Meet Youtarr

Youtarr is an open-source YouTube video manager. You subscribe to channels or playlists, or paste in a single video URL, and it saves the videos to your storage, organized by channel with thumbnails and metadata. It uses yt-dlp under the hood, so you get a preview of each video's details before anything is saved.

It works on its own through a web interface, and if you run Plex, Jellyfin or Emby it can refresh your library after each run, so new videos show up there without you lifting a finger. Learn more on the official Youtarr website: youtarr.com

Why Youtarr Makes Life Easier

• 📺 Subscribe once and new uploads from that channel or playlist turn up in your library on their own.
• 🗄️ Keep a copy of videos you care about, so they're still there if they're later deleted or made private.
• 🚫 SponsorBlock support can cut or mark sponsor segments, intros and outros for you.
• 👪 Build a hand-picked YouTube library for the kids, using channel groups and content ratings.
• 🎬 Watch in your media server's apps, offline and without ads, instead of on YouTube itself.

Product Highlights

Quality is your call. Set a resolution globally or per channel, anywhere from 360p up to 4K.

Scheduled processing runs on a cron-style timetable, and a processing history keeps track of what's already been saved so you don't end up with duplicates.

The browse view lists every video from a subscribed channel, so you can pick older uploads by hand as well as letting the subscription pick up new ones.

Videos are named and laid out the way Plex, Jellyfin and Emby expect, with descriptions and thumbnails that show up in your media server.

Technical Specifications

• 🛠️ Software: Youtarr (open source, ISC licence)
• 📥 Engine: yt-dlp, with a YouTube cookie file you supply
• 🎞️ Quality: 360p to 4K, set globally or per channel
• 🚫 Segment skipping: SponsorBlock integration
• ⏰ Scheduling: cron-based
• 🔗 Works with: Plex, Jellyfin and Emby (optional library refresh)
• 💾 Storage: your own rclone-compatible cloud storage, mounted into your ElfHosted apps
• 🌐 Access: HTTPS on your ElfHosted subdomain, with Youtarr's own login and admin controls

Let ElfHosted Handle the Heavy Lifting for Youtarr

• 🔄 We track upstream releases, so your instance stays current without you touching a container.
• ☁️ Your cloud storage mounts straight in, and you point Youtarr at it with a single ElfBot setting.
• ⏱️ It runs around the clock, so your scheduled jobs fire whether or not your own computer is switched on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Plex, Jellyfin or Emby?
No. Youtarr works fine on its own. A media server is optional, and if you have one, Youtarr can refresh its library after each run.

Where are my videos stored?
On external cloud storage that you attach. ElfHosted can mount any rclone-compatible storage, and you set Youtarr's data path to it with ElfBot. The setup guide in our docs walks you through it.

Why does it need a YouTube cookie file?
yt-dlp needs a signed-in session to reach YouTube. Heavy use can get the account flagged, so we recommend a separate Google account used only for Youtarr, and treating the cookie file like a password.

Can I pick the video quality?
Yes. Choose a default resolution, then override it per channel, from 360p up to 4K.

Does it skip sponsor segments?
It can. SponsorBlock integration lets you remove or mark sponsored sections, intros and outros using the crowdsourced SponsorBlock database.

Youtarr turns the YouTube channels you follow into a tidy, ad-free library on your own storage, ready for your media server.

Add Youtarr to your ElfHosted subscription and let your channels come to you.