YouTube

GET /v1/youtube/shorts/comments

YouTube Shorts Comments API

Pull YouTube comments with author, text, likes, and timestamps — cursor pagination via nextCursor.

2 credits per request

Try in Playground Get your API key — free Read the docs

TL;DR

Pull YouTube comments with author, text, likes, and timestamps — cursor pagination via nextCursor. The YouTube Shorts Comments API (YouTube) is a single authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/comments 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 Shorts Comments API?

The YouTube Shorts Comments API lets you pull comments with author, text, likes, and replies for YouTube shorts comments with a single REST call. No OAuth, no infrastructure to maintain, and no platform SDKs — send the request, get clean structured JSON back. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh.

What you get

Comment or review text, author name, and handle
Like counts and timestamps when available
Cursor pagination via nextCursor + hasMore
Use the matching Comment Replies endpoint when you need nested replies

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

url*stringPublic YouTube Shorts URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/shorts/ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. 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.limitoptionalintegerMax items to return (default 50, max 500). Billed per result.cursoroptionalstringPagination cursor. Leave empty for the first page; then pass the nextCursor value returned in the previous response.cacheoptionalbooleanSet true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data.

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

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/shorts/comments?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDXVHmGoCTco" \
  -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": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXVHmGoCTco",
    "videoId": "DXVHmGoCTco",
    "totalReturned": 2,
    "totalComments": 172101,
    "nextCursor": "Eg0SC0RYVkhtR29DVGNvGAYyJSIRIgtEWFZIbUdvQ1RjbzAAeAJCEGNvbW1lbnRzLXNlY3Rpb24%3D",
    "hasMore": true,
    "comments": [
      {
        "id": "UgzoTD5YBfsX4xvnclx4AaABAg",
        "author": "@MrBeast",
        "authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/nxYrc_1_2f77DoBadyxMTmv7ZpRZapHR5jbuYe7PlPd5cIRJxtNNEYyOC0ZsxaDyJJzXrnJiuDE=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
        "authorIsVerified": true,
        "authorIsChannelOwner": true,
        "text": "Who is your favorite streamer?",
        "likeCount": 69000,
        "replyCount": 907,
        "hasCreatorHeart": true,
        "publishedTimeText": "3 months ago (edited)"
      },
      {
        "id": "UgyQ5z9f7wcaa6tM1hB4AaABAg",
        "author": "@NoOne-p8b",
        "authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_kVrDUhBwT9mRE2gmGtChvxhznEB5UPX2XPBtWPAOOek_gveCxp4-WhcCMLH1t7oFAkEQ=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
        "authorIsVerified": false,
        "authorIsChannelOwner": false,
        "text": "Rakai is a type of guy who everyone wants to avoid, but still sticks around like a parasite.",
        "likeCount": 20000,
        "replyCount": 70,
        "hasCreatorHeart": true,
        "publishedTimeText": "3 months ago"
      }
    ]
  }
}

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

urlCanonical URL of the item.
videoIdPlatform video ID.
totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.
totalCommentsThe video's total number of comments, across all pages.
nextCursorCursor to pass for the next page of results.
hasMoreWhether more results are available beyond this page. When true, pass nextCursor to fetch the next page.

Comments

Each item in comments contains:

idStable platform ID for the item.
authorAuthor name or handle.
authorAvatarUrlProfile picture URL of the person who wrote the comment.
authorIsVerifiedWhether the author is verified.
authorIsChannelOwnerWhether the author owns the channel.
textText content.
likeCountLike count.
replyCountHow many replies this comment has. Use Comment Replies with this comment's id to fetch them.
hasCreatorHeartWhether the creator hearted the comment.
publishedTimeTextPublished time text. Example: "3 months ago (edited)".

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Public YouTube Shorts URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/shorts/ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. 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.
limit	integer	No	Max items to return (default 50, max 500). Billed per result.
cursor	string	No	Pagination cursor. Leave empty for the first page; then pass the nextCursor value returned in the previous response.
cache	boolean	No	Set 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_shorts_comments 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/shorts/comments and parse the JSON response.

Use cases

Sentiment Analysis

Understand how audiences react to content.

Community Insights

Surface FAQs, requests, and recurring themes.

Moderation

Detect spam, abuse, or policy violations at scale.

Market Research

Mine genuine opinions and product feedback.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Shorts Comments API do?+

The YouTube Shorts Comments API lets you pull comments with author, text, likes, and replies from a public YouTube Short using one GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/comments. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Shorts Comments 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 Shorts Comments 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.

Ready to use the YouTube Shorts Comments API?

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YouTube Shorts Comments API

What is the YouTube Shorts Comments API?

What you get

Try it

Parameters

Example response

Response structure

Top-level fields

Comments

Parameters

How it works

Use cases

Sentiment Analysis

Community Insights

Moderation

Market Research

Frequently asked questions

More YouTube APIs

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