How to post to YouTube from ChatGPT
ChatGPT is good at titles and descriptions and has no way to upload your video, so the file goes in through the dashboard and the metadata comes from the chat.
How do I post to YouTube from ChatGPT?
Add the planpo.st MCP server to ChatGPT, connect YouTube once in the dashboard, then ask. The first three steps are one-time.
- 1
Create an API key and add planpo.st to ChatGPT
Make a scoped key in planpo.st under Settings. Open Settings, then Connectors, then Create, and enter the MCP URL with a custom Authorization header. ChatGPT connects to remote servers only, so the hosted endpoint is the one route. Whether you see Connectors depends on your plan and on developer mode.
- 2
Confirm the server is connected
Enable the connector in a new chat and ask it to list your connections.
- 3
Connect YouTube
Connect the YouTube channel in the dashboard under Connections. planpo.st asks Google for upload and read access only, and get_connection_link gives the agent a URL for you to open.
- 4
Know what the post needs
A YouTube post needs one video. Set platformSettings.youtube.title, or the title is cut from the post text, and set privacyStatus if the video should not be public.
- 5
Ask in a ChatGPT conversation
Say what to post and when. ChatGPT finds the YouTube connection, creates the post, and tells you whether it was scheduled or kept as a draft, with the reason.
Settings -> Connectors -> Create
Name: PlanPost
MCP URL: https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp
Auth: Custom header
Header: Authorization
Value: Bearer pk_live_xxxReplace pk_live_xxx with your own key.
Which transport does ChatGPT use?
For ChatGPT there is one way in, the hosted endpoint as a custom connector. Nothing runs on your machine. The key travels in a header on every request and the endpoint keeps no session between them.
- There is no local option here. ChatGPT connects to remote MCP servers only, so use the hosted endpoint.
- Connector support has moved around between ChatGPT plans. If you cannot see the option, check OpenAI's current documentation rather than assuming the endpoint is at fault.
The full walkthrough is on the ChatGPT setup page.
What can ChatGPT do on YouTube?
It can upload a video or a Short with a title, description, tags, category, visibility and the made-for-kids flag. It cannot add the video to a playlist or publish anything that is not a video.
Video
One video file per post, with title up to 100 characters and description up to 5,000.
Short
60 spostType "short". A vertical video of 60 seconds or less is treated as a Short without it. #Shorts is added to the title when it is not already there.
Visibility
public, unlisted or private through privacyStatus. Unlisted is handy for a link you send to a client before the real release.
Not available
limitsPlaylists, because the connection has upload and read scopes only. Community posts and image posts.
YouTube needs a video file on every post, and that is the one awkward part of this pairing. ChatGPT connects to the hosted endpoint only and cannot PUT a file from your machine to an upload URL. Two routes work: upload the file in the planpo.st dashboard and let ChatGPT pick it with list_media, or ask for a video rendered from a template with create_video.
Which settings does a YouTube post take?
YouTube reads the most settings of any network here, seven of them, and all are optional. Two deserve attention before the first upload: title, and privacyStatus, which defaults to public.
| Field | Allowed values | If you leave it out | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| platformSettings.youtube.title | Text, cut to 100 characters | The post text, cut to 100 characters, then the file name | Missing returns the warning youtube_title_missing. The post is still scheduled. |
| platformSettings.youtube.description | Text, cut to 5,000 characters | The post text | Links in descriptions are clickable. |
| platformSettings.youtube.privacyStatus | "public", "unlisted" or "private" | "public" | The key is privacyStatus. A key called visibility is not read, and the video goes out public. |
| platformSettings.youtube.tags | Array of strings | No tags | Sent as given. |
| platformSettings.youtube.categoryId | A YouTube category ID as a string | "22", People & Blogs | Science & Technology is "28". |
| platformSettings.youtube.madeForKids | true or false | false | Sent as the self-declared made-for-kids flag. |
| platformSettings.youtube.isShort | true or false | Set from postType "short" | Also true when the video is vertical and 60 seconds or less. |
| media, platformMedia.youtube | One video | None, required | No media saves the post as a draft with media_required, images only with video_required. |
What do I type to post to YouTube from ChatGPT?
Plain requests work. Each example lists the tool calls ChatGPT makes in response.
1. Upload, unlisted first
You say
Find the latest video in my planpo.st media library. Upload it to YouTube as unlisted for Tuesday 17:00, title "How the approval flow works", description from the README, tags planpost, mcp, scheduling.
