YouTube Hashtag Search API
Videos from youtube.com/hashtag/{name} — nested channel{}, viewCountIsApproximate. Not keyword search.
GET request to /v1/youtube/hashtag-search that responds with clean JSON and costs ~20 credits (1/result). 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 Hashtag Search API?
Pass a hashtag (with or without #) and get the videos listed on YouTube's hashtag page as clean JSON. This is the /hashtag/{name} feed — not a search?q= keyword query. Titles often omit the #tag (it may live only in the description); association is the hashtag page itself. Envelope field is hashtag (the normalized tag). Each result includes type (video|short|live), id, url, title, nested channel{id,title,handle?,url}, viewCount + viewCountIsApproximate, and durationSeconds when YouTube exposes them. Returns a single window; use limit to size it. No cursor. Billed per returned result (~1 credit each).
What you get
- Hashtag page feed (not keyword search)
- type: video | short | live on every row
- Nested channel{} — no flat channelName/channelId twins
- viewCountIsApproximate on every row with viewCount
- Returns a single window; use limit to size it. No cursor.
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/hashtag-search?q=music" \
-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": {
"query": "music",
"totalReturned": 2,
"results": [
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iAiWIytqdw",
"title": "Forever Young - Music Travel Love ft. Bugoy Drilon",
"publishedAt": "2025-04-16T00:00:08.000Z",
"viewCount": 31307210,
"durationSeconds": 265,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3iAiWIytqdw/maxresdefault.jpg",
"channelName": "Music Travel Love"
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYPeL-gF5U",
"title": "Stay Royalty - Official Music Video of The Royalty Family (2020)",
"publishedAt": "2020-12-27T16:12:50.000Z",
"viewCount": 14883690,
"durationSeconds": 194,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WpYPeL-gF5U/maxresdefault.jpg",
"channelName": "The Royalty Family"
}
]
}
}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
queryThe search query you sent.totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.
Results
Each item in results contains:
urlCanonical URL of the item.titleTitle of this results item.publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601) when the platform exposes an absolute timestamp.viewCountView count.durationSecondsLength in seconds for this item (full media length, or a segment span when the endpoint documents a start/end).thumbnailUrlThumbnail image URL.channelNameName of the channel.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | string | Yes | Hashtag with or without the # (min 2 characters). |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 200). Returns a single window; use limit to size it. No cursor. Billed per result. |
| 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 ~20 credits (1/result) — billed per result, so the exact amount scales with how many items you request. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh (metrics refresh within ~1 hour).
youtube_hashtag_search 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/hashtag-searchand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Trend Discovery
Find trending content by keyword or hashtag.
Content Sourcing
Build feeds and playlists programmatically.
Monitoring
Track topics, brands, and competitors.
Research
Sample large sets of content for analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Hashtag Search API do?+
The YouTube Hashtag Search API lets you search and return matching results from a public YouTube query using one GET request to /v1/youtube/hashtag-search. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Hashtag Search API cost?+
At the default limit this endpoint costs 20 credits (1 per result). Billing scales with how many results you request. 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 Hashtag Search 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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