YouTube Trending Shorts API
List YouTube trending shorts with full metadata for each item.
GET request to /v1/youtube/trending-shorts 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 Trending Shorts API?
The YouTube Trending Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata for YouTube trending shorts 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
- Bulk list of trending shorts with metadata
- Dates, URLs, and engagement fields when available
- Configurable result limit
- Ideal for monitoring and content pipelines
Try it
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
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/trending-shorts?q=trending" \
-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",
"query": "trending",
"totalReturned": 5,
"shorts": [
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ggMTGsuaooU",
"title": "GO CRAZY! 👀 2026 Group Dance Trend #Shorts #Dance #Squad #Trending #fypシ Kaido Gia Chowbaby & more",
"viewCount": 121000
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O07T9_5VIRI",
"title": "who remembers this trend?😳 #trending #viral #tiktok #funny",
"viewCount": 23000000
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ERXFiAub3jE",
"title": "What's Trending Across America Right Now?",
"viewCount": 11
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7c4L1eQeJi4",
"title": "TikTok Trends Edits ☘️🔥 #trend #edit #shorts",
"viewCount": 14000000
},
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/14pQPufUzj4",
"title": "BEN EAGLE - Heartbreaking carelessness #MartialArts #ActionComedy #KungFu #Kindness #Trending #Viral",
"viewCount": 7300000
}
]
}
}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).queryThe search query you sent.totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.
Shorts
Each item in shorts contains:
urlCanonical URL of the item.titleTitle of the item.viewCountView count.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | string | No | Seed keyword for trending Shorts. Defaults to trending. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 100). Flat 2 credits per call. |
| 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.
youtube_trending_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/trending-shortsand 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 Trending Shorts API do?+
The YouTube Trending Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube Short using one GET request to /v1/youtube/trending-shorts. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Trending Shorts 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 Trending Shorts 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
Ready to use the YouTube Trending Shorts API?
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