using-youtube-download

This skill teaches you how to grab YouTube videos in top-tier quality as MP4 files or extract audio as MP3 using yt-dlp and ffmpeg. It covers single video downloads, playlists, and quality controls across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Using YouTube Download lets you grab YouTube videos at maximum quality in MP4 or MP3 format.

AI-generated summary based on this skill's SKILL.md

★ 128 ⁮ 30 MIT updated 2026-05-17 by besoeasy

Install

besoeasy/open-skills/using-youtube-download

Manual (git clone) CLI (skillfed)

git clone https://github.com/besoeasy/open-skills
cp -r open-skills/skills/using-youtube-download ~/.claude/skills/using-youtube-download

npx skillfed install besoeasy/open-skills/using-youtube-download

Frequently asked questions

AI-generated answers based on this skill's SKILL.md and metadata

How to download YouTube videos as MP4 files with using-youtube-download?

using-youtube-download teaches you to download YouTube videos at highest quality as MP4 files using yt-dlp and ffmpeg. The skill covers command-line techniques for single videos across Linux, macOS, and Windows, letting you grab full-quality content locally with quality controls.

Can I extract audio from YouTube to MP3 using this skill?

Yes. using-youtube-download covers extracting and converting YouTube audio to MP3 format. You'll learn yt-dlp and ffmpeg command-line methods to pull audio-only streams and convert them to MP3, plus techniques for downloading YouTube audio only.

What's the best way to download entire YouTube playlists?

using-youtube-download includes batch download techniques for entire YouTube playlists with yt-dlp. The skill teaches you how to automate playlist downloads across all three major operating systems, handling multiple videos efficiently in one operation.

How do I get the highest quality YouTube video downloads?

using-youtube-download focuses on yt-dlp highest quality download methods and best video-audio merge practices. You'll learn quality selection flags, format codes, and how to combine the best video and audio streams for top-tier MP4 output.

Is using-youtube-download suitable for Linux command-line users?

Yes. using-youtube-download teaches yt-dlp and ffmpeg command-line usage on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It's designed for users comfortable with terminal tools who want to automate YouTube content downloads with scripts and batch operations.

What license does using-youtube-download use?

using-youtube-download is released under the MIT license, allowing free use, modification, and distribution for personal and commercial projects with minimal restrictions.

SKILL.md

rendered from the published skill — quoted content, verbatim

YouTube Download Skill

Teach how to download YouTube videos as video files and MP3 audio, defaulting to highest quality.

Prerequisites

yt-dlp (recommended fork of youtube-dl): https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
ffmpeg (for merging/conversion)

Install (Linux/macOS):

python3 -m pip install -U yt-dlp
# or
sudo curl -L https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -o /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp &amp;&amp; sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp

# ffmpeg
sudo apt install ffmpeg   # Debian/Ubuntu
brew install ffmpeg       # macOS (Homebrew)

Windows: use the yt-dlp.exe release and install ffmpeg for Windows.

Download highest-quality video (merged MP4)

This downloads the best video and best audio and merges them into an MP4 (default highest quality).

yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio/best" --merge-output-format mp4 -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" &lt;VIDEO_URL&gt;

Notes: - -f "bestvideo+bestaudio/best" prefers separate best video and audio streams and falls back to the single best format. - `--merge-output-format

(truncated - see the full file via the links below)

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