name: video-info-extractor
description: Get detailed metadata and information from YouTube videos before downloading, including title, duration, description, and available formats.
Video Info Extractor
This skill retrieves comprehensive information about YouTube videos without downloading them.
When to Use This Skill
- Before downloading to check video details
- Want to see available quality options
- Need video duration, title, description
- Checking if subtitles are available
What This Skill Does
- Get Metadata: Title, description, duration, upload date
- List Formats: Available video/audio quality options
- Check Subtitles: Available captions and languages
- Channel Info: Creator details, subscriber count
How to Use
Get info about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
What's the duration of this video: [URL]
Are there subtitles available for: [URL]
Instructions
Step 1: Get Basic Info
yt-dlp --dump-json "[URL]" 2>/dev/null | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
print(f'''
## Video Information
**Title**: {data.get('title', 'N/A')}
**Channel**: {data.get('channel', 'N/A')}
**Duration**: {data.get('duration', 0) // 60}:{data.get('duration', 0) % 60:02d}
**Upload Date**: {data.get('upload_date', 'N/A')}
**Views**: {data.get('view_count', 0):,}
**Likes**: {data.get('like_count', 0):,}
### Description
{data.get('description', 'No description')[:500]}...
''')
"
Step 2: Check Available Formats
yt-dlp -F "[URL]"
Step 3: Check Subtitles
yt-dlp --list-subs "[URL]"
Step 4: Present Info to User
## 📹 Video Information
**Title**: How to Build a Startup in 2024
**Channel**: TechGuru
**Duration**: 15:32
**Uploaded**: January 15, 2024
**Views**: 1,234,567
**Likes**: 45,678
### Description
In this video, I share my experience building three startups and the lessons learned...
### Available Qualities
| Format | Resolution | Size (est.) |
|--------|------------|-------------|
| mp4 | 1080p | ~150 MB |
| mp4 | 720p | ~80 MB |
| mp4 | 480p | ~40 MB |
| mp3 | audio only | ~15 MB |
### Subtitles Available
- ✅ English (auto-generated)
- ✅ Chinese (auto-generated)
- ❌ Manual captions: None
### Recommendation
- **Best for shorts**: 1080p video with auto-subtitles
- **Estimated processing time**: ~5 minutes
Ready to proceed? Say:
- "Download this video" - Full video download
- "Extract audio only" - Just the audio
- "Download with subtitles" - Include caption files
Output
Info is displayed directly. Optionally saves to:
./output/downloads/{video_id}_info.json
Quick Checks
- Is video available? ✅/❌
- Is video age-restricted? Check for login requirement
- Has subtitles? Essential for caption accuracy
- Video length? Helps estimate processing time