Post to YouTube from Claude Code

How to connect YouTube to Claude Code

1. 1

   Paste the install line in Claude Code

   Claude Code runs in your terminal and can execute commands, so the install is a single line typed into the chat. It installs the Scorper skills (posting, scheduling, DM automations, dashboard building) and a prompt hook, so Claude knows the tools exist in every future session on this machine. Your machine is linked to your account with a scoped key. You never paste a token.

   Type into the Claude Code chat, or into any terminal

   npx scorper@latest init

   Needs Node 18 or newer. scorper doctor confirms the install afterwards.

2. 2

   Sign in with the code from your email

   Claude Code asks for your email. A 6-digit code arrives, you type it into the chat. No account yet? One is created on the spot, no password. You pick a plan and its 7-day free trial starts at checkout.

3. 3

   Say “connect my youtube”

   Claude Code opens YouTube's approval page in your browser. Log into the right YouTube account first, approve, come back. Claude Code confirms the connection.

4. 4

   Tell it what to post

   upload ./exports/episode-12.mp4 to youtube as a short, title and description from notes.md

   Claude Code uploads the media, proposes a caption, then reads the whole post back. Say yes and it publishes to YouTube. Say “schedule it for 6pm tomorrow” instead and it queues it.

What you can publish to YouTube from Claude Code

Video uploads, including Shorts, with title and description, to a connected YouTube channel.

YouTube is the platform where the metadata does the work. A good prompt names the file and the source for the title and description: "upload episode-12.mp4 to youtube, title and description from notes.md, three tags". Your AI drafts both within YouTube's limits, reads them back, and uploads. Vertical clips under three minutes are treated as Shorts. Local files up to 300 MB (MP4 or MOV) upload through the connection.

YouTube's own rules, which your AI works within

Prompts that work in Claude Code

Scheduling: “schedule this for 9am monday on youtube”. The calendar: “what's going out this week?”. Moving things: “move friday's post to saturday”. Everything you schedule from Claude Code also shows in the dashboard calendar.

Something only Claude Code users should know

Because Scorper is a skill plus a CLI rather than a browser automation, the same prompt also works in Claude Code's non-interactive mode (claude -p "..."), which is how people run a daily posting job from cron or CI. Claude still reads the post back and waits for confirmation unless you tell it otherwise in the prompt.

What happens before anything posts

⏺ Posting to YouTube your channel
   Caption: "Three things I wish someone told me at 21…"
   Confirm?
> yes
✓ Posted · link below

Honest limits

• YouTube publishing goes through the official YouTube API, so YouTube's rules above apply. Scorper does not work around them.
• The AI-agent connection is on every plan. Pro posts to Instagram only. Max ($25 a month), Studio and Agency post to every social.
• The install needs Node 18 or newer on the machine.
• Some things are easier in the dashboard than in chat: bulk-editing a month of scheduled posts, for example. Both views share one calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude Code post to YouTube on its own?

Not without a connection. Claude Code can write a caption but has no permission to publish. Scorper is that permission: one command installs the posting skills and links your machine to your account, then Claude Code can publish and schedule to YouTube through the official API.

Can it upload YouTube Shorts?

Yes. A vertical video under three minutes is treated as a Short by YouTube. Ask for it explicitly ("as a short") so the title and description are written for the format.

Can I upload as unlisted or private first?

Yes. Say "unlisted" or "private" in the prompt. You can change visibility later on YouTube.

Does this work in Claude Code's headless mode?

Yes. The skills and CLI are available to claude -p the same way they are in an interactive session, so a cron job or CI step can run a prompt like "post today's draft from ./posts to instagram". Keep a confirmation step in your prompt unless you really want fully unattended posting.

Will it post without asking me?

No. Claude Code reads the exact post back (platform, media, caption) and publishes only after you confirm. Scheduled posts are shown before they are queued.

What does posting to YouTube from Claude Code cost?

The AI-agent connection is included in Scorper Max ($25 a month, one brand, all five platforms) and Studio ($55 a month, three brands). Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card needed to start.