YouTube Automation via Rube MCP

Automate YouTube operations through Composio's YouTube toolkit via Rube MCP.

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
• Active YouTube connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit youtube
• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
2. Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit youtube
3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth
4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Manage Videos

When to use: User wants to upload a video or update video metadata

Tool sequence:

1. YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO - Upload a new video [Required]
2. YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO - Update title, description, tags, privacy [Optional]
3. YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAIL - Set a custom thumbnail [Optional]

Key parameters:

• title: Video title (max 100 characters)
• description: Video description (max 5000 bytes)
• tags: Array of keyword tags
• categoryId: YouTube category ID (e.g., '22' for People & Blogs)
• privacyStatus: 'public', 'private', or 'unlisted'
• videoFilePath: Object with {name, mimetype, s3key} for the video file

Pitfalls:

• UPLOAD_VIDEO consumes high quota; prefer UPDATE_VIDEO for metadata-only changes
• videoFilePath must be an object with s3key, not a raw file path or URL
• Tags total must not exceed 500 characters including separators
• Angle brackets < > in tags are automatically stripped
• Description limit is 5000 bytes, not characters (multibyte chars count more)

2. Search YouTube Content

When to use: User wants to find videos, channels, or playlists

Tool sequence:

1. YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE - Search for content [Required]
2. YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS - Get full details for a specific video [Optional]
3. YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH - Get details for multiple videos [Optional]

Key parameters:

• q: Search query (supports exact phrases, exclusions, channel handles)
• type: 'video', 'channel', or 'playlist'
• maxResults: Results per page (1-50)
• pageToken: For pagination

Pitfalls:

• Search endpoint only returns 'snippet' part; use VIDEO_DETAILS for statistics
• Search results are capped at 500 total items
• Search has higher quota cost (100 units) vs list endpoints (1 unit)
• BATCH video details practical limit is ~50 IDs per call; chunk larger sets

3. Manage Playlists

When to use: User wants to create playlists or manage playlist contents

Tool sequence:

1. YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS - List user's existing playlists [Optional]
2. YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST - Create a new playlist [Optional]
3. YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST - Add a video to a playlist [Optional]
4. YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS - List videos in a playlist [Optional]

Key parameters:

• playlistId: Playlist ID ('PL...' for user-created, 'UU...' for uploads)
• part: Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,contentDetails')
• maxResults: Items per page (1-50)
• pageToken: Pagination token from previous response

Pitfalls:

• Do NOT pass channel IDs ('UC...') as playlist IDs; convert 'UC' to 'UU' for uploads
• Large playlists require pagination via pageToken; follow nextPageToken until absent
• items[].id is not the videoId; use items[].snippet.resourceId.videoId
• Creating duplicate playlist names is allowed; check existing playlists first

4. Get Channel and Video Analytics

When to use: User wants to analyze channel performance or video metrics

Tool sequence:

1. YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE - Resolve a handle to channel ID [Prerequisite]
2. YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS - Get channel subscriber/view/video counts [Required]
3. YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS - List all videos from a channel [Optional]
4. YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH - Get per-video statistics [Optional]
5. YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIES - Get recent channel activities [Optional]

Key parameters:

• channelId: Channel ID ('UC...'), handle ('@handle'), or 'me'
• forHandle: Channel handle (e.g., '@Google')
• id: Comma-separated video IDs for batch details
• parts: Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,statistics')

Pitfalls:

• Channel statistics are lifetime totals, not per-period
• BATCH video details may return fewer items than requested for private/deleted videos
• Response data may be nested under data or data_preview; parse defensively
• contentDetails.duration uses ISO 8601 format (e.g., 'PT4M13S')

5. Manage Subscriptions and Comments

When to use: User wants to subscribe to channels or view video comments

Tool sequence:

1. YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL - Subscribe to a channel [Optional]
2. YOUTUBE_UNSUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL - Unsubscribe from a channel [Optional]
3. YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONS - List subscriptions [Optional]
4. YOUTUBE_LIST_COMMENT_THREADS - List comments on a video [Optional]

Key parameters:

• channelId: Channel to subscribe/unsubscribe
• videoId: Video ID for comment threads
• maxResults: Results per page
• pageToken: Pagination token

Pitfalls:

• Subscribing to an already-subscribed channel may return an error
• Comment threads return top-level comments with up to 5 replies each
• Comments may be disabled on some videos
• Unsubscribe requires the subscription ID, not the channel ID

Common Patterns

Channel ID Resolution

Handle to Channel ID:

1. Call YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE with '@handle'
2. Extract channelId from response
3. Use in subsequent channel operations

Uploads Playlist:

1. Get channel ID (starts with 'UC')
2. Replace 'UC' prefix with 'UU' to get uploads playlist ID
3. Use with LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS to enumerate all videos

Pagination

• Set maxResults (max 50 per page)
• Check response for nextPageToken
• Pass token as pageToken in next request
• Continue until nextPageToken is absent

Batch Video Details

• Collect video IDs from search or playlist listings
• Chunk into groups of ~50 IDs
• Call GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH per chunk
• Merge results across chunks

Known Pitfalls

Quota Management:

• YouTube API has a daily quota limit (default 10,000 units)
• Upload = 1600 units; search = 100 units; list = 1 unit
• Prefer list endpoints over search when possible
• Monitor quota usage to avoid hitting daily limits

ID Formats:

• Video IDs: 11-character alphanumeric strings
• Channel IDs: Start with 'UC' followed by 22 characters
• Playlist IDs: Start with 'PL' (user) or 'UU' (uploads)
• Do not confuse channel IDs with playlist IDs

Thumbnails:

• Custom thumbnails require channel phone verification
• Must be JPG, PNG, or GIF; under 2MB
• Recommended: 1280x720 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio)

Response Parsing:

• Statistics values are returned as strings, not integers; cast before math
• Duration uses ISO 8601 format (PT#H#M#S)
• Batch responses may wrap data under different keys

Quick Reference