YouTube Analytics Toolkit
Setup
Install dependencies:
cd scripts && npm install
Configure credentials by creating a
.env
file in the project root:
YOUTUBE_API_KEY=AIzaSy...your-api-key
YOUTUBE_DEFAULT_MAX_RESULTS=50
Prerequisites: A Google Cloud project with the YouTube Data API v3 enabled. Get your API key from the Google Cloud Console.
Quick Start
| User says | Function to call |
|---|
| "Analyze this YouTube channel" | analyzeChannel(channelId)
|
| "Compare these two channels" | compareChannels([id1, id2])
|
| "How is this video performing?" | analyzeVideo(videoId)
|
| "Search YouTube for [topic]" | searchAndAnalyze(query)
|
| "Get stats for this channel" | getChannelStats(channelId)
|
| "Get this video's view count" | getVideoStats(videoId)
|
| "Find channels about [topic]" | searchChannels(query)
|
| "Show recent uploads from this channel" | getChannelVideos(channelId)
|
Execute functions by importing from
scripts/src/index.ts
:
import { analyzeChannel, searchAndAnalyze } from './scripts/src/index.js';
const analysis = await analyzeChannel('UCxxxxxxxx');
Or run directly with tsx:
npx tsx scripts/src/index.ts
Workflow Pattern
Every analysis follows three phases:
1. Analyze
Run API functions. Each call hits the YouTube Data API and returns structured data.
2. Auto-Save
All results automatically save as JSON files to
results/{category}/
. File naming patterns:
- Named results:
{sanitized_name}.json
- Auto-generated:
YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS__{operation}.json
3. Summarize
After analysis, read the saved JSON files and create a markdown summary in
results/summaries/
with data tables, comparisons, and insights.
High-Level Functions
| Function | Purpose | What it gathers |
|---|
analyzeChannel(channelId)
| Full channel analysis | Channel info, recent videos, avg views per video |
compareChannels(channelIds)
| Compare multiple channels | Side-by-side subscribers, views, video counts |
analyzeVideo(videoId)
| Video performance analysis | Views, likes, comments, like rate, comment rate |
searchAndAnalyze(query, maxResults?)
| Search + stats | Search results with full video statistics |
Individual API Functions
For granular control, import specific functions from the API modules. See references/api-reference.md for the complete list of 13 API functions with parameters, types, and examples.
Channel Functions
| Function | Purpose |
|---|
getChannel(channelId)
| Get full channel details |
getChannelStats(channelId)
| Get simplified stats (subscribers, views, videoCount) |
getMultipleChannels(channelIds)
| Batch fetch multiple channels |
Video Functions
| Function | Purpose |
|---|
getVideo(videoId)
| Get full video details |
getVideoStats(videoId)
| Get simplified stats (views, likes, comments) |
getMultipleVideos(videoIds)
| Batch fetch multiple videos |
getChannelVideos(channelId)
| Get recent uploads from a channel |
Search Functions
| Function | Purpose |
|---|
searchVideos(query, options?)
| Search for videos |
searchChannels(query, options?)
| Search for channels |
Results Storage
Results auto-save to
results/
with this structure:
results/
├── channels/ # Channel data and comparisons
├── videos/ # Video data and analyses
├── search/ # Search results
└── summaries/ # Human-readable markdown summaries
Managing Results
import { listResults, loadResult, getLatestResult } from './scripts/src/index.js';
// List recent results
const files = listResults('channels', 10);
// Load a specific result
const data = loadResult(files[0]);
// Get most recent result for an operation
const latest = getLatestResult('channels', 'channel_analysis');
Tips
- Use channel IDs — Channel IDs start with
UC
(e.g., UCxxxxxxxx
). You can find them in the channel URL or page source.
- Request summaries — After pulling data, ask for a markdown summary with tables and insights.
- Compare channels — Use
compareChannels()
to benchmark competitors side by side.
- Batch requests — Use
getMultipleChannels()
or getMultipleVideos()
for efficient batch lookups.
- Search + analyze —
searchAndAnalyze()
combines search with full video stats in one call.
