# YouTube data API for AI agents

looot lists the YouTube operations of several data providers in one catalog. An agent reads a channel, lists its videos and shorts, searches videos, pulls comments, or fetches a transcript. The page shows which provider is cheapest for each job.

## Jobs an agent does

- Turn a video into text and summarize it for a research note.
- Track a competitor channel: uploads, shorts and community posts.
- Search a topic and list the videos that rank for it.
- Mine comments for questions viewers keep asking.
- Build a creator list from channel searches in a niche.

## Operations by job

- Transcripts and subtitles: The captions of a video in the language you ask for.
- Comments: Comments on a video, with reply threads where the provider returns them.
- Search: Search results for videos, channels and playlists.
- Channels: Channel details, handle and id lookups, shorts, playlists, live streams and community posts.
- Videos: One video's details, stats and related videos.

## How the providers differ

The search-engine providers return search results the way YouTube ranks them, and the scraper providers return channel and video pages. The SEO provider also gives live YouTube results for a keyword in a chosen location. Transcript operations differ by language support, so check the input line for a language field before you rely on one.

## Prompt

Use looot to get the transcript of this YouTube video link, summarize it in five bullets, and show the price of the call before you run it. Setup is in skill.md.

## How does an agent get a YouTube transcript through looot?

Call a transcript operation with the video link or id. One provider returns transcripts in the languages you request, and another returns subtitles through its SEO API. The group above lists both.

## Do I need a YouTube API key or a Google project?

No. Your agent uses a looot key. You do not create a Google Cloud project or manage YouTube Data API quota.

## Can I list every video of a channel?

Yes. Channel video operations page through the uploads of a channel by its id or handle. Separate operations list shorts, playlists, live streams and community posts.

## How do I find a channel id from a handle?

Use one of the lookup operations that turn a channel name or URL into a channel id, and back. Many list operations want the id.

## Can I read comments and replies?

Yes. Comment operations take a video id and return comments with pagination. Some providers also return reply threads.

## Why are there two kinds of search?

A search operation returns what YouTube search shows for a query. The SEO provider returns a live results page for a keyword in a location, which suits rank checks. Pick by the question you ask.

## How does my agent call a YouTube operation?

It connects to looot once, searches the catalog for the job, reads the input fields and the price, then runs the operation. Setup takes one line from skill.md, and the same key works for every provider.

## How is a YouTube call billed?

Per call, at the price shown on this page for that operation. The agent sees the price before the run, and the run is recorded with its cost in your ledger.

## Where do I find the full input and output fields?

Each operation has a reference page on docs.looot.ai with its input fields, an example call and the response. The For agents card on this page links the cheapest ones.

## Are the prices on this page current?

They are read from the live looot catalog every few minutes, so they change when a provider changes its price. When the catalog cannot be read, the page shows no numbers.

## Which YouTube operation should I start with?

Start with the cheapest operation in the job you need, which is listed first in its group. Check that it returns the fields your agent reads, and switch to another provider if it does not.

## Related pages

- /platforms/tiktok
- /platforms/instagram
- /platforms/google-search
- /use-cases/data-enrichment

## Last reviewed

2026-10-04. The operation list, the counts and every price are read live from the catalog on the web page.

## For agents

Run any operation with POST /v1/runs and its endpointId. The full tool reference is on docs.looot.ai.

- **platform**: YouTube
- **setup**: https://looot.ai/skill.md
- **tool reference**: https://docs.looot.ai/reference/tools