CaptapiCaptapi
YouTube
GET /v1/youtube/playlist

YouTube Playlist API

Get a YouTube playlist's metadata plus its videos — title, description, and each video's URL, title, and position.

2 credits per request
Try in PlaygroundGet your API key — freeRead the docs
TL;DR
Get a YouTube playlist's metadata plus its videos — title, description, and each video's URL, title, and position. The YouTube Playlist API (YouTube) is a single authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist that responds with clean JSON and costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.

What is the YouTube Playlist API?

Paste a YouTube playlist URL and get both the playlist details (title, description, channel) and the videos in it as structured JSON. Prefer this when you need playlist info and the video list together. For only the video list, use Playlist Videos. No YouTube OAuth required.

What you get

  • Bulk list of playlist with metadata
  • Dates, URLs, and engagement fields when available
  • Configurable result limit
  • Ideal for monitoring and content pipelines

Try it

Open in Playground

Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).

Parameters

Sign in to run live
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/playlist?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist%3DPLMC9KNkIncKtPzgY-5rmhvj7fax8fdxoj" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

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

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "platform": "youtube",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMC9KNkIncKtPzgY-5rmhvj7fax8fdxoj",
    "title": "Pop Music Playlist - Timeless Pop Songs (Updated Weekly 2026)",
    "channelName": "ROSÉ and Bruno Mars",
    "totalReturned": 5,
    "videos": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekr2nIex040",
        "title": "ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "1 year ago",
        "viewCount": 2500000000,
        "durationSeconds": 174,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ekr2nIex040/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEgCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAxIIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBrgC8xg=&rs=AOn4CLDzyvnY8qeogjw9kGhO1TPZkM12-A",
        "channelName": "ROSÉ and Bruno Mars"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPa7bsKwL-c",
        "title": "Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "1 year ago",
        "viewCount": 1700000000,
        "durationSeconds": 253,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kPa7bsKwL-c/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEgCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAxIIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBrgC8xg=&rs=AOn4CLDF3iMqsC6OQclYtXdkxhPQUpKHUA",
        "channelName": "Lady Gaga"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCqAq6BRa4",
        "title": "DJ Snake - Let Me Love You (Official Music Video) ft. Justin Bieber",
        "publishedAt": "9 years ago",
        "viewCount": 2000000000,
        "durationSeconds": 206,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/euCqAq6BRa4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEgCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAxIIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBrgC8xg=&rs=AOn4CLDohgpb2pBRT0I2x0NJiDghKYbSkA",
        "channelName": "DJ Snake"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PVRfjEBTI",
        "title": "Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "1 year ago",
        "viewCount": 894000000,
        "durationSeconds": 231,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V9PVRfjEBTI/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEgCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAxIIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBrgC8xg=&rs=AOn4CLBvvxAwBQjBvuWLg_hCUQMH6nfFXA",
        "channelName": "Billie Eilish"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4lU1N3oqYQ",
        "title": "Madison Beer - lovergirl (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "2 months ago",
        "viewCount": 2400000,
        "durationSeconds": 202,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q4lU1N3oqYQ/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEgCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAxIIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBrgC8xg=&rs=AOn4CLDHwDbvQb7vLyC4A9CadeUa1Zit0w",
        "channelName": "Madison Beer"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.

Response structure

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

Top-level fields

  • platformPlatform identifier (e.g. youtube, instagram).
  • urlCanonical URL of the item.
  • titleTitle of the item.
  • channelNameName of the channel.
  • totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.

Videos

Each item in videos contains:

  • urlCanonical URL of the item.
  • titleTitle of the item.
  • publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601).
  • viewCountView count.
  • durationSecondsLength in seconds.
  • thumbnailUrlThumbnail image URL.
  • channelNameName of the channel.

Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
urlstringYesYouTube playlist URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=ID. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.
limitintegerNoMax items to return (default 50, max 500). Billed per result.
fastbooleanNoSet true to use YouTube RSS for faster results with less detailed metadata. Leave false when viewCount/duration quality matters.
cachebooleanNoSet true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data.

Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.

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

How it works

  1. 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
  2. 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
  3. 3. Send one request to /v1/youtube/playlist 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 Playlist API do?+

The YouTube Playlist API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube playlist using one GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Playlist API cost?+

Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?+

No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Is the YouTube Playlist API suitable for production use?+

Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

More YouTube APIs

YouTube Transcript APIYouTube Summarizer APIYouTube Video Details APIYouTube Comments APIYouTube Channel Details APIYouTube Search APIYouTube Channel Videos APIYouTube Playlist Videos APIYouTube Shorts Transcript APIYouTube Shorts Summarizer APIYouTube Shorts Stats APIYouTube Shorts Comments APIYouTube Channel Shorts APIYouTube Trending Shorts APIYouTube Channel Streams APIYouTube Hashtag Search APIYouTube Comment Replies APIYouTube Channel Playlists APIYouTube Community Posts APIYouTube Community Post Details APIYouTube Video Sponsors API

Ready to use the YouTube Playlist API?

Sign up, grab your key, and make your first call in 60 seconds.

Get started free