Is there a YouTube MCP server? Yes. Hermoso is a hosted YouTube MCP server. Add https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client, connect your YouTube channel once, and your assistant can upload videos and Shorts, schedule them, set custom thumbnails and captions, organise playlists and the channel homepage, answer and moderate comments, and read YouTube Analytics, including the thumbnail impressions and click-through rate that only YouTube’s bulk reports carry.
Uploading is the small part of running a channel. The parts that decide whether a video gets watched are the title, the thumbnail, the first minute, and what you change after you see the retention curve. Hermoso can make the thumbnail and cut the Shorts from your long video, publish them, and then read back where viewers came from and where they stopped, so the next video is better than the last.
Install it once
In Claude.ai or Claude Desktop, paste https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp under Settings → Connectors and approve it with your Hermoso account. In ChatGPT, Hermoso is an app you can add from the app directory. In a coding agent it is one command: claude mcp add --transport http hermoso https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp in Claude Code, or npx skills add hermoso-ai/hermoso -a cursor in Cursor (name your own agent after -a), then sign in once with npx -y hermoso auth login. There is no API key to paste: the connector signs in with OAuth. Full setup for every client is on the MCP & CLI page.
What your agent can do with the YouTube MCP
Every row is a real tool on the server. Ask in plain words and the agent picks the tools; you never type a tool name.
| Job | Tools | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Upload and schedule | post_to_youtube, schedule_post, list_youtube_categories | A video or Short, public by default or unlisted or private when you say so, published now or at a set time, filed under a real category. |
| Edit or remove | update_youtube_video, delete_youtube_video | Title, description, tags and privacy (this is how an unlisted upload goes public), or a permanent delete after you confirm. |
| Thumbnails | make_thumbnail, set_youtube_thumbnail | Make a click-worthy thumbnail and set it on the video. Custom thumbnails must be enabled on the channel, and the agent checks. |
| Captions | list_youtube_captions, manage_youtube_caption | Read caption tracks, or attach, replace and delete a real subtitle track. |
| Playlists and the homepage | list_youtube_playlists, manage_youtube_playlist, manage_youtube_playlist_items, manage_youtube_channel_section | Create and order playlists and choose what sits on the channel homepage. |
| Brand the channel | update_youtube_channel, set_youtube_watermark, manage_youtube_playlist_image | Banner, description, keywords, the trailer non-subscribers see, the subscribe watermark and playlist covers. |
| Comments | list_youtube_comments, reply_to_youtube_comment, moderate_youtube_comment | Read comments and replies, answer as the channel once you approve the text, and hold, reject or publish comments. |
| Analytics | youtube_channel, youtube_video_insights, youtube_channel_report, list_youtube_video_stats | Channel totals, per-video views, watch time and average view percentage, traffic sources, audience and retention. |
| Thumbnail click-through rate | youtube_bulk_report, list_youtube_report_jobs | YouTube’s bulk Reporting API, the only place it publishes thumbnail impressions and CTR. |
| Shorts from a long video | clip_video | Cut one long video into ranked short clips with captions, ready for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. |
| Research | search_youtube | Top videos on a keyword, to study hooks, titles and structure before you film. |
Example prompts
Paste any of these into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor once Hermoso is connected. Each one is a single request.
- “Upload this video to YouTube as unlisted with this title, so we can use it as an ad.”
post_to_youtubewith privacy unlisted, since YouTube cannot run a private video as an ad. - “Make three thumbnail options for our latest video and set the one with the clearest face.”
make_thumbnailrenders them, you pick, andset_youtube_thumbnailapplies it. - “Cut our podcast episode into five Shorts with captions and schedule one a day.”
clip_videoranks the moments, then each Short is scheduled. - “Where do viewers drop off in our last three videos, and where did they come from?”
youtube_channel_reportfor retention and traffic sources, side by side. - “Which of our thumbnails has the best click-through rate this quarter?”
youtube_bulk_reportreads YouTube’s thumbnail impressions and CTR. - “Answer the questions in our comments from this week, and hold anything spammy.”
Replies are shown to you first;moderate_youtube_commentholds the spam.
What YouTube itself requires
- Music is added in YouTube Studio. YouTube’s API takes no Audio Library track, so for that one case the video goes up unlisted, you add the track in Studio, and you make it public yourself.
- Ads need unlisted or public. A private video cannot run as a YouTube ad.
- Custom thumbnails must be enabled on the channel, which YouTube grants per account.
- Deletes are permanent. YouTube has no trash, so the agent asks before removing a video.
What it will not do without asking
Anything that publishes, messages a real person, deletes, or could start spend asks you first: the agent shows you the exact text, media and target and waits for a yes. A public upload notifies subscribers the way YouTube normally does; unlisted and private uploads stay quiet unless you say otherwise.
Connecting YouTube
You connect YouTube in the app under Workspace ▸ Connectors, through Google’s own sign-in, and choose the channel (including a Brand Account channel) that belongs to the brand. One connection serves the web app, the MCP server and the CLI. YouTube ads run through Google Ads: see the Google Ads MCP.
Every YouTube tool on the server
This list is read from the live tool roster each time the page is built, so it is the whole surface rather than a highlight reel. The tools Hermoso shares across channels (scheduling, uploads, creative, research) sit beside these.
post_to_youtube youtube_channel list_youtube_videos youtube_video_insights youtube_channel_report youtube_bulk_report list_youtube_report_jobs delete_youtube_report_job update_youtube_video delete_youtube_video update_youtube_channel set_youtube_watermark list_youtube_video_stats set_youtube_thumbnail list_youtube_comments list_youtube_comment_replies reply_to_youtube_comment list_youtube_playlists manage_youtube_playlist manage_youtube_playlist_items manage_youtube_channel_section manage_youtube_playlist_image list_youtube_captions manage_youtube_caption moderate_youtube_comment list_youtube_categories
Related
Everything Hermoso does on YouTube · YouTube scheduler · YouTube thumbnail maker · AI clip maker · YouTube in Claude · Instagram MCP · TikTok MCP · LinkedIn MCP · MCP & CLI setup
Frequently asked questions
Is there a YouTube MCP server?
Yes. Hermoso is a hosted YouTube MCP server at https://app.hermoso.ai/mcp. It uploads and schedules videos and Shorts, sets thumbnails and captions, manages playlists, answers comments and reads YouTube Analytics from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.
Can it upload Shorts?
Yes. A vertical video under YouTube’s Shorts length goes up as a Short, and Hermoso can cut Shorts from a long video first.
Can it read YouTube Analytics?
Yes: channel totals, per-video views and watch time, traffic sources, audience, retention, and thumbnail impressions and click-through rate from YouTube’s bulk reports.
Can it add music to a video?
Not through the API: YouTube takes no Audio Library track there. For that case the video goes up unlisted, you add the track in YouTube Studio, and you publish it.
Does uploading cost credits?
No. Uploading, scheduling, replies and analytics are free on every plan. Credits are spent only on AI generation, such as a thumbnail or a video, and ad research.
Do I need an API key?
No. You connect the channel with Google’s own sign-in, and your AI client signs in to Hermoso with OAuth.
Start free with 30 credits at signup and every feature on every plan. Connecting, posting, scheduling and managing ads is free; credits are spent only on AI models and ad research.
Start free → See pricing