Tool calls
list_media({ type: "video" })
create_post({ content: "<description text>", platformSettings: { youtube: { title: "How the approval flow works", privacyStatus: "unlisted", tags: ["planpost", "mcp", "scheduling"], categoryId: "28" } }, media: [<video>], connectionIds: ["<youtube id>"], schedule: "tuesday 17:00" })One scheduled upload that will be unlisted. Leave privacyStatus out and the same call publishes it to everyone.
2. A Short
You say
Find the latest video in my planpo.st media library. Schedule it as a YouTube Short for tomorrow 07:00, title "One prompt, seven networks".
Tool calls
list_media({ type: "video" })
create_post({ content: "<one line>", postType: "short", platformSettings: { youtube: { title: "One prompt, seven networks" } }, media: [<video>], connectionIds: ["<youtube id>"], schedule: "tomorrow 07:00" })A scheduled Short. The published title reads "One prompt, seven networks #Shorts", because the tag is appended when missing.
3. A video rendered from a template
You say
Start from the bullet list in my last message. Pick the strongest line, render it with a quote video template in 9:16, and schedule the result to YouTube as a Short on Friday 12:00.
Tool calls
list_video_templates()
create_video({ templateId: "<quote template>", fields: { quoteText: "..." }, aspectRatio: "9:16" })
get_video_status({ id: "<render id>" })
create_post({ content: "<caption>", postType: "short", platformSettings: { youtube: { title: "<title>" } }, media: [<rendered video>], connectionIds: ["<youtube id>"], schedule: "friday 12:00" })A rendered vertical video and a scheduled Short, with no camera and no file on your side. The agent polls get_video_status until the render reports completed.
What stops a YouTube post from ChatGPT?
The tag on a card is the code that comes back in the tool result.
Public unless you say otherwise
privacyStatus defaults to public. If the plan is to review the upload first, say unlisted or private in the prompt.
Video only, one file
video_requiredThe first attachment must be a video. A post with only images is saved as a draft.
Titles stop at 100 characters
youtube_title_missingLonger titles are cut. With no title, the post text is used and cut the same way, which rarely reads like a title.
#Shorts is added for you
On a Short the tag is appended to the title, and the title is trimmed to make room inside the 100.
No playlists
Adding to a playlist needs a broader Google scope than planpo.st requests. Do that step in YouTube Studio.
Language is sent as English
The upload sets the default language to en. For a channel in another language, correct it in YouTube Studio after publishing.
If Connectors is missing, it is the plan
ChatGPTCustom connector availability has moved between ChatGPT plans and settings. When the option is not there, check OpenAI's current documentation before assuming the endpoint is broken.
Can ChatGPT tell me what a YouTube post earned?
Yes, through the description. Links in a YouTube description are clickable, so a tracked link there gives clicks that payments are matched to, and a video keeps being found for months. get_revenue_overview returns totals and recent transactions. App makers who publish demos usually read this next to RevenueCat.
ChatGPT and YouTube: questions people ask
- Can ChatGPT upload a video from my machine for YouTube?
- Not directly. ChatGPT connects to the hosted endpoint only and cannot PUT a file from your machine to an upload URL. Upload the file in the dashboard and ChatGPT finds it with list_media, or have it render one: create_video makes a video from a template.
- Will the video be public as soon as it publishes?
- Yes, unless platformSettings.youtube.privacyStatus says "unlisted" or "private". The default is "public".
- How does it decide a video is a Short?
- postType "short" makes it one. So does a vertical video of 60 seconds or less. Either way #Shorts is added to the title.
- What happens when ChatGPT sends a YouTube post that breaks a rule?
- It is told at once. The usual case on YouTube is a post with images and no video: the post is kept as a draft and the tool result carries video_required plus the fix, which ChatGPT applies with update_post.
- Is there a local option for ChatGPT?
- No. ChatGPT talks to remote MCP servers, so it uses https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp with your API key in a header. The endpoint is stateless and every request carries the key. Posting to YouTube works the same as from any other client.
- Can I limit what ChatGPT is allowed to do?
- Yes, with the API key. Keys are scoped, so a key without posts:write can read your YouTube schedule and not change it, and a key set to require approval turns every post into a request you approve.
Keep going
YouTube from other agents
Other networks from ChatGPT