How to post to YouTube from Gemini CLI
Point Gemini CLI at a folder of finished videos and a metadata file and it uploads and schedules each one with its title, description and visibility.
How do I post to YouTube from Gemini CLI?
Add the planpo.st MCP server to Gemini CLI, 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 Gemini CLI
Make a scoped key in planpo.st under Settings. Add a planpost entry under mcpServers in settings.json, in ~/.gemini globally or .gemini in a project. For the hosted server the key is httpUrl, not url. The local entry runs npx -y planpost-mcp with the key in env.
- 2
Confirm the server is connected
Run /mcp inside Gemini CLI and check that planpost is listed with its tools.
- 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 your terminal
Say what to post and when. Gemini CLI finds the YouTube connection, creates the post, and tells you whether it was scheduled or kept as a draft, with the reason.
{
"mcpServers": {
"planpost": {
"httpUrl": "https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer pk_live_xxx" },
"timeout": 10000
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"planpost": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "planpost-mcp"],
"env": { "PLANPOST_API_KEY": "pk_live_xxx" }
}
}
}Config location: Global: ~/.gemini/settings.json · Per project: .gemini/settings.json. Replace pk_live_xxx with your own key.
Hosted or local for Gemini CLI?
For Gemini CLI either works, and local removes the one trap. The hosted entry must use httpUrl, and a url key is ignored without a word. The local npx entry has no such key to get wrong and needs Node 18 or newer.
- Gemini CLI uses httpUrl for streamable HTTP, not url. The wrong key is a silent no-op.
The full walkthrough is on the Gemini CLI setup page.
What can Gemini CLI 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 Gemini CLI can take it from disk: it calls upload_media for a presigned URL, PUTs the file there with a shell command, and passes the returned asset into create_post. Files already uploaded come back from list_media, ready to reuse.
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 Gemini CLI?
Plain requests work. Each example lists the tool calls Gemini CLI makes in response.
1. Upload, unlisted first
You say
The file is ~/Videos/demo.mp4. 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
upload_media({ filename: "demo.mp4", contentType: "video/mp4", size: <bytes> })
PUT <file> to the returned URL (shell)
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
The file is ~/Videos/demo.mp4. Schedule it as a YouTube Short for tomorrow 07:00, title "One prompt, seven networks".
Tool calls
upload_media({ filename: "demo.mp4", contentType: "video/mp4", size: <bytes> })
PUT <file> to the returned URL (shell)
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
Open notes/this-week.md. 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 Gemini CLI?
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.
httpUrl, not url
Gemini CLIGemini CLI uses httpUrl for streamable HTTP servers and ignores a url key without an error. If the tools never show up, look at that one word first. I lost twenty minutes to it.
Can Gemini CLI 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.
Gemini CLI and YouTube: questions people ask
- 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 Gemini CLI 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 Gemini CLI applies with update_post.
- Why does Gemini CLI not see the planpo.st tools?
- Most often the hosted entry says url where Gemini CLI expects httpUrl, and the wrong key is ignored silently. Fix the key, restart, and the YouTube tools appear. The local npx entry avoids the question.
- Can I rerun the same prompt every week?
- Yes, and it is what this pairing is good at. Keep the prompt in a file next to the plan it reads, and run it on Monday to fill the YouTube schedule.
Keep going
YouTube from other agents
Other networks from Gemini CLI