2.9k stars · GPL-3.0 · 2026.08.26.post1 (2026-08-26)
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.
Why it matters
Edition 6 gave you yt-dlp and Edition 7 gave you 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 your 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 thing your product does".
- 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 the Mac. YouTube blocks server addresses, so on the Hetzner box 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
