YouTube Video Downloader
First time? If
setup_complete: falseabove, run./SETUP.mdfirst, then setsetup_complete: true.
Download YouTube videos with quality control, optimized for sharing on WhatsApp and other platforms.
Requirements
This skill requires Python to be installed on your system.
- •Python 3.9+ (required)
- •yt-dlp (
pip install yt-dlp) - •ffmpeg (for audio extraction)
First time setup? Read SETUP.md for detailed installation instructions for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Quick Start
bash
cd ~/.claude/skills/youtube-downloader/scripts # Download for WhatsApp (144p, small file) python download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --quality whatsapp # Download standard quality (480p) python download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --quality standard # Download high quality (720p) python download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --quality high # Download best quality available python download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --quality best # List available formats python download.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --list
Quality Presets
| Preset | Resolution | Max Size | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
whatsapp | 144p | ~10MB | WhatsApp sharing (default) |
standard | 480p | ~50MB | General use |
high | 720p | ~100MB | Good quality |
best | Best available | Varies | Maximum quality |
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--quality / -q | Quality preset (whatsapp/standard/high/best) |
--output / -o | Output directory (default: current dir) |
--list / -l | List available formats without downloading |
--audio-only / -a | Extract audio only (MP3) |
Examples
bash
# Download and send to WhatsApp python download.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx" -q whatsapp # Then use WhatsApp skill to send # Download to specific folder python download.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx" -o ~/Downloads # Audio only (for podcasts/music) python download.py "https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx" --audio-only
WhatsApp Size Limits
- •16MB: Direct video sharing limit
- •2GB: Document sharing limit (preserves quality)
For videos over 16MB, either:
- •Use lower quality preset
- •Send as document (not video)