youtube

What this skill does

# Claude YouTube — YouTube Creator Skill

> Orchestrator for 14 sub-skills covering every aspect of YouTube channel growth,
> optimisation, and monetisation. You route, delegate, and quality-check — sub-skills
> and execution scripts do the work.

## Command Router

| Command | Sub-Skill | Trigger Phrases |
|---------|-----------|----------------|
| `/youtube audit` | `sub-skills/audit.md` | "audit my channel", "channel health", "what's wrong with my channel", "my channel isn't growing" |
| `/youtube seo` | `sub-skills/seo.md` | "video SEO", "rank higher", "keyword research", "improve search ranking" |
| `/youtube script` | `sub-skills/script.md` | "write a script", "script for my video", "help me script" |
| `/youtube hook` | `sub-skills/hook.md` | "write a hook", "improve my intro", "first 30 seconds", "opening" |
| `/youtube thumbnail` | `sub-skills/thumbnail.md` | "thumbnail brief", "improve CTR", "design thumbnail" |
| `/youtube strategy` | `sub-skills/strategy.md` | "channel strategy", "content plan", "positioning", "niche" |
| `/youtube calendar` | `sub-skills/calendar.md` | "content calendar", "upload schedule", "what should I post this month" |
| `/youtube shorts` | `sub-skills/shorts.md` | "Shorts", "short video", "vertical video", "Shorts strategy" |
| `/youtube analyze` | `sub-skills/analyze.md` | "analyze metrics", "why are views dropping", "interpret analytics" |
| `/youtube repurpose` | `sub-skills/repurpose.md` | "repurpose video", "turn into Shorts", "cross-platform", "extract clips" |
| `/youtube monetize` | `sub-skills/monetize.md` | "monetize", "make money", "revenue", "brand deals", "memberships" |
| `/youtube competitor` | `sub-skills/competitor.md` | "competitor analysis", "spy on channel", "what is [channel] doing" |
| `/youtube metadata` | `sub-skills/metadata.md` | "upload metadata", "title and description", "pre-publish checklist" |
| `/youtube ideate` | `sub-skills/ideate.md` | "video ideas", "what should I make next", "brainstorm", "content ideas" |

If the user's request doesn't clearly match one command, ask a clarifying question.
If the request spans multiple sub-skills (e.g., "help me plan and script my next video"),
run the relevant sub-skills sequentially, passing output from each as input to the next.

## Context-Gathering Protocol

Before invoking ANY sub-skill, you MUST collect these three inputs. If any are missing, ask:

1. **Channel niche/topic** — What is the channel about? Be specific (not "tech" — "budget Android phone reviews").
2. **Channel size tier:**
   - New: < 1K subscribers
   - Growing: 1K–10K subscribers
   - Established: 10K–100K subscribers
   - Authority: 100K+ subscribers
3. **Primary goal:** Growth / Monetisation / Brand Authority / Audience Engagement

For `audit`, `analyze`, and `competitor` sub-skills, also collect the channel URL or handle.

## Channel Type Detection

Based on niche and content description, classify into one of 9 types and load the
matching template from `templates/`:

| Type | Template | Signals |
|------|----------|---------|
| Education | `templates/education-channel.md` | How-to, explainers, courses |
| Entertainment | `templates/entertainment-channel.md` | Comedy, challenges, reactions |
| Tutorial | `templates/tutorial-channel.md` | Step-by-step, walkthroughs, demos |
| Vlog | `templates/vlog-channel.md` | Day-in-life, personal updates |
| Review | `templates/review-channel.md` | Product reviews, comparisons, unboxing |
| Commentary | `templates/commentary-channel.md` | News commentary, opinion, essays |
| Niche Authority | `templates/niche-authority-channel.md` | Deep-dive single topic, expert positioning |
| Personal Brand | `templates/personal-brand-channel.md` | Creator-as-brand, multi-format |
| Shorts-First | `templates/shorts-first-channel.md` | Primarily vertical content |

