YouTube

This page is for operators configuring YouTube and users connecting a channel.

YouTube supports Shorts and long-form video uploads. It uses Google OAuth, asks the user to choose a channel, and stores the Google refresh token for scheduled uploads.

Requirements

• Google Cloud OAuth app with the YouTube Data API v3 enabled
• OAuth redirect URL:

https://your-domain.com/api/v1/accounts/youtube/callback

• OAuth scopes:
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube
• One video attachment on the OpenPost post or YouTube-specific variant

Configuration

Configure YouTube through the provider app registry. For bootstrap/self-hosting, use OPENPOST_PROVIDER_APPS:

[
  {
    "provider": "youtube",
    "client_id": "your-google-oauth-client-id",
    "client_secret": "your-google-oauth-client-secret"
  }
]

If redirect_uri is omitted, OpenPost derives it from OPENPOST_APP_URL.

Current Scope

• Connects a selected YouTube channel.
• Uploads one video through the YouTube Data API videos.insert endpoint with resumable-upload handling.
• Uploads videos as private by default, with YouTube-specific privacy settings available through publication/variant settings.
• Supports title, description, tags, category, made-for-kids, thumbnail, and playlist settings when provided. A thumbnail can be uploaded or captured from the attached video in destination settings.
• Uses the post or account version for a fallback title and description when those fields are empty.
• Supports scheduling and platform variants through the normal OpenPost post flow.
• Lists comments, sends replies, moderates comments, and deletes comments from the connected channel when Google grants access.

Current Limits

• Comment and moderation actions require YouTube permissions and can vary by channel or comment.
• Test a live account before you rely on YouTube publishing, especially for app review, playlists, and thumbnails.

Analytics

OpenPost collects channel subscribers, video count, and channel views plus published-video views, likes, and comments. Google may omit hidden subscriber counts. Accounts without youtube.readonly may need to reconnect.

Troubleshooting

• google account has no YouTube channels usually means the authenticated Google user has no YouTube channel available to the OAuth app.
• invalidTitle usually means the first line of the post or variant is empty or invalid after trimming.
• mediaBodyRequired usually means the video file could not be read from OpenPost media storage.
• Upload permission errors usually mean the Google Cloud project lacks YouTube Data API v3 access or the OAuth app has not been verified for the requested scopes.