Yt Dlp
Download or rip audio from YouTube, TikTok, X, Vimeo, and other URLs your agent sees in chat, using bundled yt-dlp scripts and quality options.
Overview
yt-dlp is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Grow) that downloads videos and extracts audio from major platforms using yt-dlp scripts when the user shares or mentions a video URL.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/lwmxiaobei/yt-dlp-skill --skill yt-dlpWhat is this skill?
- Triggers on explicit download requests or auto-detected video URLs in conversation
- Multi-platform support: YouTube, Twitter/X, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more via yt-dlp
- Separate paths for full video download and audio-only extraction
- Quality and format options through download_video.py in scripts/
- Command-based and ask-to-download patterns when links appear incidentally in chat
- Three documented usage patterns: command download, URL auto-detection, and audio extraction
- Primary script entry: scripts/download_video.py with quality and format flags
Adoption & trust: 965 installs on skills.sh; 4 GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
A video link shows up in your agent session and you need a reliable download or audio rip without looking up yt-dlp flags every time.
Who is it for?
Builders and creators who frequently pull reference clips, podcasts, or source media from social and video sites inside Claude Code or Cursor.
Skip if: Workflows that need official platform APIs only, DRM-heavy sources yt-dlp cannot fetch, or automated bulk redistribution without rights clearance.
When should I use this skill?
User provides a video URL, asks to download a video, or the conversation contains video links from YouTube, Twitter/X, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, etc.
What do I get? / Deliverables
The agent runs the bundled download or audio extraction scripts and saves media locally with chosen quality and format settings.
- Downloaded video file at chosen quality/format
- Extracted audio file when audio-only mode is requested
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Primary shelf is Build integrations because the skill wires platform download tooling into the agent workflow via scripts. integrations fits external platform fetchers (yt-dlp) invoked when URLs appear—not core app backend code.
Where it fits
User pastes a YouTube URL and asks the agent to download max quality for a demo asset.
Rip audio from a podcast clip on X for a newsletter quote review workflow.
Archive a competitor demo video locally for offline teardown notes.
How it compares
Scripted yt-dlp integration for agents—not a browser extension and not a video editor skill.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is yt-dlp for?
Solo builders and content operators who want their agent to handle video URLs with yt-dlp scripts instead of manual terminal commands.
When should I use yt-dlp?
In Build when integrating download tooling into agent workflows; in Grow/content when you need local audio or footage from a shared link for repurposing or review.
Is yt-dlp safe to install?
It runs local Python scripts with network and disk access; review the Security Audits panel on this page and only fetch URLs you are permitted to download.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Yt Dlp
# yt-dlp Video Downloader Skill This skill provides tools for downloading videos and extracting audio from various platforms using yt-dlp. ## Features - Download videos from multiple platforms (YouTube, Twitter/X, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) - Extract audio from videos - Auto-detect video URLs in conversations - Support for different quality settings and formats ## Usage Patterns ### 1. Command-based Download When user explicitly asks to download a video: ``` User: Download this video https://youtube.com/watch?v=... ``` **Action**: Extract URL and call download script ### 2. Auto-detection in Conversations When conversation contains video URLs: ``` User: Check out this video https://twitter.com/... and let me know what you think ``` **Action**: Detect video URL, ask user if they want to download it ### 3. Audio Extraction When user wants to extract audio only: ``` User: Extract the audio from https://youtu.be/... ``` **Action**: Use audio extraction script ## Available Scripts Note: Scripts are located in the `scripts/` directory ### download_video.py Main video downloader with quality and format options. **Usage**: ```bash # Download video scripts/download_video.py <url> -o <output_dir> # Download with specific quality scripts/download_video.py <url> --quality 720p scripts/download_video.py <url> --quality audio # For audio only # Custom format selector scripts/download_video.py <url> --format "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best" # Extract info only scripts/download_video.py <url> --info-only ``` **Quality options**: `best`, `1080p`, `720p`, `480p`, `audio` ### extract_audio.py Extract audio from videos in various formats. **Usage**: ```bash # Extract as MP3 (default) /scripts/extract_audio.py <url> -o <output_dir> # Extract as M4A /scripts/extract_audio.py <url> --format m4a # Custom quality /scripts/extract_audio.py <url> --quality 320 ``` **Formats**: `mp3`, `m4a`, `opus`, `flac`, `wav` ### extract_urls.py Extract video URLs from text or files. **Usage**: ```bash # Extract from text argument /scripts/extract_urls.py "Check https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." # Extract from file /scripts/extract_urls.py <file_path> # Read from stdin cat file.txt | /scripts/extract_urls.py ``` ## Video Platform Support The skill recognizes URLs from: - YouTube (youtube.com, youtu.be) - Twitter/X (twitter.com, x.com) - Vimeo (vimeo.com) - TikTok (tiktok.com) - Instagram (instagram.com) - Facebook (facebook.com, fb.watch) - Twitch (twitch.tv, clips.twitch.tv) - Dailymotion (dailymotion.com) - Reddit (reddit.com) - Streamable (streamable.com) - And many more supported by yt-dlp ## Workflow ### When User Provides Video URL 1. Extract URL from user's input using `extract_urls.py` 2. Confirm with user what action to take: - Download video - Extract audio - Show video info 3. Execute appropriate script based on user's choice 4. Notify user of success/failure and file location ### When Auto-detecting URLs 1. Scan conversation text with `extract_urls.py` (can process stdin) 2. If video URLs found, ask user: "I found video URLs in this conversation. Would you like me to download them?" 3. If yes, proceed with download workflow 4. If no, continue with conversation ### Handling Multiple URLs - For single URL: Direct download - For multiple URLs: Ask user if they want to download all or select specific ones - Provide option to download as playlist if URLs are from the same source ## Quality and Format Selection When user doesn't specify preferences: - Default to best available quality - For audio: Default to MP3 at 192kbps When options needed: ```bash # Ask user for quality preference if not specified # Options: best (defaul