Download videos from YouTube, Bilibili, Twitter, and thousands of other sites using yt-dlp. Use when the user provides a video URL and wants to download it, extract audio (MP3), download subtitles, or
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Download videos from thousands of websites using yt-dlp.
Before downloading, verify dependencies are installed:
# 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:
pip install yt-dlp brew install ffmpeg # macOS
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "VIDEO_URL"
YouTube often blocks direct downloads with 403 errors. Always use browser cookies for YouTube:
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome "YOUTUBE_URL"
Supported browsers:
chromefirefoxsafariedgebraveoperayt-dlp -P "/path/to/save" -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "VIDEO_URL"
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -x --audio-format mp3 "VIDEO_URL"
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --write-subs --sub-langs all "VIDEO_URL"
720p:
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]" "VIDEO_URL"
1080p:
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]" "VIDEO_URL"
Best available:
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f "bestvideo+bestaudio/best" "VIDEO_URL"
yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"
Then download specific format by ID:
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" -f FORMAT_ID "VIDEO_URL"
# 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"
yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --write-thumbnail "VIDEO_URL"
When user provides a video URL:
Identify the platform:
--cookies-from-browser chromeAsk what they want (if not specified):
Construct the command based on requirements
Execute the download using Shell tool with
required_permissions: ["all", "network"]Handle errors:
--cookies-from-browser-FReport the result - file location and any errors
User: "帮我下载这个视频 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxx"
Response:
# 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:
# 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:
# Twitter/X - direct download usually works yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" "https://twitter.com/xxx/status/123"
yt-dlp supports thousands of sites including:
Full list: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP 403 Forbidden | YouTube blocks unauthenticated requests | Use |
| Video unavailable | Geo-restricted or private | Use cookies or VPN |
| Download interrupted | Network issues | Retry - yt-dlp auto-resumes |
| Format not available | Requested format doesn't exist | Use |
pip install yt-dlp
brew install ffmpeg # macOS
This is the most common YouTube error. Always use cookies for YouTube:
# Recommended approach for YouTube yt-dlp -P "~/Downloads/yt-dlp" --cookies-from-browser chrome "YOUTUBE_URL"
Supported browsers:
chromefirefoxsafariedgebraveopera# 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"
# Update yt-dlp to latest version pip install -U yt-dlpForce IPv4 (sometimes helps with connection issues)
yt-dlp -4 "VIDEO_URL"
--cookies-from-browser chromepip install -U yt-dlp-FNo automatic installation available. Please visit the source repository for installation instructions.
View Installation Instructions
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