YouTube Automation via Rube MCP
Automate YouTube operations through Composio's YouTube toolkit via Rube MCP.
Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/youtube
Prerequisites
- •Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
- •Active YouTube connection via
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkityoutube - •Always call
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLSfirst to get current tool schemas
Setup
Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.
- •Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLSresponds - •Call
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkityoutube - •If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth
- •Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
Core Workflows
1. Upload and Manage Videos
When to use: User wants to upload a video or update video metadata
Tool sequence:
- •
YOUTUBE_UPLOAD_VIDEO- Upload a new video [Required] - •
YOUTUBE_UPDATE_VIDEO- Update title, description, tags, privacy [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_UPDATE_THUMBNAIL- Set a custom thumbnail [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
title: Video title (max 100 characters) - •
description: Video description (max 5000 bytes) - •
tags: Array of keyword tags - •
categoryId: YouTube category ID (e.g., '22' for People & Blogs) - •
privacyStatus: 'public', 'private', or 'unlisted' - •
videoFilePath: Object with{name, mimetype, s3key}for the video file
Pitfalls:
- •UPLOAD_VIDEO consumes high quota; prefer UPDATE_VIDEO for metadata-only changes
- •videoFilePath must be an object with s3key, not a raw file path or URL
- •Tags total must not exceed 500 characters including separators
- •Angle brackets
< >in tags are automatically stripped - •Description limit is 5000 bytes, not characters (multibyte chars count more)
2. Search YouTube Content
When to use: User wants to find videos, channels, or playlists
Tool sequence:
- •
YOUTUBE_SEARCH_YOU_TUBE- Search for content [Required] - •
YOUTUBE_VIDEO_DETAILS- Get full details for a specific video [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH- Get details for multiple videos [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
q: Search query (supports exact phrases, exclusions, channel handles) - •
type: 'video', 'channel', or 'playlist' - •
maxResults: Results per page (1-50) - •
pageToken: For pagination
Pitfalls:
- •Search endpoint only returns 'snippet' part; use VIDEO_DETAILS for statistics
- •Search results are capped at 500 total items
- •Search has higher quota cost (100 units) vs list endpoints (1 unit)
- •BATCH video details practical limit is ~50 IDs per call; chunk larger sets
3. Manage Playlists
When to use: User wants to create playlists or manage playlist contents
Tool sequence:
- •
YOUTUBE_LIST_USER_PLAYLISTS- List user's existing playlists [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_CREATE_PLAYLIST- Create a new playlist [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_ADD_VIDEO_TO_PLAYLIST- Add a video to a playlist [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_LIST_PLAYLIST_ITEMS- List videos in a playlist [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
playlistId: Playlist ID ('PL...' for user-created, 'UU...' for uploads) - •
part: Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,contentDetails') - •
maxResults: Items per page (1-50) - •
pageToken: Pagination token from previous response
Pitfalls:
- •Do NOT pass channel IDs ('UC...') as playlist IDs; convert 'UC' to 'UU' for uploads
- •Large playlists require pagination via pageToken; follow nextPageToken until absent
- •items[].id is not the videoId; use items[].snippet.resourceId.videoId
- •Creating duplicate playlist names is allowed; check existing playlists first
4. Get Channel and Video Analytics
When to use: User wants to analyze channel performance or video metrics
Tool sequence:
- •
YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ID_BY_HANDLE- Resolve a handle to channel ID [Prerequisite] - •
YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_STATISTICS- Get channel subscriber/view/video counts [Required] - •
YOUTUBE_LIST_CHANNEL_VIDEOS- List all videos from a channel [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_GET_VIDEO_DETAILS_BATCH- Get per-video statistics [Optional] - •
YOUTUBE_GET_CHANNEL_ACTIVITIES- Get recent channel activities [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
channelId: Channel ID ('UC...'), handle ('@handle'), or 'me' - •
forHandle: Channel handle (e.g., '@Google') - •
id: Comma-separated video IDs for batch details - •
parts: Resource parts to include (e.g., 'snippet,statistics')
Pitfalls:
- •Channel statistics are lifetime totals, not per-period
- •BATCH video details may return fewer items than requested for private/deleted videos
- •Response data may be nested under
dataordata_preview; parse defensively - •contentDetails.duration uses ISO 8601 format (e.g., 'PT4M13S')
5. Manage Subscriptions and Comments
When to use: User wants to subscribe to channels or view vid