YouTube API

YouTube upload API for social media agents, no quota to manage

Blotato's YouTube upload API publishes a video to a channel from one request. No resumable upload code, no quota units to manage, no separate Google Cloud project.

The YouTube Data API is free and quota-metered. What is left for you to build is the resumable upload path, the OAuth consent screen, and the other eight platforms.

REST: POST https://backend.blotato.com/v2/posts
Auth: blotato-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY
MCP: https://mcp.blotato.com/mcp

Start on Starter, $29/mo See pricing

Updated September 2026. API access is included on every paid plan and excluded from the free trial.

What the YouTube upload API does in Blotato

POST /v2/posts with targetType youtube takes the video URL in mediaUrls and the description in content.text, up to 5,000 characters. Three target fields are required: title of up to 100 characters, privacyStatus as public, private, or unlisted, and shouldNotifySubscribers. Tags are not supported. isMadeForKids, containsSyntheticMedia, playlistIds, and thumbnailUrl are optional.

Playlists on upload

GET /users/me/accounts/:accountId/subaccounts returns your playlists for a YouTube account. Pass their ids in target.playlistIds and the video lands in them on publish.

Custom thumbnails

thumbnailUrl sets a custom thumbnail from a public image URL. YouTube only allows this on verified channels with the custom thumbnail capability.

Video analytics

GET /analytics ranks your published videos by views, reach, likes, or comments. GET /posts/:id/analytics returns one video over time.

Scheduling into the calendar

scheduledTime queues the upload for a future time. useNextFreeSlot takes the next open YouTube slot in your calendar, and PATCH /schedules/:id moves it later.

Three required fields, and the one with no safe default

title, privacyStatus, and shouldNotifySubscribers are required on every YouTube call. The last one has no safe default, so Blotato makes you choose. Set it false for a bulk backfill and true for the weekly upload your subscribers expect.

Set containsSyntheticMedia to true for realistic AI-generated video, the disclosure YouTube requires for it.

POST https://backend.blotato.com/v2/posts
{
  "post": {
    "accountId": "98432",
    "content": {
      "text": "Full walkthrough of the posting agent, with the failure log at 12:40.",
      "mediaUrls": ["https://cdn.example.com/walkthrough.mp4"],
      "platform": "youtube"
    },
    "target": {
      "targetType": "youtube",
      "title": "30 days of an unattended posting agent",
      "privacyStatus": "public",
      "shouldNotifySubscribers": true,
      "containsSyntheticMedia": false,
      "playlistIds": ["PL1234567890"]
    }
  }
}

Response: { "postSubmissionId": "uuid" }, a receipt. Poll GET /posts/:postSubmissionId for published or failed. Every field: help.blotato.com/api/llm. YouTube's own reference: the YouTube Data API docs.

What the YouTube Data API makes you build that Blotato already has

Resumable uploads are handled. YouTube uploads use a resumable protocol that is a different code path from every other network. You send a URL.
The Cloud project and its quota are ours to carry. Building on the YouTube Data API means a Google Cloud project, an OAuth consent screen, and a quota to live inside. Blotato's project is already set up, so you connect a channel.
The same request reaches eight more platforms. A video that goes to YouTube can go to TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook from the same envelope with different target fields.

Uploading to YouTube, step by step

Connect the channel. Sign in to Blotato and connect the Google account that owns the channel. The subaccounts endpoint returns playlists for a YouTube account.
Generate an API key. In Settings, open API and generate a key, which starts paid Starter immediately. The trial does not include the API.
Fetch the accountId, and playlists if you want them. GET /users/me/accounts?platform=youtube, then GET /users/me/accounts/:accountId/subaccounts for playlist ids.
POST with the three required fields and poll. Send the request above, then poll GET /posts/:postSubmissionId until it reads published, with the video URL, or failed.

Uploading from Claude rather than from code? The YouTube tools are on the MCP server at https://mcp.blotato.com/mcp. Setup per client is on the YouTube MCP server page, and the walkthrough of uploading to YouTube from Claude shows the prompt-to-post flow. A prompt like "Upload this video to YouTube as public, notify subscribers, add it to the Tutorials playlist, and use this thumbnail." calls the same endpoint this page documents.

See every plan and its limits

YouTube upload caps, formats, and pricing

On Starter, API uploads are limited to 10 videos per channel per 24 hours, and to 25 on Creator. The help docs note that the upper limit is enforced by YouTube, not Blotato. Exceed it and the post fails with 'You have reached the maximum number of 10 posts for the last 24 hours for this account'. New channels have lower YouTube quotas and can hit limits sooner, and you can always upload through the YouTube site when the API limit is reached.

YouTube limit	Value through Blotato
Blotato daily cap	Starter 10, Creator 25 uploads per channel per 24 hours (help docs: upper limit enforced by YouTube)
Title	100 characters
Description	5,000 characters
Video	MP4 with H.264 and AAC-LC recommended, 16:9; up to 256 GB or 12 hours on verified accounts
Off-spec video	converted by Blotato only under 120 seconds

The YouTube Data API charges no money, only quota units, and the quota cost of an upload changed in December 2025 and again in June 2026. The current unit math is in the YouTube API pricing guide.

On YouTube, this API covers publishing, scheduling and analytics. Comments, DMs and DM automation are Instagram and Facebook only. Caps are listed at help.blotato.com/settings/social-accounts.

MCP tools that reach YouTube

The tool names an agent calls on the MCP server for this platform, verbatim from the server's tool list. The REST endpoint behind each one is in the API reference.

blotato_list_accounts
blotato_create_post
blotato_get_post_status
blotato_list_posts
blotato_list_schedules
blotato_get_schedule
blotato_update_schedule
blotato_delete_schedule
blotato_create_presigned_upload_url
blotato_list_top_posts
blotato_get_post_analytics

FAQ

YouTube posting API FAQs

01 Can I upload to YouTube through an API without managing quota units?

Yes. Blotato's Google project holds the YouTube Data API access and its quota. You connect a channel, then POST /v2/posts with targetType youtube, a video URL, a title, a privacyStatus, and shouldNotifySubscribers.

02 Which fields are required to upload a video to YouTube via the API?

Three inside target: title, privacyStatus, and shouldNotifySubscribers. The description comes from content.text. isMadeForKids, containsSyntheticMedia, playlistIds, and thumbnailUrl are optional, and tags are not supported.

03 How many YouTube uploads a day does the API allow?

10 per channel per 24 hours on Starter and 25 on Creator. Blotato's help docs note the upper limit is enforced by YouTube, not Blotato, and new channels tend to hit YouTube's own quota sooner.

04 Can the upload go into a playlist with a custom thumbnail?

Yes. Pass playlist ids from the subaccounts endpoint in target.playlistIds, and a public image URL in target.thumbnailUrl. The thumbnail only applies on a verified channel that YouTube allows custom thumbnails for.

Same key, eight more platforms

YouTube is one targetType on the same endpoint. The social media API page has the comparison table of every platform's required fields and caps.