/v1/detail"platform": "youtube"YouTube Detail API
One video by ID or link.
Get any public YouTube video by ID or link and get back text, author, likes, comment count, views and publish time, as JSON over HTTP or from your AI client over MCP. A call to the YouTube Detail API costs 2 credits ($0.004 to $0.0067 depending on the pack), failed calls are free, and the response has the same format as every other call. Last tested 2026-10-31.
Last updated:
What you get from the YouTube Detail API.
From a recorded answer.
A recorded call returned the object below, field by field. Names and text are removed from the sample; the numbers are as recorded.
Lighter for your AI: the same recorded data (1 item) is about 6,574 tokens as the platform's raw JSON and about 620 as this interface returns it, 90% fewer (measured 2026-11-06). How it was measured
| Field | In the recorded answer |
|---|---|
| url | removed from the sample |
| format | video |
| title | removed from the sample |
| text | removed from the sample |
| published_at | 2021-02-22T19:16:56.000Z |
| author.id | removed from the sample |
| author.username | removed from the sample |
| author.name | removed from the sample |
| author.verified | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| author.followers | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| metrics.likes | 388,123 |
| metrics.comments | 26,000 |
| metrics.shares | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| metrics.collects | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| metrics.views | 17,954,533 |
| metrics.reposts | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| images | 1 entry |
| hashtags | null: YouTube cannot give it |
| is_pinned | null: YouTube cannot give it |
2 credits a call (≈ $0.004–$0.0067): about 1,500 calls for $10.
YouTube Detail API: request and response
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/detail \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY" \ -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "platform": "youtube", "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" }'import osimport uuidimport requestsresponse = requests.post( "https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/detail", headers={ "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY']}", # A new key for each request; the same one again retries it without paying twice. "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4()), }, json={ "platform": "youtube", "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", },)print(response.json())# Connected over MCP? Ask in plain words.Read this YouTube video: dQw4w9WgXcQ# Your AI calls the detail tool with:{ "platform": "youtube", "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ"}value{ "platform": "youtube", "status": "ok", "items": [ { "platform": "youtube", "id": "…", "ref": "…", "approx": [ { "field": "metrics.comments", "kind": "approximate" } ], "type": "content", "url": "https://example.com/…", "format": "video", "title": "…", "text": "…", "published_at": "2021-02-22T19:16:56.000Z", "author": { "id": "…", "username": "…", "name": "…", "verified": null, "followers": null }, "metrics": { "likes": 388123, "comments": 26000, "shares": null, "collects": null, "views": 17954533, "reposts": null }, "images": ["https://example.com/…"], "hashtags": null, "is_pinned": null } ], "unavailable": ["author.verified", "author.followers", "metrics.shares", "metrics.collects", "metrics.reposts", "hashtags", "is_pinned"], "cost_credits": 2}nullcollects nullviews 17,954,533Names and text were removed from the sample; the numbers are as recorded.
YouTube Detail API parameters.
4 parameters, 1 required.
Send them as a JSON body with POST. Your key goes in the Authorization header, never in the URL.
| Name | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| platform | string | Required | — | Always "youtube" on this page. |
| id | string | One of these | — | Video ID |
| url | string | One of these | — | Link to the video: a watch, shorts, embed, live or youtu.be link |
| include | string | Optional | — | "transcript": the transcript of the video (2 credits)."transcript" |
Where to get what you send.
idVideo ID (e.g. dQw4w9WgXcQ)
Every item these return carries its ref; send it as it is:
searchYouTube Search APIuser_postsYouTube User Posts API
Or send the web link: the url field of the same items.
YouTube Detail API response fields.
What YouTube cannot give is marked.
| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| items[].url | string | A link that opens the item. |
| items[].format | string | video, image, text or article. |
| items[].title | string | The title. |
| items[].text | string | The body text or caption. |
| items[].published_at | string | When it was published, ISO 8601 in UTC. |
| items[].author.id | string | The author's account ID. |
| items[].author.username | string | The author's handle. |
| items[].author.name | string | The author's display name. |
| items[].author.verified | booleanalways null | Whether the author is verified. |
| items[].author.followers | integeralways null | The author's follower count. |
| items[].metrics.likes | integer | Likes. |
| items[].metrics.comments | integer | Comments. |
| items[].metrics.shares | integeralways null | Shares. |
| items[].metrics.collects | integeralways null | Saves. |
| items[].metrics.views | integer | Views or plays. |
| items[].metrics.reposts | integeralways null | Reposts. |
| items[].images | string[] | Image addresses. |
| items[].hashtags | string[]always null | Hashtags, without the #. |
| items[].is_pinned | booleanalways null | Whether the author pinned it. |
nullFields YouTube cannot giveRead null as “YouTube did not give this”, not as zero. These are always null on this call:
author.verifiedWhether the author is verified.author.followersThe author's follower count.metrics.sharesShares.metrics.collectsSaves.metrics.repostsReposts.hashtagsHashtags, without the #.is_pinnedWhether the author pinned it.
Send the parameter and the call returns something else:
include=transcriptthe transcript of the video2 creditsCompared with the TikTok Detail API, this call also gives title and images but does not give author followers, shares, saves or hashtags.
Every item also has platform, id, ref, approx and type; the response around the items is the same on every call. Response format
YouTube Detail API: paging and billing.
5 calls per second per key, 20 after a purchase; going over is not charged. Rate limits
A failed call costs 0 credits and is never retried on its own. Error codes
“Last tested” above is the last day a real call of this interface succeeded. Each call reads from the platform, and fetched_at in the answer is when it was read. The same request sent again with the same key within 5 minutes is a replay (replayed: true): 0 credits, and the answer as first read.
Once connected over MCP, these questions use the YouTube Detail API.
Read this YouTube video: dQw4w9WgXcQ
2 creditsdetail {"platform":"youtube","id":"dQw4w9WgXcQ"}Read this YouTube video: dQw4w9WgXcQ: the transcript of the video.
2 creditsdetail {"platform":"youtube","id":"dQw4w9WgXcQ","include":"transcript"}Search YouTube for videos about "meteor shower", then for the first 3: read this YouTube video.
8 creditssearch {"platform":"youtube","query":"meteor shower"}detail {"platform":"youtube","id":"<ref>"} × 3
Give this to your AI.
Copy it into Claude or ChatGPT.
How to connectUse the SocialToAI MCP server (https://mcp.socialtoai.com/mcp) for this: Read this YouTube video: dQw4w9WgXcQCall the detail tool with {"platform":"youtube","id":"dQw4w9WgXcQ"}. Needed: id, url.For several, call it once for each: 2 credits each.Before you start, work out how many credits it will take in all and ask me; call it only after I agree.What usually comes next, with the ref or username it returns: comments (Comments).If SocialToAI is not connected yet, tell me how to connect it; never ask me to paste a key into the chat.Answer with a link to every item you used, and tell me how many credits it cost.Paste it into a chat once SocialToAI is connected over MCP. There is no key in it: Claude and ChatGPT sign in, other clients send a key in a header.
These ready-made tools call it when they run.
batch-statsOne row per link with its numbers as they are now. Links that no longer work are marked
The same call on other platforms.
All platforms and prices/v1/detail{ "platform": "youtube", "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" }2 creditsper callRead next.
What its own API allows, who can use it and what it costs, with sources.
The full transcript of any public video, by link.
the numbers of hundreds of links in one job: prices per platform, what the free credits run, and what it stops for
Let your AI read YouTube.