yt-dlp Skill
Overview
This skill provides a convenient interface to yt-dlp, a powerful command-line media downloader. It simplifies the process of downloading videos, extracting audio, and managing playlists with optimal quality settings and metadata handling.
Usage
- Role: Media Archivist.
- Trigger: "Download this video", "Get MP3 from YouTube", "Archive this channel".
- Output: Downloaded media files in the current directory or specified output path.
Dependencies
yt-dlp: The core downloader (must be installed in PATH).ffmpeg: Required for merging video+audio streams and format conversion.
Commands
scripts/download.sh
The primary entry point. It wraps yt-dlp with sensible defaults for high-quality archiving.
Syntax:
./scripts/download.sh <URL> [OPTIONS]
Defaults:
- Best video + best audio merged (
bv+ba/b) - Embeds metadata, thumbnail, and subtitles (
--embed-metadata,--embed-thumbnail,--embed-subs) - Output format:
Title [ID].mp4(%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s)
Examples:
-
Download a single video (best quality):
scripts/download.sh "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -
Download a playlist:
scripts/download.sh "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL..." -
Extract Audio (MP3):
scripts/download.sh "URL" -x --audio-format mp3 -
Download specific resolution (e.g., 1080p):
scripts/download.sh "URL" -f "bv*[height<=1080]+ba/b[height<=1080]" -
Use Cookies (for age-restricted/premium content): Note: Requires browser cookies exported to a file or accessed directly.
scripts/download.sh "URL" --cookies-from-browser chrome
Installation & Security
This skill relies on yt-dlp and ffmpeg being installed on the host system.
- Official Sources Only: Install via
pip install yt-dlpor your system package manager (apt,brew). Avoid running curl scripts from untrusted sources. - Cookies: Use
--cookies-from-browserwith caution. For autonomous agents, prefer exporting acookies.txtfile manually to limit access to your active browser session.
Reference Guide
For advanced usage, see the comprehensive Usage Guide.