MCP Tools Reference
The Tube Search MCP server provides 9 tools for searching, reading, and analyzing archived YouTube data.
search_channel
Find all known videos from a YouTube channel by searching web archives.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | Channel URL, @handle, or Channel ID (e.g., UC...) |
Returns an array of video metadata including status (LIVE, DELETED, CHECKING).
search_videos
Full-text search across archived video titles and descriptions.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | Search query (supports natural language) |
limit | number | No | Max results (default: 20, max: 100) |
status | string | No | Filter by status: live, deleted, all |
sort | string | No | relevance (default) or date-desc |
hasSubtitles | boolean | No | Only videos with subtitles |
hasSummary | boolean | No | Only videos with AI summaries |
get_video
Get metadata for a specific video.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoId | string | Yes | YouTube video ID (11 characters) |
Returns: title, description, channelId, channelTitle, duration, uploadDate, viewCount, status, thumbnailUrl, subtitleStatus, hasSummary.
get_subtitles
Get the full transcript of a video as readable plain text.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoId | string | Yes | YouTube video ID |
Returns the transcript with timestamps stripped, formatted as readable paragraphs. Works for both live and deleted videos that have archived subtitles.
get_summary
Get the AI-generated summary for a video.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoId | string | Yes | YouTube video ID |
Returns: tldr, keyPoints (with timestamps), detailedSummary, tags, language. Returns an error if no summary exists — use generate_summary to create one.
generate_summary
Generate an AI summary for a video that has subtitles.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoId | string | Yes | YouTube video ID |
Triggers generation and polls until complete (up to 60s). Returns the summary if the video already has one. Counts against your daily summary generation limit.
browse_summaries
Browse existing AI summaries with optional filters.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tag | string | No | Filter by tag (e.g., "music", "education") |
channelId | string | No | Filter by channel |
language | string | No | Filter by language (e.g., "en", "ru") |
page | number | No | Page number (default: 1) |
limit | number | No | Results per page (default: 20) |
get_video_status_history
View the status change history of a video.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoId | string | Yes | YouTube video ID |
Returns an array of status transitions: [{ status, previousStatus, changedAt, source }], newest first.
get_usage
Check your current API usage counters and remaining limits.
No parameters. Returns current counters and limits for searches, FTS queries, subtitle downloads, and summary generations.