# YouTube Downloader & Scraper (`logical_variety/youtube`) Actor

YouTube video file links, transcripts and conversion of video and audio formats.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/logical_variety/youtube.md
- **Developed by:** [Logical Variety](https://apify.com/logical_variety) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.50 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Downloader & Scraper

YouTube video file links, transcripts and conversion of video and audio formats.

Pick an **action** and fill in its fields — the Actor stores the answer in the
dataset. Without `action` it runs `getLinks`: pass a link and get file links.

### Input

`action` defaults to `getLinks` (also when it is empty) and selects what to fetch.

Each action uses only its own fields: fields of other actions are ignored and
not sent. A key that is not a field of this Actor (e.g. a typo) fails the run.
Required fields are checked before any request; an empty or whitespace-only
string counts as a missing value.

| Action | What it returns | Required | Optional |
|--------|-----------------|----------|----------|
| `getLinks` | Get file URLs | `url` | — |
| `transcript` | Transcript | `videoId` | `lang` |
| `convert` | Start conversion | `startPayload` | — |
| `status` | Conversion status | `taskId` | — |

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `taskId` | string, must be letters, digits, \_ and - only | Task ID returned by convert. |
| `url` | string | A YouTube video link. |
| `videoId` | string, must be 11 letters, digits, \_ or - | The v= part of the video link. |
| `lang` | string | Transcript language code, e.g. en. |
| `startPayload` | string | convert: a startPayload value from a getLinks item (a quality that needs conversion). |

Example:

```json
{"action":"getLinks","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"}
```

### Output

#### `getLinks`

One dataset item per resource found at the link (usually one; a post with
several media can give several):

```json
{
  "urls": [
    { "url": "https://...", "name": "MP4", "subName": "720", "type": "mp4", "extension": "mp4", "quality": "720p" }
  ],
  "meta": { "title": "...", "sourceUrl": "https://...", "duration": "1:02" },
  "pictureUrl": "https://...",
  "service": "..."
}
```

- `urls` — available files; fields such as `filesize`, `audio`, `quality`
  are present when the service provides them.
- A business error (no downloadable files, private or missing page) is stored as
  one dataset item as-is and the run still succeeds. It has one of two forms:
  `{ "response": 4, "response_type": "link not found", "success": false, "message": "..." }`
  or `{ "info": "...", "code": ... }`.
- A link that is not a YouTube link fails the run before any request is made.
- Direct CDN links can be bound to the IP address of the Actor run and may
  return 403 when opened from another machine: the Actor does not pass your IP
  address to the service. Download such links soon after the run, from the same
  environment if possible.
- A conversion job comes as `startPayload` instead of `url`: run `convert`
  with this `startPayload` (see Notes).

#### API actions

| Action | Example input | Key in the item |
|--------|---------------|-----------------|
| `transcript` | `{"action":"transcript","videoId":"dQw4w9WgXcQ"}` | `segments` |

- Success: the `result` object of the answer as one dataset item, as is;
  lists inside it are not split into items.
- A business error (`{ "success": false, ... }`, e.g. a missing user or video,
  or `{ "info": "...", "code": ... }`) is stored as one item as-is and the run
  still succeeds.

#### `convert`, `status`

- `convert` (`startPayload` of a conversion job from `getLinks`): the converter's
  answer as one item, e.g. `{ "taskId": "..." }`.
- `status`: the converter's answer as one item (`status`, `progress`,
  `downloadUrl` when ready, and other fields as is). A failed or unknown task
  gives one item `{ "error": "..." }` and the run still succeeds.
- `downloadUrl` is a direct link to the converted file: download it yourself.

#### Errors

- The run fails without storing data when the input is invalid (checked before
  any request), the request is rejected or gets an unexpected answer, or the
  service is still unavailable (an error or no answer within 30 seconds) after
  retries — about 90 seconds in the worst case.
- Conversion actions fail the run when the converter answers with an unexpected
  HTTP status or not with a JSON object, or does not answer within 30 seconds.

### Pricing

This Actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing: you pay for the Actor start and for
each result, platform usage (compute) is included. The prices are on the
Actor's page in Apify Store.

A result is one dataset item with data:

- `getLinks`: each resource;
- API actions: the `result` item;
- `convert`: the `taskId` item.

Only the Actor start is charged for:

- a business error item;
- `status`;
- an answer with no items;
- a run that fails.

### Notes

- Higher qualities in a `getLinks` item are conversion jobs, not files: they come with `startPayload` instead of `url`. Run `convert` with this `startPayload` to get a `taskId`, then `status` with the `taskId` until `downloadUrl` appears, and download the file from `downloadUrl`.

### Run via API

```bash
curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/logical_variety~youtube/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<APIFY_TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action":"getLinks","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"}'
```

# Actor input Schema

## `action` (type: `string`):

What to fetch (getLinks by default). Only the fields of the selected action are sent; fields of other actions are ignored.

## `taskId` (type: `string`):

Task ID returned by convert. Actions: status (required).

## `url` (type: `string`):

A YouTube video link. Actions: getLinks (required).

## `videoId` (type: `string`):

The v= part of the video link. Actions: transcript (required).

## `lang` (type: `string`):

Transcript language code, e.g. en. Actions: transcript.

## `startPayload` (type: `string`):

convert: a startPayload value from a getLinks item (a quality that needs conversion). Actions: convert (required).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "action": "getLinks",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset items: getLinks — one item per resource found at the link; other actions — the answer as one item. Errors of the service are stored as one item as is.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "action": "getLinks",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("logical_variety/youtube").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "action": "getLinks",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("logical_variety/youtube").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "action": "getLinks",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
}' |
apify call logical_variety/youtube --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,logical_variety/youtube"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/naXHGUbhezePsprGV/builds/bwRYYXItvnqSn5062/openapi.json