How to post to YouTube from Claude Desktop
Upload the video in the dashboard, then let Claude Desktop do the part people skip: a title written like a search query, a real description, tags and a publish time.
How do I post to YouTube from Claude Desktop?
Add the planpo.st MCP server to Claude Desktop, 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 Claude Desktop
Make a scoped key in planpo.st under Settings. Open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and enter the planpo.st URL with an Authorization header. Or add the local npx entry to claude_desktop_config.json and restart the app, since it reads that file only on launch.
- 2
Confirm the server is connected
Start a new chat and check that the planpost tools appear in the tools menu.
- 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 chat window
Say what to post and when. Claude Desktop finds the YouTube connection, creates the post, and tells you whether it was scheduled or kept as a draft, with the reason.
Settings -> Connectors -> Add custom connector
Name: PlanPost
URL: https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp
Then add the header:
Authorization: Bearer pk_live_xxx{
"mcpServers": {
"planpost": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "planpost-mcp"],
"env": { "PLANPOST_API_KEY": "pk_live_xxx" }
}
}
}Config location: macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Replace pk_live_xxx with your own key.
Hosted or local for Claude Desktop?
For Claude Desktop the custom connector is the easy route: two fields in Settings and no file to edit. Choose the local config when you want the key in a file on your own disk, and remember the app reads that file only when it starts.
- Restart Claude Desktop after editing the config file. It only reads it on launch.
The full walkthrough is on the Claude Desktop setup page.
What can Claude Desktop 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. Claude Desktop reaches planpo.st through the connector and has no shell to PUT a file from your disk to an upload URL. Two routes work: upload the file in the planpo.st dashboard and let Claude Desktop 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 Claude Desktop?
Plain requests work. Each example lists the tool calls Claude Desktop makes in response.
1. Upload, unlisted first
You say
Use the newest 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
Use the newest 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
Take the outline from earlier in this conversation. 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 Claude Desktop?
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.
Restart after editing the config
Claude DesktopClaude Desktop reads claude_desktop_config.json when it starts. An edit made while it is open does nothing until you quit and reopen it.
Can Claude Desktop 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.
Claude Desktop and YouTube: questions people ask
- Can Claude Desktop upload a video from my machine for YouTube?
- Not directly. Claude Desktop reaches planpo.st through the connector and has no shell to PUT a file from your disk to an upload URL. Upload the file in the dashboard and Claude Desktop 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 Claude Desktop 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 Claude Desktop applies with update_post.
- Do I have to edit a config file?
- No. The custom connector in Settings takes the URL and the key and needs no file. The config file route exists for the local server, if you would rather the key stayed on your machine while you post to YouTube.
- Will it post without showing me the text?
- Claude Desktop asks before it uses a tool unless you have allowed it for the session, so you see the YouTube post in the tool call first. Asking for drafts gives you a second look in the dashboard.
Keep going
YouTube from other agents
Other networks from Claude Desktop