claude-youtube

Status: Beta -- Actively developed. Core functionality is complete and tested. Breaking changes may occur before v1.0.

A comprehensive Claude Code skill for YouTube creators. Covers channel audits, video SEO, retention-engineered scripts, hook writing, thumbnail briefs, content strategy, content calendars, Shorts optimization, analytics interpretation, monetization planning, competitor research, cross-platform repurposing, upload metadata packages, and data-driven video idea generation.

What It Does

claude-youtube turns Claude Code into a YouTube growth consultant. Instead of generic advice, every recommendation is grounded in platform-specific benchmarks, algorithm mechanics, and data from your actual channel.

14 Commands

Command	What It Does
`/youtube audit`	Full channel health audit across 4 dimensions (SEO, performance, content, monetization) with parallel agents
`/youtube seo`	Video SEO package: 3 title variants, full description, tags, chapters, hashtags, VideoObject schema
`/youtube script`	Retention-engineered script with hook/intro/content blocks, pattern interrupts every 60-90s, and CTA placement
`/youtube hook`	5 hook variants (shock, problem-agitation, story, curiosity-gap, social proof) with drop-off risk ratings
`/youtube thumbnail`	Thumbnail brief with 3 A/B variants, color hex codes, composition specs, and title-thumbnail synergy check
`/youtube strategy`	Channel positioning, content pillars (Hub/Hero/Help), niche viability, upload cadence, 30/60/90-day milestones
`/youtube calendar`	Monthly content calendar with per-video metadata, Shorts supplement plan, and seasonal CPM timing
`/youtube shorts`	Shorts production package: script with visual change markers, SEO metadata, performance prediction, loop setup
`/youtube analyze`	Analytics interpretation: funnel diagnosis, retention graph classification, traffic source health, priority actions
`/youtube repurpose`	Cross-platform package: Shorts clips, blog outline, LinkedIn post, X thread, email, podcast outline, community post
`/youtube monetize`	Revenue strategy across 7 streams, brand deal rate card, external funnel design, 90-day activation plan
`/youtube competitor`	Competitor analysis with 4 parallel agents: top videos, keyword gaps, format gaps, audience gaps
`/youtube metadata`	Copy-paste-ready upload package: titles, description, tags, chapters, cards, end screens, publish settings
`/youtube ideate`	10 ranked video ideas with keyword analysis, hook angles, thumbnail concepts, and revenue potential

Architecture

Built on the Agent Skills open standard with a 3-layer architecture:

skills/claude-youtube/
  SKILL.md                          # Orchestrator (routing, context-gathering, quality gates)
  sub-skills/                       # 14 sub-skill instruction files
    audit.md, seo.md, script.md, hook.md, thumbnail.md,
    strategy.md, calendar.md, shorts.md, analyze.md,
    repurpose.md, monetize.md, competitor.md, metadata.md, ideate.md
  references/                       # 9 data-grounded reference guides
    algorithm-guide.md              # 3-system architecture, testing cascade, CTR/AVD benchmarks
    seo-playbook.md                 # Title/description/tags/chapters rules, VideoObject schema
    retention-scripting-guide.md    # Hook frameworks, pattern interrupts, CTA placement
    thumbnail-ctr-guide.md          # CTR by niche, face psychology, A/B testing, title formulas
    shorts-playbook.md              # Shorts algorithm, format specs, monetization
    analytics-guide.md              # Metrics hierarchy, funnel ratios, RPM/CPM by niche
    monetization-guide.md           # YPP tiers, 7 revenue streams, brand deal rates
    repurposing-guide.md            # Hub/Hero/Help model, cross-platform workflows
    dataforseo-integration.md       # DataForSEO MCP tool reference for live data
  templates/                        # 9 channel-type templates
    education-channel.md, entertainment-channel.md, tutorial-channel.md,
    vlog-channel.md, review-channel.md, commentary-channel.md,
    niche-authority-channel.md, personal-brand-channel.md, shorts-first-channel.md
  execution/                        # 6 Python scripts for YouTube API integration
    fetch_channel_data.py           # Channel stats + recent videos (~16 quota units)
    fetch_video_analytics.py        # Private analytics via OAuth
    search_competitor_videos.py     # Competitor video search (100 units/search)
    fetch_transcript.py             # Transcript extraction via yt-dlp
    utils/quota_tracker.py          # 10K unit/day quota management
    utils/youtube_auth.py           # API key + OAuth 2.0 handler