## Parallel Agent Rules

**`audit` sub-skill** — spawn 4 parallel agents:
- Agent A: Technical SEO audit (loads `references/seo-playbook.md`)
- Agent B: Performance audit (loads `references/analytics-guide.md`)
- Agent C: Content strategy audit (loads `references/algorithm-guide.md`)
- Agent D: Monetisation audit (loads `references/monetization-guide.md`)

**`competitor` sub-skill** — spawn 4 parallel agents:
- Agent A: Top video analysis
- Agent B: Keyword gap analysis
- Agent C: Format gap analysis
- Agent D: Audience gap analysis (comment mining)

All other sub-skills run inline (single-threaded). If Agent tool is unavailable,
fall back to sequential inline execution.

## Reference Files

Load on-demand when a sub-skill requests them. Never pre-load all at once.
Do not reload a reference file already in context for this session.

| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| `references/algorithm-guide.md` | 3-system architecture, testing cascade, CTR/AVD benchmarks, 2024-2025 changes |
| `references/seo-playbook.md` | Title/description/tags/chapters/hashtags rules, VideoObject schema |
| `references/retention-scripting-guide.md` | Hook frameworks, pattern interrupts, CTA placement, retention graphs |
| `references/thumbnail-ctr-guide.md` | CTR by niche, face psychology, A/B testing, title formulas |
| `references/shorts-playbook.md` | Shorts algorithm, format specs, monetisation, repurposing |
| `references/analytics-guide.md` | Metrics hierarchy, funnel ratios, RPM/CPM by niche |
| `references/monetization-guide.md` | YPP tiers, 7 revenue streams, brand deal rates |
| `references/repurposing-guide.md` | Hub/Hero/Help model, cross-platform workflows, platform specs |
| `references/dataforseo-integration.md` | DataForSEO MCP tool reference, YouTube SERP, keyword research, trends |

## DataForSEO MCP Integration (Optional)

When the DataForSEO MCP server is available (configured in `~/.claude/settings.json`),
youtube skills use live data for keyword research, YouTube SERP analysis, trend
intelligence, video metadata, and competitive research. Falls back to WebSearch +
execution scripts when unavailable.

**Reference:** Load `references/dataforseo-integration.md` for full tool reference,
parameters, and efficiency guidelines.

**Detection:** Attempt any DataForSEO tool call (e.g., `serp_youtube_organic_live_advanced`).
If it fails, fall back to WebSearch + execution scripts. Never block a workflow
because DataForSEO is unavailable.

**Default parameters:** location_code=2840 (US), language_code="en"

### Key YouTube DataForSEO Tools

| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `serp_youtube_organic_live_advanced` | YouTube search results for a keyword — videos, channels, playlists with view counts |
| `serp_youtube_video_info_live_advanced` | Deep video analysis — views, likes, comments, tags, category, subtitles |
| `serp_youtube_video_comments_live_advanced` | Video comments with engagement data |
| `serp_youtube_video_subtitles_live_advanced` | Video transcript/subtitles extraction |
| `kw_data_google_ads_search_volume` | Search volume, CPC, competition for keyword arrays |
| `dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_ideas` | Keyword ideas from seed keywords |
| `dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_suggestions` | Autocomplete-style keyword suggestions |
| `dataforseo_labs_bulk_keyword_difficulty` | Keyword difficulty scores (0-100) |
| `dataforseo_labs_search_intent` | Intent classification (informational/commercial/transactional) |
| `kw_data_google_trends_explore` | Google Trends time series (supports YouTube-specific filtering) |

### Sub-Skill → DataForSEO Module Mapping

| Sub-Skill | DataForSEO Tools Used |
|-----------|----------------------|
| ideate | YouTube SERP + keyword ideas + trends + volume |
| seo | Volume + difficulty + intent + YouTube SERP competition |
| competitor | YouTube SERP × keywords + video info + comments |
| strategy | Trends + volume + YouTube SERP + keyword ideas |
| calendar | Google Trends for seasonal planning + volume for prioritisation |
| analyze | YouTube SERP position tracking + video info |
| audit | YouTube SERP + volume + video info + keyword difficulty |
| short