Social Readerssync1 creditsYouTube videovideo metadatapublic metrics

YouTube Video Read

Read a public YouTube video by URL or ID through AIAPI Center and return normalized metadata and metrics.

What it does

When an agent needs to inspect a YouTube reference, copying the watch page is brittle and hard to normalize. This connector reads a public YouTube video by URL or ID through AIAPI Center and returns stable metadata, channel details, public metrics, duration, and official API source limitations.

Inputs

ParameterFormatExampleRequired
urlstringhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123def45No
idstringabc123def45No

Outputs

FieldTypeDescription
titlestringVideo title
channelstringPublishing channel title
urlstringCanonical YouTube watch URL
viewsnumberPublic view count when returned by YouTube
itemsarrayOne normalized video row with metrics, duration, source mode, and limitations

Example output

Input

url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123def45"

Output

# YouTube Video
- Title: AI Agent Workflows
- Channel: Example Channel
- URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123def45
- Views: 12,345

What it means

The video was found through the official YouTube API and returned as a normalized metadata row suitable for agent workflows.

Last tested: 2026-06-04

How to install

Via CLI

$ vernclaw-cli invoke read.youtube.video --url <value> --id <value>

Via web

  1. Visit the connector catalog and find YouTube Video Read.
  2. Click Install connector and acknowledge any training requirements.
  3. Complete authorization if prompted.
  4. Use the connector from Chat or the CLI.

Auth and permissions

OAuth requiredNo
Managed authIncluded, no API key needed
Bring your own key (BYOK)Not supported in v1
Audit loggedEvery request is logged with input, result, cost, and timestamps
Training acknowledgmentNot required

Admins can restrict this connector via blacklist or whitelist in the admin panel.

Limits and edge cases

  • Either url or id is required.
  • Only public YouTube videos are supported.
  • Transcript text is not returned in this version.
  • Public metrics can lag the values shown on YouTube watch pages.

Common use cases

Normalize a video URL before summarization

Read title, channel, duration, metrics, and source caveats before handing the URL to another agent step.

Verify a YouTube citation

Confirm that a referenced video exists publicly and capture its canonical watch URL.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pass a Shorts URL?

Yes. Public YouTube watch, Shorts, embed, live, and youtu.be URLs are normalized by AIAPI Center.

Does this read comments or captions?

No. v1 reads video metadata and public metrics only.

Related connectors

Agent-friendly links