YouTube vs YouTube
A side-by-side look at the YouTube and YouTube MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose YouTube for social media work as a local process; choose YouTube for social media over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose YouTube when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
API_KEY.
Choose YouTube when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You want tools like
youtube_home_feed, youtube_trending, youtube_search.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media | Social Media |
| Quality signal | 44/100 · Fair | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5,826 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 35 |
| Full listing | View YouTube | View YouTube |
Tools & capabilities
YouTube tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
YouTube tools 35
youtube_home_feedYouTube home feed (anonymous, geo/lang aware).youtube_trendingTrending videos by region.youtube_searchSearch videos, channels, playlists.youtube_resolve_urlResolve a YouTube URL or share link to its videoId / pageType.youtube_downloadStream/download metadata for a video (formats, audio/video URLs, status). Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.youtube_hypeYouTube Hype: viral / hyped videos feed.youtube_hashtagPosts under a hashtag (without leading #).youtube_playlistPlaylist items by playlist id. Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.youtube_commentsTop-level comments thread for a video. Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.youtube_video_relatedRelated videos for a given video id. Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.youtube_channel_homeChannel home page payload (featured shelves + meta). Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.youtube_channel_aboutChannel description, links, country, subscriber count, banner. Bulk support: accepts ids for batched execution.- +23 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
YouTube
{
"mcpServers": {
"klavis-ai-youtube": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"klavis"
],
"env": {
"API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
YouTube
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-2": {
"url": "https://api.mcp.ai/p_youtube"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
YouTube is categorized under Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. YouTube belongs to Social Media and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick YouTube for social media work and YouTube for social media.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
YouTube is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. YouTube has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add klavis-ai-youtube and youtube-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, YouTube has a quality signal of 44/100 (Fair) with 4 views, 0 installs and 5,826 GitHub stars. YouTube has 56/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.