yt-dlp
yt-dlp Documentation Guide
yt-dlp is a feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader with support for thousands of sites. It's a maintained fork of youtube-dl with many additional features and fixes.
Documentation Structure
This skill includes the complete README.md and the official wiki. When working with yt-dlp, reference the appropriate documentation based on the task:
For Installation and Setup
- README.md - Section:
# INSTALLATION- Installation methods, dependencies, and updates - wiki/Installation.md - Detailed installation guide for various platforms
- wiki/FAQ.md - Common installation issues and solutions
For Basic Downloads
- README.md - Section:
# USAGE AND OPTIONS- Complete command-line reference - README.md - Section:
## Download Options:- File selection, rate limiting, retries - README.md - Section:
## Video Selection:- Playlist handling, filtering, date ranges
For Format Selection (Quality, Audio/Video)
- README.md - Section:
## Video Format Options:- Format selection syntax and filtering - README.md - Section:
# FORMAT SELECTION- Detailed format selection guide - wiki/FAQ.md - Common format selection questions
For Audio Extraction
- README.md - Section:
## Post-Processing Options:- Audio extraction, conversion, embedding - Look for examples with
-xor--extract-audioflags - Format selection for audio-only downloads
For Subtitles and Captions
- README.md - Section:
## Subtitle Options:- Subtitle downloading, conversion, embedding - Examples with
--write-subs,--write-auto-subs,--sub-lang
For Output Customization
- README.md - Section:
# OUTPUT TEMPLATE- Filename templates and field formatting - README.md - Section:
## Filesystem Options:- Path formatting, file naming - Use this for custom file naming patterns and organization
For Metadata and Embedding
- README.md - Section:
# MODIFYING METADATA- Adding/modifying metadata during download - README.md - Section:
## Post-Processing Options:- Embedding thumbnails, metadata, chapters
For Authentication and Cookies
- README.md - Section:
## Authentication Options:- Username/password, cookies, netrc - README.md - Section:
# CONFIGURATION- Subsection:### Authentication with netrc - Use for sites requiring login
For Troubleshooting
- wiki/FAQ.md - Frequently asked questions and common issues
- README.md - Section:
## Workarounds:- Handling rate limits, geo-restrictions, errors - README.md - Section:
## Extractor Options:- Site-specific options - wiki/Extractors.md - List of supported sites and extractor-specific details
For YouTube-Specific Issues
- wiki/PO-Token-Guide.md - YouTube PO Token authentication (for bot detection issues)
- wiki/EJS.md - YouTube cipher decryption setup
- README.md - Section:
## SponsorBlock Options:- SponsorBlock integration for YouTube
For Playlists and Channels
- README.md - Section:
## Video Selection:- Playlist filtering, item selection - Use
--playlist-start,--playlist-end,--playlist-itemsoptions - Archive functionality to track downloaded items
For Configuration Files
- README.md - Section:
# CONFIGURATION- Configuration file locations and syntax - Configuration file examples and environment variables
For Advanced Usage
- wiki/Plugins.md - Using community plugins for additional functionality
- wiki/Plugin-Development.md - Creating custom plugins
- README.md - Section:
# EMBEDDING- Using yt-dlp as a Python library
For Proxy and Network Issues
- README.md - Section:
## Network Options:- Proxy configuration, network settings - README.md - Section:
## Geo-restriction:- Bypassing geo-blocks
Common Usage Patterns
When the user asks to:
- Download a video → Check
# USAGE AND OPTIONSand## Download Options: - Extract audio → Check
## Post-Processing Options:and look for-xexamples - Download best quality → Check
# FORMAT SELECTIONfor format sorting - Download playlists → Check
## Video Selection:for playlist options - Fix download errors → Check
wiki/FAQ.mdand## Workarounds: - Customize filenames → Check
# OUTPUT TEMPLATE - Download with cookies → Check
## Authentication Options: - Handle YouTube issues → Check
wiki/PO-Token-Guide.mdandwiki/EJS.md
Related Skills
For audio transcription workflows:
- parakeet - Transcribe downloaded audio to text (SRT format)
- llm - Clean up transcripts into articles using
audio-to-article.yamltemplate
Example workflow (download → transcribe → article):
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "URL"
uvx parakeet-mlx audio.mp3
python3 srt_to_text.py audio.srt | llm -t audio-to-article.yaml
Important Notes
- Always check README.md first - It contains the complete command-line reference
- Use the wiki for troubleshooting - FAQ.md covers most common issues
- Format selection is powerful - The
# FORMAT SELECTIONsection has extensive examples - YouTube requires special handling - See wiki/PO-Token-Guide.md and wiki/EJS.md for modern YouTube downloads
- Post-processing requires ffmpeg - Many features depend on ffmpeg being installed
Quick Reference
Installation
# macOS via Homebrew
brew install yt-dlp
# Python pip
pip install yt-dlp
# Update
yt-dlp -U
Basic Commands
# Download video (best quality)
yt-dlp URL
# Extract audio
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 URL
# Download playlist
yt-dlp -o "%(playlist_index)s-%(title)s.%(ext)s" PLAYLIST_URL
# List available formats
yt-dlp -F URL
# Download specific format
yt-dlp -f FORMAT_ID URL
File Locations
- README.md - Complete command-line reference and documentation
- wiki/FAQ.md - Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting
- wiki/Installation.md - Detailed installation instructions
- wiki/PO-Token-Guide.md - YouTube authentication guide
- wiki/EJS.md - YouTube cipher decryption setup
- wiki/Extractors.md - Supported sites and extractor details
- wiki/Plugins.md - Plugin usage guide
- wiki/Plugin-Development.md - Plugin development guide
When in Doubt
- Read the relevant section from README.md
- Check wiki/FAQ.md for common issues
- Use
yt-dlp --helpfor complete option list - For site-specific issues, check wiki/Extractors.md
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