How to get YouTube channel shorts
GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Channel Shorts with cursor pagination — same row shape as channel-videos (exact publishedAt).How to get YouTube channel shorts (step by step)
- 1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
- 2
Call the YouTube Channel Shorts API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
- 3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
Code example
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/channel-shorts?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F%40MrBeast" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."What the response looks like
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
"totalReturned": 2,
"shorts": [
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Df5Y-2ndQyU",
"title": "Read My Book, You Could Win $1,000,000",
"publishedAt": null,
"viewCount": 8900000,
"durationSeconds": null,
"thumbnailUrl": null,
"channelName": "MrBeast"
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/egvLKQe6I4I",
"title": "Don't Pop the Balloon",
"publishedAt": null,
"viewCount": 90000000,
"durationSeconds": null,
"thumbnailUrl": null,
"channelName": "MrBeast"
}
]
}
}Billing metadata (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.
Request 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. |
| cursor | string | No | Pagination cursor. Leave empty for the first page; then pass the nextCursor value returned in the previous response. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 200). Flat 2 credits per call. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. |
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Channel Shorts API do?
The YouTube Channel Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube Short using one GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Channel Shorts 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 Shorts 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.
Ready to get YouTube channel shorts?
Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.
Get your free API key