Automate YouTube Channel Downloads on a Schedule with ChannelTube
ChannelTube lets you sync and fetch video or audio from YouTube channels automatically using yt-dlp, ideal for offline viewing or media server integration.
- LinkLoot access
- Free
- Provider costs
- Unknown
What you get from it
What it does
ChannelTube is a self-hosted tool that synchronizes content from YouTube channels. It uses yt-dlp to download videos or audio files based on a configurable schedule. You can set specific hours for the app to check for new items (e.g., 2 AM and 8 PM), and it supports optional automatic nightly updates of yt-dlp itself. The tool also allows you to filter out short videos by setting a runtime cutoff.
Who it helps
This is useful for users who want to archive educational channels, podcasts, or creators they follow for offline access. It's particularly handy for those running home media servers like Plex or Jellyfin, as ChannelTube can trigger a library scan when new content is downloaded, keeping your media collection up-to-date without manual intervention.
Getting started
Deployment is straightforward via Docker. Pull the image thewicklowwolf/channeltube:latest and mount directories for configuration, video downloads, and audio downloads. Key settings are controlled via environment variables, including user/group IDs (PUID, PGID), format IDs for video/audio, thread limits, and subtitle handling options. You can also specify which hours to run checks, enable verbose logging, or use a cookies file for accessing restricted content.
For media server integration, provide the address and token for Plex or Jellyfin in the configuration. If you don't need this feature, leave those fields blank.
Limits and costs
ChannelTube is open-source under GPL-3.0, so there's no licensing cost. However, hosting it requires your own hardware or server space. Bandwidth usage depends on how many channels you track and the frequency of new uploads. The default deadband for scheduled checks is up to 10 minutes, meaning exact timing isn't guaranteed. Subtitle support includes embedding or external files, but defaults to none. Automatic yt-dlp updates are disabled unless explicitly configured.
Source links
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