What you will set up
By the end of this guide, you will have the claude-youtube skill installed in Claude Code with access to 14 specialized commands. These commands cover channel audits, video SEO, retention-engineered scripts, hook writing, thumbnail briefs, content strategy, content calendars, Shorts optimization, analytics interpretation, monetization planning, competitor research, cross-platform repurposing, upload metadata, and data-driven video idea generation.
What this skill does
claude-youtube is a Claude Code skill that turns your terminal into a YouTube growth consultant. Every recommendation is grounded in platform-specific benchmarks, algorithm mechanics, and data from your actual channel.
The skill ships with 39 files, 5,300+ lines of markdown, 1,300+ lines of Python, 14 sub-skills, 9 reference guides, 9 channel templates, and 6 execution scripts.
Prerequisites
Confirm you have the following before you begin:
- a. Claude Code CLI installed and configured on your machine. This is the only hard requirement.
- b. Git installed (to clone the repository).
- c. Python 3.8+ (optional, only needed if you want to use the execution scripts for live channel data fetching).
📝 Note
The skill works without any API credentials. You can provide channel data manually. The YouTube API key, DataForSEO, and NanoBanana integrations are all optional enhancements.
Install the skill
Clone the repository and copy the skill files into your Claude Code skills directory.
- a. Open your terminal and clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-youtube.git
- b. Copy the skill folder into your Claude Code skills directory:
cp -r claude-youtube/skills/claude-youtube ~/.claude/skills/claude-youtube
💡 Tip
If you plan to contribute or keep the skill updated, use a symlink instead of copying. This lets you pull updates with git pull without re-copying files.
- c. Alternative: symlink for development:
git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-youtube.git ~/claude-youtube
ln -s ~/claude-youtube/skills/claude-youtube ~/.claude/skills/claude-youtube
Add YouTube API key (optional)
Adding a YouTube Data API v3 key enables automated channel data fetching. Without it, you can still use every command by providing data manually.
- a. Go to the Google Cloud Console and enable the YouTube Data API v3:
- b. Create an API key in the Credentials section.
- c. Set the environment variable in your terminal profile (e.g., .zshrc or .bashrc):
export YOUTUBE_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
- d. For private analytics on your own channel, set up OAuth 2.0 credentials in the same Google Cloud project. The skill's youtube_auth.py utility handles the OAuth flow.
📌 Important
The YouTube Data API has a daily quota of 10,000 units. The skill includes a built-in quota tracker (quota_tracker.py) to help you stay within limits. A typical channel data fetch uses about 16 units.
Add DataForSEO MCP (optional)
DataForSEO provides live keyword research, YouTube SERP analysis, trend intelligence, and competitive research data. Without it, the skill falls back to web search for this data.
- a. Open your Claude Code settings file:
open ~/.claude/settings.json
- b. Add the DataForSEO MCP server block under mcpServers:
{
"dataforseo": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "dataforseo-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"DATAFORSEO_USERNAME": "your-username",
"DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD": "your-password",
"ENABLED_MODULES": "SERP,KEYWORDS_DATA,DATAFORSEO_LABS,ONPAGE"
}
}
}
- c. Save the file and restart Claude Code.
📝 Note
Typical workflow costs range from $0.002 to $0.04 per command. Check DataForSEO pricing for current rates.
Add NanoBanana MCP (optional)
NanoBanana enables AI thumbnail generation using Gemini models. Without it, the /youtube thumbnail command produces text-only briefs instead of actual images.
- a. Open ~/.claude/settings.json and add the NanoBanana block under mcpServers:
{
"nanobanana": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["nanobanana-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-gemini-api-key"
}
}
}
- b. Save the file and restart Claude Code.
Run your first command
Open Claude Code in your terminal and try any of these commands:
/youtube audit
/youtube ideate
/youtube script "How to Build a PC in 2025"
/youtube thumbnail
/youtube seo
The skill will ask for any missing context (channel niche, subscriber tier, primary goal) before running. Provide what you have and it will proceed.
💡 Tip
Start with /youtube audit if you have an existing channel. It gives you a full health assessment across four dimensions and identifies your highest-priority actions.
All 14 commands
Here is the complete command reference:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| /youtube audit | Full channel health audit across SEO, performance, content, and monetization with parallel agents |
| /youtube seo | Video SEO package: 3 title variants, full description, tags, chapters, hashtags, VideoObject schema |
| /youtube script | Retention-engineered script with hook/intro/content blocks, pattern interrupts every 60-90s, and CTA placement |
| /youtube hook | 5 hook variants (shock, problem-agitation, story, curiosity-gap, social proof) with drop-off risk ratings |
| /youtube thumbnail | Thumbnail brief with 3 A/B variants, color hex codes, composition specs, and title-thumbnail synergy check |
| /youtube strategy | Channel positioning, content pillars (Hub/Hero/Help), niche viability, upload cadence, 30/60/90-day milestones |
| /youtube calendar | Monthly content calendar with per-video metadata, Shorts supplement plan, and seasonal CPM timing |
| /youtube shorts | Shorts production package: script with visual change markers, SEO metadata, performance prediction, loop setup |
| /youtube analyze | Analytics interpretation: funnel diagnosis, retention graph classification, traffic source health, priority actions |
| /youtube repurpose | Cross-platform package: Shorts clips, blog outline, LinkedIn post, X thread, email, podcast outline, community post |
| /youtube monetize | Revenue strategy across 7 streams, brand deal rate card, external funnel design, 90-day activation plan |
| /youtube competitor | Competitor analysis with 4 parallel agents: top videos, keyword gaps, format gaps, audience gaps |
| /youtube metadata | Copy-paste-ready upload package: titles, description, tags, chapters, cards, end screens, publish settings |
| /youtube ideate | 10 ranked video ideas with keyword analysis, hook angles, thumbnail concepts, and revenue potential |
Multi-command workflows
Commands chain naturally. You can describe what you need in plain language and the skill will route through the correct sequence automatically.
Help me plan and script my next video about meal prep for beginners
This triggers ideate → script → metadata sequentially, passing output between each step. You do not need to run each command separately.
Architecture overview
The skill uses a 3-layer architecture built on the Agent Skills open standard:
- 1. Orchestrator (SKILL.md) routes your request to the correct sub-skill based on trigger phrases.
- 2. Context-gathering collects your channel niche, size tier, and primary goal before any sub-skill runs.
- 3. Channel type detection loads the matching template (education, entertainment, tutorial, etc.) for niche-specific benchmarks.
- 4. Sub-skills load only the reference files they need, execute step-by-step, and produce structured output.
- 5. Quality gates verify specificity, data grounding, and completeness before delivery.
The file structure lives at:
~/.claude/skills/claude-youtube/
SKILL.md # Orchestrator
sub-skills/ # 14 sub-skill instruction files
references/ # 9 data-grounded reference guides
templates/ # 9 channel-type templates
execution/ # 6 Python scripts for YouTube API