Youtube Automation Agent Skill

YouTube Automation via Rube MCP

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

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/youtube

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.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit youtube
• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth
• 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:

• YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO - Upload a new video [Required]
• YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO - Update title, description, tags, privacy [Optional]
• 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:

• YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE - Search for content [Required]
• YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS - Get full details for a specific video [Optional]
• 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:

• YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS - List user's existing playlists [Optional]
• YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST - Create a new playlist [Optional]
• YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST - Add a video to a playlist [Optional]
• 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:

• YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE - Resolve a handle to channel ID [Prerequisite]
• YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS - Get channel subscriber/view/video counts [Required]
• YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS - List all videos from a channel [Optional]
• YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH - Get per-video statistics [Optional]
• 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:

• YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL - Subscribe to a channel [Optional]
• YOUTUBE_UNSUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL - Unsubscribe from a channel [Optional]
• YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONS - List subscriptions [Optional]
• 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

| Task | Tool Slug | Key Params |

|------|-----------|------------|

| Upload video | YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO | title, description, tags, categoryId, privacyStatus, videoFilePath |

| Update video | YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO | video_id, title, description, tags |

| Set thumbnail | YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAIL | videoId, thumbnailUrl |

| Search YouTube | YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE | q, type, maxResults |

| Video details | YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS | id, part |

| Batch video details | YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH | id, parts |

| List playlists | YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS | maxResults, pageToken |

| Create playlist | YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST | (check schema) |

| Add to playlist | YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST | (check schema) |

| List playlist items | YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS | playlistId, maxResults |

| Channel statistics | YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS | id/forHandle/mine |

| List channel videos | YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS | channelId, maxResults |

| Channel ID by handle | YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE | channel_handle |

| Subscribe | YOUTUBE_SUBSCRIBE_CHANNEL | channelId |

| List subscriptions | YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_SUBSCRIPTIONS | (check schema) |

| List comments | YOUTUBE_LIST_COMMENT_THREADS | videoId |

| Channel activities | YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIES | (check schema) |

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