get_video_infoLABSCO SUMMARY
Metadata first, so the download is the one you meant.
get_video_info is the tool that earns its place: reading duration, uploader and available formats before committing to a download means a two-hour stream or a format your player cannot open is caught before the bytes move. Everything runs through your own yt-dlp install, so what it can reach is whatever that version supports.
What it is
A wrapper over yt-dlp, the command-line downloader, exposing it as two tools. One reads metadata only; the other downloads, with quality, container format and output path as arguments, and an audio-only switch that turns the same call into an extraction.
What you get
- A video's metadata — title, duration, uploader and available formats — read without downloading it
- A video downloaded to a location you choose, with quality and container preferences
- Audio extracted instead, in mp3, m4a, ogg or opus
- Output paths set per call through a filename template
Requirements
Yt-dlp installed on the machine — brew install yt-dlp on macOS, pip install yt-dlp on Linux — and npx on your PATH. Three optional environment variables: YTDLP_PATH points at yt-dlp if it is not on your PATH, YTDL_OUTPUT_DIR sets where files land (/tmp if unset), and FFMPEG_PATH points at ffmpeg.
Setup effort
One command — npx @gtvar/yt-dlp-mcp
USE CASES
01
Checking what a link actually is before downloading
Title, duration and uploader come back without transferring the file, which is the difference between a three-minute clip and a livestream archive.
02
Keeping a talk you want to watch offline
Download at the quality you specify into the folder you name, rather than accepting whatever a browser extension picks.
03
Turning a video into something you can listen to
The same call with audio-only set produces mp3, m4a, ogg or opus, so a conference talk becomes a commute.
04
Picking a format your tooling can actually open
List the available formats first, then request the container that matches whatever will consume the file next.
2 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
download_videoBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
2 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- Node.js 20+
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx @gtvar/yt-dlp-mcpMCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"yt-dlp-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@gtvar/yt-dlp-mcp"
]
}
}
}
