> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.social-api.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # YouTube > Connect and interact with YouTube channels via the YouTube Data API. Available **Managed connector** - SocialAPI handles the Google Cloud project and YouTube Data API access for you. No customer-side Google Cloud setup required. See [Platform credentials](/guides/platform-credentials). ## At a glance | Field | Value | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Platform slug | `youtube` | | Auth type | OAuth 2.0 (Google) | | API | YouTube Data API v3 | | Best for | Comment moderation and metadata on owned YouTube channels. | ## Capabilities | Feature | Supported | Notes | | ------------------------------ | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | List posts | Yes | Returns uploaded videos | | Comments | Yes | Scoped to a specific video | | Reply to comment | Yes | | | Comment replies (thread) | Yes | | | Moderate comment (hide/delete) | Yes | Hide sets moderation status; delete removes permanently | | Like comment | No | Not supported by YouTube API | | Private reply | No | Not applicable | | DMs | No | Not supported by platform | | Reviews | No | Not applicable | | Mentions | No | Not supported via YouTube API | | Create post | Yes | Upload and publish videos | | Update post | Yes | Update title, description, tags, privacy, and other metadata | | Delete post | Yes | | | Edit own comment | Yes | PATCH /v1/platforms/youtube/comments/{commentId} | ## Connecting ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/accounts/connect \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "platform": "youtube", "redirect_uri": "https://app.example.com/oauth/callback", "state": "session_abc123" }' ``` Response: ```json theme={null} { "auth_url": "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth?client_id=...&state=...", "state": "4a8f2c1e9b3d7f06a5c2e8b4d1f3a7e2" } ``` Redirect your user to `auth_url`. After they authorize, SocialAPI exchanges the code with YouTube and redirects the user to your `redirect_uri` with the connection result. See [OAuth flows](/guides/oauth#step-3-receive-the-result-at-your-redirect_uri) for the redirect parameters. ## Reading samples ### List posts ```bash theme={null} curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts?account_ids=acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" ``` ### List comments on a post ```bash theme={null} curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/inbox/comments/{videoId}" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" ``` Sample response: ```json theme={null} { "data": [ { "id": "sapi_cmt_eW91dHViZTpVZ3h...", "platform": "youtube", "type": "comment", "author": { "id": "UCxyz123", "name": "Jane Smith", "avatar_url": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/..." }, "content": { "text": "Great video!" }, "metadata": { "post_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "like_count": 5, "has_replies": true }, "created_at": "2026-03-15T10:30:00Z", "account_id": "acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J", "platform_id": "Ugxyz..." } ], "count": 1 } ``` ## Publishing Create a video post by providing a video URL and optional metadata via `platform_data`. See the [API reference](/api-reference/introduction) for the full request schema. ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "text": "Check out our latest video!", "media_ids": ["f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479"], "visibility": "public", "targets": [ { "account_id": "acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J", "platform_data": { "category_id": "22", "tags": ["tutorial", "demo"], "made_for_kids": false, "embeddable": true, "notify_subscribers": true } } ] }' ``` ### PlatformData fields YouTube platform data can be supplied in two forms, which are merged before delivery (per-target values override top-level values on conflict): * **Top-level:** `platform_data.youtube.` applies to all YouTube targets in the request. * **Per-target:** `targets[].platform_data.` (flat keys, no nesting) overrides the top-level value for that target only. The example above uses this form. Fields supported in either form: | Field | Type | Default | Description | | -------------------------- | --------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `title` | string | none | Video title. If omitted, the title is inferred from the filename or URL. | | `category_id` | string | `"22"` (People & Blogs) | YouTube video category ID. See [YouTube category list](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/videoCategories/list). | | `tags` | string\[] | none | Video tags for discoverability. | | `default_language` | string | none | BCP-47 language code (e.g. `"en"`, `"fr"`). | | `made_for_kids` | bool | `false` | Whether the video is made for children (COPPA). | | `embeddable` | bool | `true` | Whether the video can be embedded on other sites. | | `license` | string | `"youtube"` | `"youtube"` for standard YouTube license, `"creativeCommon"` for CC BY. | | `public_stats_viewable` | bool | `true` | Whether view counts and likes are publicly visible. | | `publish_at` | string | none | RFC 3339 timestamp for scheduled publish (e.g. `"2026-04-10T15:00:00Z"`). Only applies when `visibility` is `"private"`. | | `recording_date` | string | none | Date the video was recorded, in `YYYY-MM-DD` format. | | `contains_synthetic_media` | bool | `false` | Whether the video contains AI-generated or synthetic content. | | `notify_subscribers` | bool | `true` | Whether to send a notification to channel subscribers. | | `playlist_id` | string | none | YouTube playlist ID. The video is added to this playlist after publishing. | ## Channel summary Retrieve aggregate stats for a connected YouTube channel. ```bash theme={null} curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/platforms/youtube/accounts/{id}/summary" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" ``` Response: ```json theme={null} { "title": "Acme Corp", "handle": "@acmecorp", "thumbnail_url": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...", "subscriber_count": 12400, "view_count": 980000, "video_count": 47 } ``` ## Force sync Force an immediate re-sync of uploaded videos for an account. ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/platforms/youtube/accounts/{id}/sync" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" ``` Returns `{"success": true}` on success. ## Edit own comment To edit a comment you own, use the YouTube-specific PATCH endpoint. All three body fields are required. ```bash theme={null} curl -X PATCH "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/platforms/youtube/comments/{commentId}" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "account_id": "acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J", "post_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "text": "Updated comment text" }' ``` ## Limitations and gotchas * **No DMs or mentions.** YouTube does not expose a messaging or mention API. These endpoints return `501`. * **No webhook handler.** YouTube does not push real-time events. Posts and comments are fetched on demand. * **Comment moderation.** Hide sets the comment moderation status to rejected (removes it from public view). Delete removes it permanently. The dedicated moderation endpoint (`POST /v1/platforms/youtube/comments/{commentId}/moderate`) can also set `held_for_review` explicitly. Like is not supported. * **Token refresh.** Google OAuth tokens expire. SocialAPI handles refresh automatically. If you receive `401` with `code: "platform.youtube.auth"`, reconnect the account. ## Permissions SocialAPI's managed Google Cloud OAuth app already requests YouTube Data API v3 scopes for reading and managing comments on your owned channels. You don't need to set up a Google Cloud project. See [Platform credentials](/guides/platform-credentials). ## Related * [Platform credentials](/guides/platform-credentials) * [OAuth flows](/guides/oauth) * [Errors](/guides/errors) * [Interaction IDs](/guides/interaction-ids)