yt-dlp

name	yt-dlp
description	Use yt-dlp to fetch YouTube metadata, transcripts, and media, plus summarize videos by default when given only a YouTube URL. Use for channel stats, playlist inspection, subtitle extraction, audio or video downloads, and consistent temp-folder workflows with yt-dlp.
version	1.0.0
author	community
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["YouTube","yt-dlp","Video","Transcripts","Subtitles","Download","Metadata","Summarize"]}}

yt-dlp

Use a dedicated temp folder for all yt-dlp work so you never spray files around the workspace. The default temp root is data/tmp/yt-dlp inside the workspace root (for Hermes this means a relative path data/tmp/yt-dlp from the current working directory). Always create it if missing, and keep intermediate JSON, subtitles, and media in that folder unless the user explicitly asks for a different destination. Prefer writing outputs into temp and then moving or copying to a final location if needed. If you create helper scripts, put them under workspace/scripts/yt-dlp and delete one-off scripts after use. Before fetching channel stats or user-specific data, check TOOLS.md for usernames and tool variables.

When constructing commands, never run yt-dlp in random directories; always either:

• cd into data/tmp/yt-dlp first, or
• pass --paths data/tmp/yt-dlp / -P data/tmp/yt-dlp so all output files land there.

On Windows / PowerShell (your setup), use this pattern only:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "data/tmp/yt-dlp" | Out-Null
yt-dlp --paths "data/tmp/yt-dlp" ...

Plain YouTube URL (default: summarize)

When given a plain YouTube URL with no extra instruction, treat it as:
“Give me a thorough written explanation of this video as if I will not watch it.”

Default flow (run at most once per URL; if any yt-dlp step fails, show the error and explain it instead of looping retries):

1. Prep temp folder
   • Ensure data/tmp/yt-dlp exists as above.
2. Metadata JSON
   • Run yt-dlp with --dump-single-json into temp, e.g.:
     • PowerShell:

       yt-dlp --dump-single-json --paths \"data/tmp/yt-dlp\" -o \"%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s\" <URL> > \"data/tmp/yt-dlp\\meta.json\"
       

     • POSIX:

       yt-dlp --dump-single-json --paths data/tmp/yt-dlp -o '%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s' <URL> > data/tmp/yt-dlp/meta.json
       

3. Subtitles first (preferred)
   • Try captions with no media download:
     • --write-auto-subs or --write-subs
     • --sub-langs en (or the user’s language)
     • --sub-format vtt
     • --skip-download
     • Always keep output in data/tmp/yt-dlp via --paths / -P.
   • Then use read_file to open the .vtt from data/tmp/yt-dlp and summarize from the transcript.
4. If no captions exist
   • Extract audio into data/tmp/yt-dlp with --extract-audio and an audio format (e.g. mp3), then summarize from the audio (or via Whisper if available).
5. Summary style
   • Write a detailed, self-contained explanation as if the user will never watch the video:
     • Who is speaking / main actors
     • Main claims, arguments, and conclusions
     • Important evidence, examples, or stories
     • Timeline / structure (intro, key sections, ending)
     • Any notable quotes or numbers (summarized, not just copied)
   • Do not just say “here are subtitles”; actually digest and explain.
   • Keep the summary in the response text (not as a file) unless the user explicitly asks for a file.

Channel or playlist stats

Use --dump-single-json with --flat-playlist for speed, then parse fields like channel, channel_id, uploader, uploader_id, channel_follower_count, and entry counts. If view counts are missing from yt-dlp, say so and offer a browser scrape as a follow up.

Media downloads

Use -F for formats, then -f to select, or --extract-audio with --audio-format and --audio-quality for audio. Use -o to control output names, and --paths to set final destinations. Use --download-archive to avoid duplicates for batch pulls.

Subtitles

Use --list-subs first when accuracy matters, then --write-subs or --write-auto-subs with --sub-langs and --sub-format. Use --convert-subs if you need srt.

Metadata and assets

Use --write-info-json, --write-thumbnail, or --write-all-thumbnails, and --embed-metadata or --embed-thumbnail when producing final media.

Auth or member-only access

Use --cookies-from-browser or --cookies. Keep cookie paths private and never print them.

JavaScript runtime warnings

If yt-dlp warns about missing JavaScript runtimes, note it and continue unless extraction fails. If it fails, suggest adding a JS runtime or switching to browser extraction.

Whisper and Windows

When transcribing with Whisper, prefer CUDA if available by using --device cuda, and set UTF-8 output (for example set PYTHONUTF8=1 or use an output format like srt/json) to avoid Windows UnicodeEncodeError when writing files.

General

Prefer short, direct commands. Avoid listing huge inventories of formats unless explicitly asked.

If a yt-dlp command fails or you’re unsure about flags, it is always allowed to run:

yt-dlp --help

and then adjust the command based on the documented Usage: yt-dlp [OPTIONS] URL [URL...] and options. Never keep retrying the same failing command blindly; check --help or the error message once, fix the command, and then try again at most one more time.

Transcript Helper (canonical)

Use the canonical helper script in this skill for transcript pulls:

python SKILL_DIR/scripts/fetch_transcript.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
python SKILL_DIR/scripts/fetch_transcript.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --timestamps
python SKILL_DIR/scripts/fetch_transcript.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --text-only
python SKILL_DIR/scripts/fetch_transcript.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --language tr,en

If both yt-dlp subtitles and youtube-transcript-api are available:

• Prefer yt-dlp subtitle extraction for consistent data/tmp/yt-dlp file artifacts.
• Use fetch_transcript.py as fallback (or when plain JSON/plain-text transcript is explicitly requested).

Canonical Skill Note

This is the canonical YouTube skill for this project. The youtube-content skill is a compatibility alias and should defer to this one.