yt-dlp
yt-dlp lets you grab YouTube content—videos, audio tracks, or transcripts—in the format you need. Extract audio as MP3, pull full videos, or fetch subtitles and transcripts as VTT files.
yt-dlp downloads YouTube videos, audio, and subtitles in your choice of format.
AI-generated summary based on this skill's SKILL.md
Decision gist · record as of 2026-07-24
yt-dlp downloads YouTube videos, audio, and subtitles in your choice of format. yt-dlp lets you grab YouTube content—videos, audio tracks, or transcripts—in the format you need. Extract audio as MP3, pull full videos, or fetch subtitles and transcripts as VTT files.
Use it when
- yt-dlp extracts audio from YouTube videos as MP3 or other formats using the `-x` flag combined with `--audio-format mp3`.
- yt-dlp retrieves and saves YouTube subtitles and transcripts as VTT files.
Verify before relying
Read SKILL.md below before installing (1 file). Open directory: indexed for reading, not audited.
Install
ykdojo/safeclaw/yt-dlp · repository language: HTML
Open directory. Skills are indexed for reading, not audited. Review a skill's body before installing it.
Frequently asked questions
AI-generated answers based on this skill's SKILL.md and metadata
How do I download YouTube videos using yt-dlp?
yt-dlp downloads YouTube videos in various formats and quality levels. Run `yt-dlp [URL]` to save a video locally. You can specify quality with `-f` (format) flags, choose resolution, and select video codecs. yt-dlp handles authentication, age-gated content, and automatically fetches the best available quality by default.
How to extract audio from YouTube as MP3 with yt-dlp?
yt-dlp extracts audio from YouTube videos as MP3 or other formats using the `-x` flag combined with `--audio-format mp3`. Run `yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 [URL]` to download just the audio track. You can also specify audio quality with `--audio-quality` to control the bitrate of your extracted file.
Can yt-dlp get YouTube subtitles and transcripts?
yt-dlp retrieves and saves YouTube subtitles and transcripts as VTT files. Use `--write-subs` to download available captions and `--write-auto-subs` for auto-generated transcripts. Combine with `--sub-langs` to target specific languages. yt-dlp also fetches video metadata like title, duration, and description automatically.
What is yt-dlp and how do I install it?
yt-dlp is a command-line tool for downloading YouTube content—videos, audio, subtitles, and transcripts. Licensed under MIT, it automates bulk downloads via command line. Install via pip with `pip install yt-dlp` or download binaries from the GitHub repository. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Can I batch download YouTube playlists with yt-dlp?
yt-dlp automates bulk YouTube content downloads via command line, including entire playlists. Use `yt-dlp [PLAYLIST_URL]` to download all videos in a playlist. Add `-x --audio-format mp3` to extract audio from each video, or `--write-subs` to grab subtitles for the entire batch in one command.
What formats and quality options does yt-dlp support?
yt-dlp downloads YouTube videos in various formats and quality levels. List available formats with `-F` to see all options. Use `-f best` for highest quality, `-f worst` for smallest file size, or specify exact format codes. yt-dlp supports MP4, WebM, MKV, and other containers with customizable video and audio codecs.
SKILL.md
Rendered from the published skill. Quoted content, verbatim.
yt-dlp
Download YouTube videos, audio, and subtitles/transcripts.
Setup
Check if yt-dlp is installed, and download it if not:
if ! command -v yt-dlp &>/dev/null && [ ! -f ~/yt-dlp ]; then
curl -sL https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -o ~/yt-dlp && chmod +x ~/yt-dlp
fi
Then use ~/yt-dlp (or just yt-dlp if installed globally).
Examples
Download subtitles/transcript:
~/yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download -o "/tmp/%(id)s" <url>
Download audio only:
~/yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "/tmp/%(title)s.%(ext)s" <url>
Download video:
~/yt-dlp -o "/tmp/%(title)s.%(ext)s" <url>
Get video info (title, duration, description):
~/yt-dlp --print title --print duration_string --print description --no-download <url>
Notes
- Subtitles are saved as
.vttfiles - read them to get the transcript - Use
/tmp/for downloads to avoid cluttering the working directory
File tree — 1 file
setup/skills/yt-dlp/SKILL.md
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