How It Works

Orchestrator (SKILL.md) routes your request to the right sub-skill based on trigger phrases
Context-gathering collects channel niche, size tier, and primary goal before any sub-skill runs
Channel type detection loads the matching template (education, entertainment, tutorial, etc.) for niche-specific benchmarks
Sub-skills load only the reference files they need, execute step-by-step, and produce structured output
Quality gates verify specificity, data grounding, and completeness before delivery

Installation

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed and configured

Quick Install

Clone this repo into your Claude Code skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-youtube.git
cp -r claude-youtube/skills/claude-youtube ~/.claude/skills/claude-youtube

Or symlink for development:

git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-youtube.git ~/claude-youtube
ln -s ~/claude-youtube/skills/claude-youtube ~/.claude/skills/claude-youtube

Optional: YouTube API (for live channel data)

The skill works without API credentials by accepting manual data input. For automated data fetching:

Get a YouTube Data API v3 key from Google Cloud Console

Set the environment variable:

export YOUTUBE_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

For private analytics (own channel), set up OAuth 2.0 credentials

Optional: DataForSEO MCP (for live keyword/trend data)

When configured, the skill uses live data for keyword research, YouTube SERP analysis, trend intelligence, and competitive research. Without it, the skill falls back to WebSearch.

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json under mcpServers:

{
  "dataforseo": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "dataforseo-mcp-server"],
    "env": {
      "DATAFORSEO_USERNAME": "your-username",
      "DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD": "your-password",
      "ENABLED_MODULES": "SERP,KEYWORDS_DATA,DATAFORSEO_LABS,ONPAGE"
    }
  }
}

Typical workflow costs $0.002-$0.04 per command. See DataForSEO pricing.

Optional: NanoBanana MCP (for AI thumbnail generation)

When configured, the /youtube thumbnail command generates actual thumbnail images using Gemini models instead of just text briefs.

{
  "nanobanana": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["nanobanana-mcp-server"],
    "env": {
      "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-gemini-api-key"
    }
  }
}

Usage

After installation, use any command in Claude Code:

> /youtube audit
> /youtube ideate
> /youtube script "How to Build a PC in 2025"
> /youtube thumbnail
> /youtube seo

The skill will ask for any missing context (channel niche, size, goal) before running.

Multi-command workflows

Commands chain naturally:

> Help me plan and script my next video about meal prep for beginners

This triggers ideate -> script -> metadata sequentially, passing output between each step.

Reference Data

All benchmarks and statistics in the reference guides are sourced and tagged:

CTR benchmarks by niche -- Focus Digital, December 2025
Retention data -- 10xCreator, Wistia, AIR Media-Tech
Algorithm mechanics -- Retention Rabbit (150M+ minutes analyzed), vidIQ (5.08M channels)
Shorts algorithm -- 35B views study, Tubefilter, Digital i
Monetization rates -- YouTube Creator Academy, industry reports
SEO rules -- 10xCreator (3M+ videos analyzed), Backlinko, HubSpot
MrBeast methodology -- Validated at 100M+ views/video scale

Data points tagged with [2025] reflect 2024-2025 platform changes.

Requirements

Requirement	Required	Notes
Claude Code	Yes	Core dependency
Python 3.8+	For execution scripts	Not needed if providing data manually
YouTube API key	No	Enables automated channel data fetching
DataForSEO MCP	No	Enables live keyword/trend data
NanoBanana MCP	No	Enables AI thumbnail generation

Contributing

This project is in beta. Issues, bug reports, and feature suggestions are welcome via GitHub Issues.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Author

Built by Agrici Daniel - AI Workflow Architect.

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