YouTube Downloader

Download YouTube videos, extract audio, and get transcripts using yt-dlp - the most reliable YouTube extraction tool.

When to Use This Skill

• Competitor research - Download and analyze competitor videos
• Content repurposing - Extract audio for podcasts or transcripts for blogs
• Training material - Archive webinars and tutorials
• Quote extraction - Get transcripts for pulling quotable moments
• Offline access - Save videos for travel or presentations

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

Claude Does	You Decide
Structures production workflow	Final creative direction
Suggests technical approaches	Equipment and tool choices
Creates templates and checklists	Quality standards
Identifies best practices	Brand/voice decisions
Generates script outlines	Final script approval

Dependencies

pip install yt-dlp click
# Optional for transcription:
pip install openai-whisper

Commands

Download Video

python scripts/main.py download "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --format mp4
python scripts/main.py download "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --quality 1080p

Extract Audio

python scripts/main.py audio "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --format mp3
python scripts/main.py audio "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --format wav

Get Transcript

python scripts/main.py transcript "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..."
python scripts/main.py transcript "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --translate en

Download Playlist

python scripts/main.py playlist "https://youtube.com/playlist?list=..." --limit 10
python scripts/main.py playlist "https://youtube.com/playlist?list=..." --audio-only

Get Metadata

python scripts/main.py info "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..."
python scripts/main.py info "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." --format json

Examples

Example 1: Research Competitor Content

# Get video metadata
python scripts/main.py info "https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABC123"

# Output:
# Title: How We Grew to $1M ARR
# Channel: SaaS Founder
# Duration: 15:32
# Views: 45,230
# Published: 2024-01-15
# Tags: saas, growth, startup

# Download transcript for analysis
python scripts/main.py transcript "https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABC123"
# Output: how-we-grew-to-1m-arr.txt

Example 2: Create Podcast from Webinar

# Download audio only
python scripts/main.py audio "https://youtube.com/watch?v=WEBINAR" --format mp3 --quality best

# Output: webinar-title.mp3 (ready for podcast editing)

# Get transcript for show notes
python scripts/main.py transcript "https://youtube.com/watch?v=WEBINAR"
# Output: webinar-title.txt

Example 3: Archive Training Playlist

# Download entire playlist
python scripts/main.py playlist "https://youtube.com/playlist?list=TRAINING" \
  --output ./training-videos/ \
  --limit 20

# Output:
# ./training-videos/
# ├── 01-introduction.mp4
# ├── 02-getting-started.mp4
# └── ...

Quality Options

Option	Resolution	File Size	Use Case
best	Highest available	Largest	Archival
1080p	1920x1080	~1GB/hour	Standard
720p	1280x720	~500MB/hour	Balance
480p	854x480	~250MB/hour	Mobile
audio	N/A	~100MB/hour	Podcasts

Audio Formats

Format	Quality	Size	Compatibility
mp3	Good	Small	Universal
m4a	Better	Medium	Apple/Modern
wav	Lossless	Large	Editing
opus	Best	Smallest	Modern apps

Legal Considerations

⚠️ Important: Only download content you have rights to use.

Generally OK:

• Your own videos
• Creative Commons content
• Content for personal research/reference
• Content with explicit download permission

Check First:

• Competitor content (fair use analysis)
• Content for derivative works
• Anything for commercial use

Skill Boundaries

What This Skill Does Well

• Structuring audio production workflows
• Providing technical guidance
• Creating quality checklists
• Suggesting creative approaches

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Replace audio engineering expertise
• Make subjective creative decisions
• Access or edit audio files directly
• Guarantee commercial success

Related Skills

• whisper-transcription - Transcribe downloaded audio
• video-processing - Process downloaded videos
• content-repurposer - Repurpose transcripts

Skill Metadata

• Mode: cyborg

category: automation
subcategory: content-extraction
dependencies: [yt-dlp]
difficulty: beginner
time_saved: 4+ hours/week