search_channelLABSCO SUMMARY
The video that is no longer on YouTube.
Ordinary video search only sees what is currently up. An index that goes back to 2005 answers the harder question — what was actually in that deleted video — and hands back the transcript, not just the title.
What it is
An MCP server for Archivarix Tube Search, an index of YouTube videos going back to 2005. Because it is an archive rather than a live search, videos that have been taken down are still findable, with their metadata, thumbnails and subtitles.
What you get
- Full-text search across video titles and descriptions
- Every archived video from a given channel
- Metadata for a video by ID, and its status change history
- Transcripts returned as readable plain text
- AI summaries read, generated on demand, or browsed by tag, channel or language
- Your current API usage and limits
Requirements
An API key from tube.archivarix.net, passed on the launch command or set as TUBE_API_KEY. Run it with npx tube-search-mcp; there is nothing to install.
Setup effort
One command plus a key — npx tube-search-mcp --api-key <YOUR_TUBE_API_KEY>, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Finding a video that has since been taken down
Search titles and descriptions across the archive rather than YouTube itself.
02
Reading what was said without watching
Pull the transcript back as plain text.
03
Reconstructing what a channel used to publish
List every archived video from that channel.
04
Getting the gist of a long video fast
Read the existing summary, or generate one if there is not one yet.
05
Checking whether a video changed status
Read its status change history alongside its metadata.
06
Finding related material by topic
Browse summaries by tag, channel or language, and watch your quota while you do it.
9 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
search_videosget_videoget_subtitlesget_summarygenerate_summarybrowse_summariesget_video_status_historyget_usageBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
9 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- TUBE_API_KEY in your environment
Where it runs
All 4 documented clients run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx tube-search-mcp --api-key <YOUR_TUBE_API_KEY>MCP Clients
Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"tube-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"tube-search-mcp"
],
"env": {
"TUBE_API_KEY": "<YOUR_TUBE_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}VS Code
VS CODE · JSON
{
"servers": {
"tube-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"tube-search-mcp"
],
"env": {
"TUBE_API_KEY": "<YOUR_TUBE_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}
