yt-dlp Video Downloader#

Download videos from thousands of websites using yt-dlp.

Prerequisites#

Before downloading, verify dependencies are installed:

bash

# 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:

bash

pip install yt-dlp
brew install ffmpeg  # macOS

Quick Start#

Basic Download (Best Quality)#

bash

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:

bash

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#

bash

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

Common Tasks#

1. Download Video (Default - Best Quality)#

bash

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

2. Extract Audio Only (MP3)#

bash

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

3. Download with Subtitles#

bash

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

4. Download Specific Quality#

720p:

bash

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

1080p:

bash

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

Best available:

bash

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

5. List Available Formats (Before Download)#

bash

yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"

Then download specific format by ID:

bash

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

6. Download Playlist#

bash

# 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#

bash

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

Workflow#

When user provides a video URL:

1. Identify the platform:

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

2. Ask what they want (if not specified):

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

3. Construct the command based on requirements

   • Accept only http:// or https:// URLs
   • Do not build shell from untrusted text or use eval

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

5. 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

6. Report the result - file location and any errors

Example Interaction#

User: "帮我下载这个视频 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxx"

Response:

bash

# YouTube - use cookies to avoid 403 errors
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxx"

User: "下载这个视频的音频 https://www.bilibili.com/video/xxx"

Response:

bash

# Bilibili - extracting audio as MP3
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -x --audio-format mp3 "https://www.bilibili.com/video/xxx"

User: "下载这个 Twitter 视频 https://twitter.com/xxx/status/123"

Response:

bash

# Twitter/X - direct download usually works
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "https://twitter.com/xxx/status/123"

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: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md

Troubleshooting#

Common Errors and Solutions#

ErrorCauseSolutionHTTP 403 ForbiddenYouTube blocks unauthenticated requestsUse --cookies-from-browser chromeVideo unavailableGeo-restricted or privateUse cookies or VPNDownload interruptedNetwork issuesRetry - yt-dlp auto-resumesFormat not availableRequested format doesn't existUse -F to list formats

Error: "yt-dlp: command not found"#

bash

pip install yt-dlp

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

bash

brew install ffmpeg  # macOS

Error: HTTP 403 Forbidden (YouTube)#

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

bash

# 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#

bash

# 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#

bash

# 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#

1. YouTube downloads: Always use --cookies-from-browser chrome
2. Large files: yt-dlp auto-resumes, just retry if interrupted
3. Keep yt-dlp updated: pip install -U yt-dlp
4. Check formats first: Use -F before downloading if unsure