Video Downloader

Overview

Download videos from YouTube, Bilibili, Twitter/X, TikTok, and 1000+ other websites using yt-dlp. Supports multiple quality options, audio extraction, and automatic format selection.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when users:

• Provide a video URL and want to download it
• Ask to download videos from any website
• Want to extract audio from online videos
• Need to download videos in specific quality (1080p, 4K, etc.)
• Request help with video download issues

Quick Start

When a user provides a video URL:

# Run the bundled download script
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL"

Default output: ~/Downloads/Videos/

Prerequisites

Install yt-dlp

# macOS
brew install yt-dlp

# Cross-platform (pip)
pip install yt-dlp

# Update to latest version
brew upgrade yt-dlp  # or: pip install --upgrade yt-dlp

Verify Installation

which yt-dlp && yt-dlp --version

Common Download Commands

Basic Download (Best Quality)

yt-dlp -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

Specific Quality

# Best quality up to 1080p
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best" -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

# Best quality up to 720p
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best" -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

# Best available (including 4K)
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio/best" -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

Audio Only (MP3)

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

List Available Formats

yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"

Download with Subtitles

yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-lang zh,en -P ~/Downloads/Videos "VIDEO_URL"

Playlist Download

yt-dlp -P ~/Downloads/Videos "PLAYLIST_URL"

Bundled Script Reference

scripts/download.py

Convenience wrapper with sensible defaults:

# Basic usage
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL"

# Options
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL" -o ~/Desktop          # Custom output
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL" -f 1080               # Max 1080p
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL" -a                    # Audio only (MP3)
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL" -F                    # List formats
python3 scripts/download.py "VIDEO_URL" --subs                # With subtitles

Supported Websites (Examples)

Full list: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md

Platform-Specific Notes

YouTube

For high-quality (1080p+) YouTube downloads, you may need:

1. Browser cookies (recommended):

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "VIDEO_URL"

1. PO token provider (for persistent access):

See references/platform-tips.md for setup instructions.

Bilibili

# Download with best quality
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV..."

Twitter/X

# Usually works without authentication
yt-dlp "https://twitter.com/user/status/123456789"

Troubleshooting

"Video unavailable" or "Sign in required"

Use browser cookies:

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "VIDEO_URL"

Only Low Quality Available

1. Update yt-dlp: brew upgrade yt-dlp
2. Use browser cookies for authentication
3. Check available formats: yt-dlp -F "VIDEO_URL"

Download Speed Issues

# Limit concurrent fragments
yt-dlp --concurrent-fragments 3 "VIDEO_URL"

# Use specific format to avoid merging
yt-dlp -f best "VIDEO_URL"

Network Errors (China/Proxy)

# Use proxy
yt-dlp --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:1080 "VIDEO_URL"

# Or set environment variable
export ALL_PROXY=socks5://127.0.0.1:1080
yt-dlp "VIDEO_URL"

Output Format

Default filename template: %(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s

Custom template:

yt-dlp -o "%(uploader)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" "VIDEO_URL"

Further Reading

• Platform Tips: See references/platform-tips.md for site-specific guidance
• yt-dlp Documentation: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
• Supported Sites: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md