YouTube Video API Skill

---

name: youtube-video-api-skill

description: This skill helps users automatically extract channel-level and video detail data from a specific YouTube channel via BrowserAct API. Agent should proactively apply this skill when users express needs like extracting channel video data, getting latest or popular videos from a YouTube channel, tracking competitor channel content, extracting video metrics such as views likes comments, retrieving subscriber count and channel info, monitoring posting cadence of a YouTube channel, gathering video data for content strategy analysis, getting earliest videos of a YouTube creator, analyzing engagement signals across a full channel, and downloading structured YouTube video details without manual scraping.

metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🌐","requires":{"bins":["python"],"env":["BROWSERACT_API_KEY"]}}}

---

# YouTube Video API Skill

📖 Introduction

This skill provides users with a one-stop YouTube video data extraction service using BrowserAct's YouTube Video API template. It can directly extract structured channel-level data plus video detail data from a specific YouTube channel through a single API request. Just input the YouTube channel URL and video type (Latest, Popular, or Earliest), and you can get clean, ready-to-use video metrics.

✨ Features

1. **No hallucinations, ensuring stable and accurate data extraction**: Pre-set workflows avoid generative AI hallucinations.

2. **No CAPTCHA issues**: No need to handle reCAPTCHA or other verification challenges.

3. **No IP access restrictions and geo-blocking**: No need to deal with regional IP restrictions.

4. **More agile execution speed**: Compared to pure AI-driven browser automation solutions, task execution is faster.

5. **Extremely high cost-effectiveness**: Significantly reduces data acquisition costs compared to AI solutions that consume a large number of Tokens.

🔑 API Key Guidance Flow

Before running, you must check the `BROWSERACT_API_KEY` environment variable. If it is not set, do not take any other actions first. You should request and wait for the user to provide it collaboratively.

**The Agent must inform the user at this time**:

> "Since you have not configured the BrowserAct API Key yet, please go to the [BrowserAct Console](https://www.browseract.com/reception/integrations) first to get your Key."

🛠️ Input Parameters

When calling the script, the Agent should flexibly configure the following parameters based on user needs:

1. **YouTube_channel_url**

- **Type**: `string`

- **Description**: Target YouTube channel URL used to load the channel video list.

- **Example**: `https://www.youtube.com/@BrowserAct`

2. **Video_type**

- **Type**: `string`

- **Description**: Which ordering mode to use when traversing the channel video list.

- **Optional Values**:

- `Latest`

- `Popular`

- `Earliest`

- **Default**: `Popular`

🚀 Invocation Method

The Agent should implement "one command gets results" by executing the following independent script:

# Invocation example
python -u ./scripts/youtube_video_api.py "YouTube_channel_url" "Video_type"

⏳ Running Status Monitoring

Since this task involves automated browser operations, it may take a long time (several minutes). The script will **continuously output status logs with timestamps** (e.g., `[14:30:05] Task Status: running`) while running.

**Agent Instructions**:

📊 Data Output Description

After successful execution, the script will parse and print the results directly from the API response. The results include:

Channel fields

Video fields

⚠️ Error Handling & Retry

During script execution, if an error occurs (such as network fluctuation or task failure), the Agent should follow the logic below:

1. **Check the output content**:

- If the output **contains** `"Invalid authorization"`, it means the API Key is invalid or expired. At this time, **do not retry**, but guide the user to recheck and provide the correct API Key.

- If the output **does not contain** `"Invalid authorization"` but the task execution fails (for example, the output starts with `Error:` or the return result is empty), the Agent should **automatically try to execute the script once more**.

2. **Retry limits**:

- Automatic retry is limited to **once**. If the second attempt still fails, stop retrying and report the specific error information to the user.

🌟 Typical Use Cases

1. **Competitor Tracking**: Track performance trends and posting cadence of a competitor's channel.

2. **Creator Research**: Analyze engagement signals and popular videos of content creators.

3. **Content Ops Reporting**: Monitor channel videos and performance metrics for reporting.

4. **Growth Analytics**: Understand what video types (Latest/Popular) drive growth.

5. **Database Automation**: Send channel videos directly into CRM or databases without manual export.

6. **Market Research**: Aggregate video metrics across different channels in a specific industry.

7. **Trend Spotting**: Identify the most popular videos on specific tech or gaming channels.

8. **Audience Engagement Analysis**: Correlate subscriber counts with video views and likes.

9. **Content Strategy**: Review a channel's earliest videos to understand their origin and growth path.

10. **Automated Social Monitoring**: Keep tabs on new content released by key industry leaders.