YouTube API for Uploading and Scheduling Videos

The official YouTube API

Videos are uploaded with the videos.insert method of the YouTube Data API v3, authorized with an OAuth scope such as youtube.upload. The request carries the video file plus a snippet (title, description, tags, category) and a status (privacy, made for kids).

What posting requires

1. Create a Google Cloud project, enable the YouTube Data API v3, and configure an OAuth consent screen.
2. Implement Google OAuth so each channel owner can authorize your app with the youtube.upload scope.
3. Complete the YouTube API Services audit: videos uploaded from unverified projects created after 28 July 2020 are restricted to private viewing.
4. If the default quota is not enough, request more through the YouTube API Services Audit and Quota Extension Form.

Cost: Google's YouTube Data API documentation measures usage in daily quota units and lists no per-call fee. The practical limits are the quota and the audit.

Official limits

Common gotchas

• Older guides say an upload costs 1,600 quota units. Google's current quota table gives videos.insert its own bucket of 100 calls a day at 1 unit each.
• While the OAuth consent screen is in Testing status for external users, refresh tokens expire after 7 days, so connections break every week.
• Refresh tokens also stop working after six months without use, or when the user revokes access.
• Invalid requests still cost at least one quota unit.

Post to YouTube via API

curl -X POST https://api.publora.com/api/v1/create-post \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-publora-key: sk_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "content": "How we schedule posts to 10 networks from one API call. Code and docs linked below.",
    "platforms": ["youtube-YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"],
    "scheduledTime": "2026-10-12T16:00:00Z",
    "mediaUrls": ["https://example.com/api-walkthrough.mp4"],
    "platformSettings": {
      "youtube": {
        "title": "Scheduling to 10 social networks with one API call",
        "privacy": "unlisted",
        "tags": ["api", "social media", "tutorial"],
        "categoryId": "28",
        "madeForKids": false
      }
    }
  }'

import os
import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.publora.com/api/v1/create-post",
    headers={"x-publora-key": os.environ["PUBLORA_API_KEY"]},
    json={
        "content": "How we schedule posts to 10 networks from one API call.",
        "platforms": ["youtube-YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"],
        "scheduledTime": "2026-10-12T16:00:00Z",
        "mediaUrls": ["https://example.com/api-walkthrough.mp4"],
        "platformSettings": {
            "youtube": {
                "title": "Scheduling to 10 social networks with one API call",
                "privacy": "public",
                "tags": ["api", "social media", "tutorial"],
                "madeForKids": False,
            }
        },
    },
)
resp.raise_for_status()
print(resp.json()["postGroupId"])

Or let an AI agent post

Connect any MCP client to mcp.publora.com:

• “Upload this video to YouTube as unlisted tomorrow at 16:00 UTC with the title "Q3 product update" and add it to my Updates playlist.”
• “Schedule this vertical clip to YouTube and TikTok for Saturday at 15:00 UTC, public on both.”
• “Show my scheduled YouTube uploads for next week and change the Friday video to private.”