and subscriber count
- View count
- Duration
- Upload date
- Direct YouTube link
