yt-dlp Video Downloader

Download videos from thousands of websites using yt-dlp.

Prerequisites

Before downloading, verify dependencies are installed:

# Check yt-dlp
which yt-dlp || echo "yt-dlp not installed. Install with: pip install yt-dlp"

# Check ffmpeg (required for audio extraction and format merging)
which ffmpeg || echo "ffmpeg not installed. Install with: brew install ffmpeg"

If not installed, install them first:

pip install yt-dlp
brew install ffmpeg  # macOS

Quick Start

Basic Download (Best Quality)

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "VIDEO_URL"

YouTube Download (Recommended - with cookies)

YouTube often blocks direct downloads with 403 errors. Always use browser cookies for YouTube:

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome "YOUTUBE_URL"

Supported browsers: chrome, firefox, safari, edge, brave, opera

Download with Custom Output Path

yt-dlp -P "/path/to/save" -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"

Common Tasks

1. Download Video (Default - Best Quality)

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "VIDEO_URL"

2. Extract Audio Only (MP3)

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -x --audio-format mp3 "VIDEO_URL"

3. Download with Subtitles

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --write-subs --sub-langs all "VIDEO_URL"

4. Download Specific Quality

720p:

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]" "VIDEO_URL"

1080p:

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]" "VIDEO_URL"

Best available:

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo+bestaudio/best" "VIDEO_URL"

5. List Available Formats (Before Download)

yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"

Then download specific format by ID:

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f FORMAT_ID "VIDEO_URL"

6. Download Playlist

# Download entire playlist
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -o "%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"

# Download specific range (e.g., items 1-5)
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -I 1:5 "PLAYLIST_URL"

7. Download with Thumbnail

yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --write-thumbnail "VIDEO_URL"

Workflow

When user provides a video URL:

Identify the platform:

- YouTube/YouTube Music → Always use --cookies-from-browser chrome
- Other sites → Try without cookies first

Ask what they want (if not specified):

- Just download the video?
- Extract audio only?
- Need subtitles?
- Specific quality?

Construct the command based on requirements

Execute the download using Shell tool with required_permissions: ["all", "network"]

Handle errors:

- 403 Forbidden → Retry with --cookies-from-browser
- Connection issues → yt-dlp auto-resumes, just retry
- Format unavailable → Use -F to list formats, then select

Report the result - file location and any errors

Example Interaction

User: "帮我下载这个视频 "

Response:

# YouTube - use cookies to avoid 403 errors
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome ""

User: "下载这个视频的音频 "

Response:

# Bilibili - extracting audio as MP3
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -x --audio-format mp3 ""

User: "下载这个 Twitter 视频 "

Response:

# Twitter/X - direct download usually works
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" ""

Supported Sites

yt-dlp supports thousands of sites including:

• YouTube, YouTube Music


• Bilibili (B站)


• Twitter/X


• TikTok, Douyin (抖音)


• Vimeo


• Twitch


• And many more...

Full list:

Troubleshooting

Common Errors and Solutions

Error

Cause

Solution

HTTP 403 Forbidden	YouTube blocks unauthenticated requests	Use --cookies-from-browser chrome
Video unavailable	Geo-restricted or private	Use cookies or VPN
Download interrupted	Network issues	Retry - yt-dlp auto-resumes
Format not available	Requested format doesn't exist	Use -F to list formats

Error: "yt-dlp: command not found"

pip install yt-dlp

Error: "ffmpeg not found" (for audio extraction)

brew install ffmpeg  # macOS

Error: HTTP 403 Forbidden (YouTube)

This is the most common YouTube error. Always use cookies for YouTube:

# Recommended approach for YouTube
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome "YOUTUBE_URL"

Supported browsers: chrome, firefox, safari, edge, brave, opera

Error: Video unavailable or geo-restricted

# Try with cookies from browser
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "VIDEO_URL"

# Or use a specific format
yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"  # List formats first
yt-dlp -f FORMAT_ID "VIDEO_URL"

Error: Download keeps failing

# Update yt-dlp to latest version
pip install -U yt-dlp

# Force IPv4 (sometimes helps with connection issues)
yt-dlp -4 "VIDEO_URL"

Best Practices

YouTube downloads: Always use --cookies-from-browser chrome

Large files: yt-dlp auto-resumes, just retry if interrupted

Keep yt-dlp updated: pip install -U yt-dlp

Check formats first: Use -F before downloading if unsure