Tube Search MCP vs YouTube MCP
A side-by-side look at the Tube Search MCP and YouTube MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Tube Search MCP for social media work as a local process; choose YouTube MCP for social media as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Tube Search MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
TUBE_API_KEY, TUBE_MCP_URL. - You want tools like
search_channel, search_videos, get_video.
Choose YouTube MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
TRANSPORT, PORT, HOST, YT_PROVIDER, YOUTUBE_API_KEY. - You want tools like
content, structuredContent.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media | Social Media |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 51/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | TUBE_API_KEYTUBE_MCP_URL | TRANSPORTPORTHOSTYT_PROVIDERYOUTUBE_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 9 | 2 |
| Full listing | View Tube Search MCP | View YouTube MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Tube Search MCP tools 9
search_channelFind all archived videos from a YouTube channelsearch_videosFull-text search across video titles and descriptionsget_videoGet metadata for a specific video by IDget_subtitlesGet transcript as readable plain textget_summaryGet AI-generated video summarygenerate_summaryGenerate a new AI summary for a videobrowse_summariesBrowse summaries by tag, channel, or languageget_video_status_historyView status change history of a videoget_usageCheck your current API usage and limits
YouTube MCP tools 2
contentshort human-readable text for chat-style MCP clientsstructuredContentJSON-shaped data for agents that need reliable fields
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.
Tube Search MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"tube-search-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"tube-search-mcp"
],
"env": {
"TUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_TUBE_API_KEY_HERE",
"TUBE_MCP_URL": "YOUR_TUBE_MCP_URL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
YouTube MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-mcp-3": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@granitebps/youtube-mcp"
],
"env": {
"TRANSPORT": "YOUR_TRANSPORT_HERE",
"PORT": "YOUR_PORT_HERE",
"HOST": "YOUR_HOST_HERE",
"YT_PROVIDER": "YOUR_YT_PROVIDER_HERE",
"YOUTUBE_API_KEY": "YOUR_YOUTUBE_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Tube Search MCP is categorized under Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. YouTube MCP belongs to Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Tube Search MCP for social media work and YouTube MCP 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.
Tube Search MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. YouTube MCP 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 tube-search-mcp and youtube-mcp-3 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Tube Search MCP has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. YouTube MCP has 51/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.