2.9k stars · GPL-3.0 · 2026.08.26.post1 (2026-08-26) · Track this in Scout
A YAML subscription layer over yt-dlp — competitors' new uploads arrive nightly with metadata attached.
▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install
What it is
A settings layer on top of yt-dlp. You describe the channels you care about in one file, run it on a schedule, and each new video arrives with all its information attached and filed.
What it is good for. Edition 6 covered yt-dlp and Edition 7 covered the comment downloader. Both are one-off commands you have to remember to run. That means your picture of the competition is a snapshot from whenever you last thought about it. This turns it into a standing subscription. Five channels, checked nightly, each new video landing in a research database with its information intact. That is the difference between "what were they doing in August" and "they published three videos about onboarding this week, and none of them mentions the gap you could fill".
- It handles scheduling, avoiding duplicates, and the file information. You do not have to write that code.
- Built on yt-dlp, which is already in my records. No new download logic to trust.
- Its output goes straight into sqlite-utils (Ed. 8 #5).
- GPL-3.0 licence. A tool to run, never a library to build into something you sell.
- Run it from a local machine. YouTube blocks server addresses, so on a rented server it will simply fail.
- Downloading whole channels fills your disk fast. Get only the information and subtitles unless you truly need the video.
source venv/bin/activate pip install ytdl-sub ytdl-sub sub subscriptions.yaml
