YouTube Channel Playlists API
Channel playlists with cursor pagination — id, title, totalVideos, thumbnailUrl. Flat 2 credits/page.
GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-playlists that responds with clean JSON and costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the YouTube Channel Playlists API?
Pass a channel URL, @handle, or UC… ID and get that channel's /playlists tab as clean JSON with nextCursor + hasMore. Each row: id (playlist list= ID — chain into /v1/youtube/playlist), url, title, totalVideos (same name as /playlist), thumbnailUrl. Flat 2 credits per page.
What you get
- cursor ↔ nextCursor / hasMore
- Playlist id for chaining into /youtube/playlist
- totalVideos (aligned with /playlist), thumbnailUrl
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/channel-playlists?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F%40MrBeast" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
"totalReturned": 2,
"playlists": [
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoSWVnSA9vG8hI-SUpAimvYJrPh-PRRvp",
"title": "If You Survive, You Win",
"videoCount": 5,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tnTPaLOaHz8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEXCOADEI4CSFryq4qpAwkIARUAAIhCGAE=&rs=AOn4CLCjPAnSe9imDV7q3RLqefBW_CQRCw"
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoSWVnSA9vG_s-XT40oPKF0iWFGw8pOp2",
"title": "Helping People In Need",
"videoCount": 10,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/tvfilm_banner/PLoSWVnSA9vG_s-XT40oPKF0iWFGw8pOp2/16_9_.jpg?sqp=CIK3qNMG-oaymwEICNYGEOADSFqi85f_AwYIsPuCygY=&rs=AOn4CLCIBDlHX0ennRaBJ6KUK7hIIyYqJQ"
}
]
}
}Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.
Response structure
A successful call returns success and a data object with the following fields:
Top-level fields
urlCanonical URL of the item.totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.
Playlists
Each item in playlists contains:
urlCanonical URL of the item.titleTitle of this playlists item.videoCountPopulation video count when the source is authoritative (e.g. TikTok challenge/detail statsV2 on popular-hashtags, or a channel's uploaded-video total). Never a sample tally — sample sizes use sampleVideoCount / sampleSize.thumbnailUrlThumbnail image URL.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | YouTube channel URL, @handle, bare handle, or UC... channel ID, e.g. https://youtube.com/@handle or @mkbhd. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 200). Flat 2 credits per call. |
| cursor | string | No | Pagination cursor. Leave empty for the first page; then pass the nextCursor value returned in the previous response. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
youtube_channel_playlists via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/youtube/channel-playlistsand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Content Pipelines
Ingest a channel's catalog in bulk.
Monitoring
Detect new uploads automatically.
Archiving
Snapshot a creator's library — metadata plus CDN media URLs (re-fetch before mediaUrlsExpireAt).
Analytics
Aggregate performance across many videos.
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Channel Playlists API do?+
The YouTube Channel Playlists API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube channel playlists using one GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-playlists. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Channel Playlists API cost?+
Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
Is the YouTube Channel Playlists API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More YouTube APIs
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