> **For coding agents and LLMs:** This is one page from the Social Fetch docs (markdown export). For curated orientation and workflow guidance, start with [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt); for agent onboarding and crawl rules, use [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt); for the full endpoint list with links to pages like this one, use [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt); for one platform's parameters and curls, use [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt); use [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) when you need structured JSON for tool registration.

## This page

- **On-site (HTML):** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/youtube](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/youtube)
- **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/youtube.mdx](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/youtube.mdx)

## API base URL and authentication

- **API origin (from OpenAPI `servers`):** `https://api.socialfetch.dev`
- **Authentication:** send `x-api-key: sfk_...` on `/v1/**` routes unless the operation is explicitly anonymous (check OpenAPI `security`, the [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx), [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt), or [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) for each route).
- **OpenAPI JSON:** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/openapi.json](https://www.socialfetch.dev/openapi.json)

## Recommended docs entrypoints (this site)

- [Documentation overview](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs.mdx) — top-level orientation (markdown).
- [Quickstart](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/quickstart.mdx) — authenticate with `x-api-key`, validate auth with `whoami`, and understand the JSON envelope.
- [SDK](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/sdk.mdx) — official TypeScript SDK guide, including `SocialFetchClient`, `Result`, and `unwrap()`.
- [SDK reference](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/sdk-reference.mdx) — exhaustive SDK method inventory and route mapping for agents, tooling, and power users.
- [Choose the right endpoint](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/choose-endpoint.mdx) — task-oriented route selection for smoke tests, profiles, list endpoints, and single-item lookups.
- [Capability matrix](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/capability-matrix.mdx) — fast comparison of identifiers, pagination, outcomes, media download, and SDK coverage.
- [Recipes](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/recipes.mdx) — copyable workflows (brand monitoring, transcripts, Ad Library, creator scoring, Reddit research) with credit callouts and SDK examples.
- [Integrations](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations.mdx) — MCP for AI clients, n8n verified node, Apify Store Actors, Make custom app, SDK, and REST API connection paths.
- [MCP product page](https://www.socialfetch.dev/mcp) — hosted MCP overview, OAuth, Skills install.
- [MCP integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/mcp.mdx) — hosted `/mcp` server, OAuth, Cursor/VS Code/Claude install snippets, 165 endpoint tools, plus docs_search/docs_read for implementation help.
- [n8n integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/n8n.mdx) — install `n8n-nodes-socialfetch`, credentials, and workflow examples.
- [Apify integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/apify.mdx) — Store Actors under @social-fetch, PPE billing, dataset export, and quick start.
- [Make integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/make.mdx) — custom app modules for Make scenarios, API key credentials, and module catalog.
- [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt) — every documented operation with a direct link to that route's agent-readable markdown page (prefer this over parsing OpenAPI).
- [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt) — per-platform endpoint files generated from OpenAPI (parameters, credits, curls).
- [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt) — agent crawl/onboarding file with capabilities, auth rules, and allowlist.
- [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) — structured machine-readable operation inventory with parameter names, pagination, outcomes, credits, and SDK mapping.
- [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx) — human-friendly index of operations with links into generated pages.
- [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) — shared error envelope and HTTP status guidance.
- [Credits](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/credits.mdx) — metering, `402`, and planning batch jobs.
- Outcome semantics such as `found`, `not_found`, and `private` are documented in [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) and on operation pages when present in the OpenAPI contract.

## Markdown docs convention

- Every docs page has a markdown twin: append **`.mdx`** to the docs pathname (for example `/docs/quickstart` → `/docs/quickstart.mdx`).
- Agents that send `Accept: text/markdown` on `/docs/**` HTML URLs may receive markdown directly (same URL, `Vary: Accept`).

---
# YouTube API reference (https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/youtube)

Social Fetch's YouTube tag is thirteen `GET /v1/youtube/...` routes. Pass a channel, video URL, or search query and get `{ data, meta }` with `data.lookupStatus`, `meta.requestId`, and `meta.creditsCharged`. Authenticate with `x-api-key` only — no Google Cloud project, OAuth consent screen, or daily quota units.

These pages are generated from the public OpenAPI spec. Product overview, examples, and FAQs live on the [YouTube platform hub](/platforms/youtube). Vendor comparison: [Best YouTube data APIs](/blog/best-youtube-data-apis-2026). Transcript workflow: [video transcription recipe](/docs/recipes/video-transcription).

  Every YouTube route is **1 credit** per completed lookup, except comment analysis, which is **2**. Paginated video, comment, and search calls bill **each page**. Trust `meta.creditsCharged`.

## Channels and playlists

- [Channel](/docs/api/v1/youtube/channel/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/channel` — channel card, subscribers, and metadata.

- [Channel videos](/docs/api/v1/youtube/channels/videos/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/channels/videos` — uploads, cursor-paged.

- [Channel shorts](/docs/api/v1/youtube/channels/shorts/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/channels/shorts` — Shorts tab for a channel.

- [Playlist](/docs/api/v1/youtube/playlists/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/playlists` — playlist items by URL or id.

- [Community post](/docs/api/v1/youtube/community-posts/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/community-posts` — one community post.

## Search

- [Search](/docs/api/v1/youtube/search/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/search` — keyword search across videos and channels.

- [Hashtag search](/docs/api/v1/youtube/search/hashtags/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/search/hashtags` — hashtag-led discovery.

## Videos

- [Video](/docs/api/v1/youtube/videos/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/videos` — one video by URL or id.

- [Video comments](/docs/api/v1/youtube/videos/comments/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/videos/comments` — comment list, cursor-paged.

- [Comment analysis](/docs/api/v1/youtube/videos/comments/analysis/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/videos/comments/analysis` — sentiment and themes (2 credits).

- [Comment replies](/docs/api/v1/youtube/videos/comments/replies/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/videos/comments/replies` — nested replies.

- [Video transcript](/docs/api/v1/youtube/videos/transcript/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/videos/transcript` — captions to plain text.

- [Trending Shorts](/docs/api/v1/youtube/shorts/trending/get) — `GET /v1/youtube/shorts/trending` — trending Shorts by region.

## Related

* [YouTube platform hub](/platforms/youtube) — coverage, FAQs, and credit notes
* [Best YouTube data APIs](/blog/best-youtube-data-apis-2026) — vendor comparison
* [Free YouTube transcript generator](/tools/youtube-transcript)
* [Video transcription recipe](/docs/recipes/video-transcription)
* [API reference](/docs/api) — all platforms