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youtube-tools▌

casper-studios/casper-marketplace · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/casper-studios/casper-marketplace --skill youtube-tools
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summary

Free, local YouTube operations using yt-dlp. No API keys required, no per-video costs. Works offline after installation.

skill.md

YouTube Tools (yt-dlp)

Overview

Free, local YouTube operations using yt-dlp. No API keys required, no per-video costs. Works offline after installation.

When to Use This vs Apify

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DECISION: YouTube Tools (yt-dlp) vs Apify                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│ Use youtube-tools (FREE) when:                                  │
│ ├── Downloading videos to local storage                         │
│ ├── Extracting transcripts/subtitles                            │
│ ├── Getting video metadata (title, duration, views, etc.)       │
│ ├── Bulk downloading playlists or channels                      │
│ ├── Converting to audio-only (MP3)                              │
│ └── You want zero API costs                                     │
│                                                                 │
│ Use apify-scrapers when:                                        │
│ ├── Scraping YouTube SEARCH results                             │
│ ├── Getting comments at scale                                   │
│ ├── Channel analytics and statistics                            │
│ ├── Trending video discovery                                    │
│ └── You need cloud-based processing                             │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Decision Tree

What do you need?
│
├── Download video(s)
│   ├── Single video → scripts/download_video.py URL
│   ├── Multiple videos → scripts/download_video.py --urls-file list.txt
│   ├── Playlist → scripts/download_video.py "playlist_url"
│   ├── Audio only → scripts/download_video.py URL --audio-only
│   └── Specific quality → scripts/download_video.py URL --quality 720p
│
├── Get transcript/subtitles
│   ├── Auto-generated captions → scripts/get_transcript.py URL
│   ├── Manual subtitles → scripts/get_transcript.py URL --manual-only
│   ├── Specific language → scripts/get_transcript.py URL --lang es
│   └── All available → scripts/get_transcript.py URL --all-langs
│
├── Get video metadata
│   ├── Single video → scripts/get_video_info.py URL
│   ├── Multiple videos → scripts/get_video_info.py --urls-file list.txt
│   └── Playlist info → scripts/get_video_info.py "playlist_url"
│
└── Advanced
    ├── Age-restricted → scripts/download_video.py URL --cookies-from-browser chrome
    ├── Private videos → Requires authentication (see references/yt-dlp-guide.md)
    └── Live streams → scripts/download_video.py URL --live-from-start

Environment Setup

# Install yt-dlp (required)
pip install yt-dlp

# Optional: Install ffmpeg for format conversion
# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Windows
winget install ffmpeg

No API keys required! This is completely free.

Common Usage

Download Single Video

python scripts/download_video.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Download with Specific Quality

python scripts/download_video.py "https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID" --quality 1080p

Download Audio Only (MP3)

python scripts/download_video.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --audio-only

Download Entire Playlist

python scripts/download_video.py "https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID" --output-dir ./videos

Bulk Download from File

# Create urls.txt with one URL per line
python scripts/download_video.py --urls-file urls.txt --output-dir ./downloads

Get Transcript

python scripts/get_transcript.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Get Transcript in Specific Language

python scripts/get_transcript.py "https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID" --lang es

Get Video Metadata

python scripts/get_video_info.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Get Metadata for Multiple Videos

python scripts/get_video_info.py --urls-file videos.txt --output metadata.json

Output Location

All outputs save to .tmp/youtube/ by default:

  • Videos: .tmp/youtube/videos/
  • Audio: .tmp/youtube/audio/
  • Transcripts: .tmp/youtube/transcripts/
  • Metadata: .tmp/youtube/metadata/

Cost

FREE - No API keys, no per-video costs, no subscriptions.

Security Notes

Safe by Design

  • URL validation: Only accepts YouTube URLs (youtube.com, youtu.be)
  • Filename sanitization: Removes dangerous characters
  • Output restriction: Only writes to .tmp/ directory
  • No shell injection: Uses subprocess with argument lists, not string concatenation
  • No stored credentials: Cookies only used when explicitly requested

Copyright Warning

  • Only download content you have rights to access
  • Respect YouTube's Terms of Service
  • Do not redistribute copyrighted content
  • Use for personal/educational purposes

Rate Limiting

  • yt-dlp has built-in rate limiting
  • For bulk downloads, use --sleep-interval 5 to avoid throttling
  • YouTube may temporarily block IPs with excessive requests

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Video unavailable"

Cause: Video is private, age-restricted, or region-locked Solution: Use --cookies-from-browser chrome for age-restricted content

Issue: "Unable to extract video data"

Cause: YouTube changed their page structure Solution: Update yt-dlp: pip install -U yt-dlp

Issue: No subtitles found

Cause: Video has no captions (auto or manual) Solution: Use --list-subs to see available subtitles first

Issue: Slow downloads

Cause: YouTube throttling or network issues Solution: Try --concurrent-fragments 4 for faster downloads

Issue: Format conversion failed

Cause: ffmpeg not installed Solution: Install ffmpeg (see Environment Setup)

Integration Patterns

Download + Transcribe + Summarize

# 1. Download video
python scripts/download_video.py "URL" --output-dir .tmp/video

# 2. Get transcript
python scripts/get_transcript.py "URL" --output .tmp/transcript.txt

# 3. Use content-generation to summarize
# (transcript file is now ready for summarization)

Bulk Research Workflow

# 1. Get metadata for research videos
python scripts/get_video_info.py --urls-file research_videos.txt --output .tmp/metadata.json

# 2. Download transcripts for text analysis
python scripts/get_transcript.py --urls-file research_videos.txt --output-dir .tmp/transcripts

# 3. Use parallel-research to analyze content

Course Content Download

# Download entire playlist as course modules
python scripts/download_video.py "PLAYLIST_URL" --output-dir .tmp/course --quality 720p

# Get all transcripts for notes
python scripts/get_transcript.py "PLAYLIST_URL" --output-dir .tmp/course/transcripts

Resources

how to use youtube-tools

How to use youtube-tools on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add youtube-tools
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/casper-studios/casper-marketplace --skill youtube-tools

The skills CLI fetches youtube-tools from GitHub repository casper-studios/casper-marketplace and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/youtube-tools

Reload or restart Cursor to activate youtube-tools. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /youtube-tools) or your agent's skill management interface.

⚠

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

Additional Resources

›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases▌

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

✓

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

✓

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

✓

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

✓

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path▌

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
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general reviews

Ratings

4.5★★★★★47 reviews
  • ★★★★★Diya Nasser· Dec 12, 2024

    Registry listing for youtube-tools matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • ★★★★★Aditi Khanna· Dec 4, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: youtube-tools is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • ★★★★★Diya Chawla· Nov 27, 2024

    Useful defaults in youtube-tools — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • ★★★★★Li Jain· Nov 23, 2024

    We added youtube-tools from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • ★★★★★Diya Desai· Nov 3, 2024

    Keeps context tight: youtube-tools is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Dev Sanchez· Oct 22, 2024

    youtube-tools is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • ★★★★★Dev Ramirez· Oct 18, 2024

    I recommend youtube-tools for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Ishan Zhang· Oct 14, 2024

    youtube-tools fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • ★★★★★Isabella Chawla· Sep 17, 2024

    Registry listing for youtube-tools matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • ★★★★★Piyush G· Sep 13, 2024

    youtube-tools has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

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