youtube-downloader

YouTube Downloader

An AI agent skill for downloading YouTube videos with interactive resolution and subtitle selection. Lists available formats, checks for subtitles, and lets you choose exactly what to download.

Uses the open Agent Skills standard. Works with Claude, Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, Manus, and any other compatible tool.

Note: ChatGPT is not supported. ChatGPT's code execution sandbox (used by Skills to run scripts) does not have outbound internet access. The sandbox runs in an isolated container with networking locked down — scripts cannot make external connections. Since this skill needs to reach YouTube's servers to list formats and download videos, it cannot function in ChatGPT's environment. This is a platform limitation, not a bug in the skill.

Prerequisites

This skill uses two command-line tools:

• yt-dlp — YouTube video downloader
• ffmpeg — Required to merge video and audio streams

The skill auto-detects missing tools and offers to install them with your permission. No manual setup needed.

Installation

Claude Desktop

1. Click Customize in the sidebar
2. Click Browse Plugins
3. Go to the Personal tab and click +
4. Add: yaniv-golan/ytd-skill

Claude Code (CLI)

/plugin marketplace add yaniv-golan/ytd-skill

Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings
2. Paste https://github.com/yaniv-golan/ytd-skill into the Search or Paste Link box

Manus

1. Download youtube-downloader.zip
2. Go to Settings -> Skills
3. Click + Add -> Upload
4. Upload the zip

Codex CLI

Use the built-in skill installer:

$skill-installer https://github.com/yaniv-golan/ytd-skill

Or install manually:

1. Download youtube-downloader.zip
2. Extract the youtube-downloader/ folder to ~/.codex/skills/

Other Tools (Windsurf, etc.)

Download youtube-downloader.zip and extract the youtube-downloader/ folder to:

• Project-level: .agents/skills/ in your project root
• User-level: ~/.agents/skills/

Usage

The skill auto-activates when you ask to download a YouTube video. Just paste a URL:

Download this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

The skill will:

1. List available resolutions and let you pick (best quality, 1080p, 720p, audio-only, or custom)
2. Check for subtitles — both creator-uploaded and auto-generated captions
3. Download with your chosen settings, merging video + audio automatically
4. Confirm the downloaded files with paths and sizes

License

MIT