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:

# 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:

# 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:

# 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:

# Ask user for quality preference if not specified
# Options: best (default), 1080p, 720p, 480p, audio

# Ask for format if extracting audio
# Options: mp3 (default), m4a, opus, flac, wav

Error Handling

Common issues and solutions:

1. yt-dlp not installed:

   • Check with yt-dlp --version
   • Install with pip install yt-dlp or brew install yt-dlp

2. ffmpeg not installed (required for format conversion):

   • Install with brew install ffmpeg (macOS)
   • Or apt install ffmpeg (Linux)

3. Video not available:

   • Check if URL is accessible
   • Some videos may require authentication
   • Age-restricted content may need cookies

4. Network errors:

   • Retry download
   • Check internet connection

Dependencies

• yt-dlp: Main video downloader
• ffmpeg: Audio/video processing (required for format conversion)
• python3 with standard library

All scripts are self-contained and use only built-in Python modules.