YouTube

GET /v1/youtube/channel-shorts

YouTube Channel Shorts API

Bulk-list YouTube content with full metadata for each item.

TL;DR

The YouTube Channel Shorts API (YouTube) returns bulk-list YouTube content with full metadata for each item. It's a single authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts that responds with clean JSON, costs 20 credits, and is cached for 24 hours (repeat calls are free). Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.

What is the YouTube Channel Shorts API?

The YouTube Channel Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from YouTube with a single REST call. No OAuth, no scraping infrastructure, and no platform SDKs — send the URL, get clean structured JSON back. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat lookups are instant and free.

What you get

Bulk list of items with full metadata
View counts, dates, and direct URLs
Configurable result limit
Ideal for monitoring and content pipelines

Try it

Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request in your language of choice.

Parameters

url*stringYouTube channel URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/@handle or /channel/UC...limitoptionalintegerMax items to return (default 20, max 200). Billed per result.

API keyoptionalPaste your key to get a ready-to-run snippet. It stays in your browser.

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/channel-shorts?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F%40MrBeast" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "cached": false,
  "creditsUsed": 20,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
    "totalReturned": 5,
    "shorts": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXVHmGoCTco",
        "title": "50 Streamers Fight for $1,000,000",
        "publishedAt": "2026-04-04T16:00:01.000Z",
        "viewCount": 108344796,
        "durationSeconds": null,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DXVHmGoCTco/maxresdefault.jpg",
        "channelName": "MrBeast"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaMdXZMvT3w",
        "title": "Survive 30 Days On An Island With Your Ex, Win $250,000",
        "publishedAt": "2026-05-16T16:00:01.000Z",
        "viewCount": 77197599,
        "durationSeconds": null,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AaMdXZMvT3w/maxresdefault.jpg",
        "channelName": "MrBeast"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response structure

A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:

Result

totalNumber of items returned.

Each item

Each item in items contains:

titleItem title.
urlDirect URL to the content.
viewsView count.
publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	YouTube channel URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/@handle or /channel/UC...
limit	integer	No	Max items to return (default 20, max 200). Billed per result.

Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 20 credits — billed per result, so the exact amount scales with how many items you request. Repeat calls for the same request are served from cache for free (metrics refresh within ~1 hour).

Using an AI agent? This endpoint is the MCP tool youtube_channel_shorts via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →

How it works

1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
2. Create a key from your dashboard.
3. Send one request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts and parse the JSON response.

Use cases

Content Pipelines

Ingest a channel's catalog in bulk.

Monitoring

Detect new uploads automatically.

Archiving

Snapshot a creator's full library.

Analytics

Aggregate performance across many videos.

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 video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-shorts. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Channel Shorts API cost?+

Each successful call costs 20 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?+

No. A single Captapi key works across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. 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, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

More YouTube APIs

YouTube Transcript API YouTube Summarizer API YouTube Video Details API YouTube Comments API YouTube Channel Details API YouTube Search API

Ready to use the YouTube Channel Shorts API?

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