Skip to main content

Installing Plugins for yt-dlp

This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of installing plugins for yt-dlp, from simple package installations to advanced development setups. Learn how to extend yt-dlp's functionality safely and effectively.

Overview of yt-dlp Plugin Installation​

What You'll Learn​

  • Multiple installation methods for different scenarios
  • Plugin directory structure and organization
  • Dependency management and compatibility
  • Security considerations and best practices
  • Troubleshooting common installation issues

Prerequisites​

  • yt-dlp installed and functional
  • Basic command-line knowledge
  • Python 3.9+ (for development installations)
  • Internet connection for downloading plugins

Installation Methods​

Using pip (Python Package Index)​

The most reliable method for well-maintained plugins:

Search for available plugins

pip search yt-dlp-plugin

Install from PyPI

pip install yt-dlp-plugin-name

Install specific version

pip install yt-dlp-plugin-name==1.2.3

Install with optional dependencies

pip install yt-dlp-plugin-name[extra-features]

Install from requirements file

pip install -r plugin-requirements.txt

Installing from GitHub​

For plugins not on PyPI or development versions:

Install latest version from GitHub

pip install git+https://github.com/user/yt-dlp-plugin-repo.git

Install specific branch or tag

pip install git+https://github.com/user/yt-dlp-plugin-repo.git@main
pip install git+https://github.com/user/yt-dlp-plugin-repo.git@v1.0.0

Install from private repository (with authentication)

pip install git+https://username:token@github.com/user/private-plugin.git

Using System Package Managers​

Some plugins may be available through system package managers:

Homebrew (macOS)

brew search yt-dlp-plugin
brew install yt-dlp-plugin-name

APT (Debian/Ubuntu)

apt search yt-dlp-plugin
sudo apt install yt-dlp-plugin-name

DNF (Fedora)

dnf search yt-dlp-plugin
sudo dnf install yt-dlp-plugin-name

AUR (Arch Linux)

yay -S yt-dlp-plugin-name

Method 2: Manual Installation​

Understanding Plugin Directory Structure​

yt-dlp looks for plugins in specific directories:

Plugin Search Paths (in order of priority):
1. ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/
2. ~/.yt-dlp-plugins/
3. ./yt-dlp-plugins/ (current directory)
4. Python site-packages/yt_dlp_plugins/

Directory Organization​

~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/
├── extractors/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── custom_site.py
│   └── another_extractor.py
├── postprocessors/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── custom_processor.py
│   └── metadata_enhancer.py
├── downloaders/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   └── custom_downloader.py
└── utils/
    ├── __init__.py
    └── helper_functions.py

Manual Installation Steps​

Step 1: Create Plugin Directories

Create the main plugin directory structure

mkdir -p ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/{extractors,postprocessors,downloaders,utils}

Create init.py files for Python package recognition

touch ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/__init__.py
touch ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/__init__.py
touch ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/postprocessors/__init__.py
touch ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/downloaders/__init__.py
touch ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/utils/__init__.py

Step 2: Download Plugin Files

Download single plugin file

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/user/repo/main/extractor.py -O ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/custom_site.py

Download entire plugin repository

git clone https://github.com/user/plugin-repo.git /tmp/plugin
cp -r /tmp/plugin/yt_dlp_plugins/* ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/

Download and extract archive

curl -L https://github.com/user/repo/archive/main.zip -o plugin.zip
unzip plugin.zip
cp plugin-main/*.py ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install plugin dependencies if requirements.txt exists

pip install -r plugin-requirements.txt

Install individual dependencies

pip install requests beautifulsoup4 lxml

Install optional dependencies

pip install pillow[extra] ffmpeg-python

Method 3: Development Installation​

Setting Up Development Environment​

For plugin development or testing unreleased versions:

Clone plugin repository

git clone https://github.com/user/yt-dlp-plugin-repo.git
cd yt-dlp-plugin-repo

Create virtual environment

python -m venv plugin-dev-env
source plugin-dev-env/bin/activate

Install in development mode

pip install -e .

Install with development dependencies

pip install -e .[dev,test]

Linking Development Plugins​

Create symbolic links for development

ln -s /path/to/plugin/development/extractor.py ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/

For Windows (requires admin privileges)

mklink ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/extractor.py /path/to/plugin/development/extractor.py

Plugin Configuration and Management​

Configuration Files​

Configure plugins through yt-dlp configuration files:

# ~/.config/yt-dlp/config
# Enable specific post-processors
--use-postprocessor PluginName

# Configure extractor arguments
--extractor-args "plugin:option=value"

Environment Variables​

Plugin-specific environment variables

export PLUGIN_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export PLUGIN_DEBUG="true"

Python path for custom plugins

export PYTHONPATH="/custom/plugin/path:$PYTHONPATH"

Verification and Testing​

Verifying Plugin Installation​

Basic Verification​

Check if plugin is loaded

yt-dlp --verbose "URL" 2>&1 | grep -i "plugin"

List all loaded extractors (includes plugins)

yt-dlp --list-extractors | grep -i "custom"

List all post-processors (includes plugins)

yt-dlp --list-postprocessors | grep -i "custom"

Check plugin version

python -c "import yt_dlp_plugins.plugin_name; print(plugin_name.__version__)"

Testing Plugin Functionality​

Simulation mode (no actual download)

yt-dlp --simulate --use-postprocessor PluginName "URL"

Test with verbose output

yt-dlp --verbose --use-postprocessor PluginName "URL"

Test specific plugin features

yt-dlp --extractor-args "plugin:test_mode=true" "URL"

Troubleshooting Installation Issues​

Common Installation Problems​

Plugin Not Found​

Check plugin search paths

python -c "import sys; print('\n'.join(sys.path))"

Verify directory structure

ls -la ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/

Test manual import

python -c "import sys; sys.path.append('~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins'); import extractors.plugin_name"

Import Errors​

Check for syntax errors

python -m py_compile ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/extractors/plugin.py

Check missing dependencies

pip check

Test import with detailed error

python -c "
import sys
sys.path.append('~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins')
try:
    import extractors.plugin_name
    print('Import successful')
except Exception as e:
    print(f'Import failed: {e}')
"

Permission Issues​

Check file permissions

ls -la ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/

Fix permissions

chmod -R 755 ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/
chmod 644 ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/*/*.py

Check ownership

chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/

Version Compatibility Issues​

Check yt-dlp version

yt-dlp --version

Check plugin compatibility

pip show yt-dlp-plugin-name | grep Requires

Update to compatible versions

pip install "yt-dlp>=2024.1.1" "yt-dlp-plugin-name>=1.0.0"

Debug and Logging​

Enable Debug Logging​

Maximum verbosity

yt-dlp -vvv "URL"

Save debug output

yt-dlp --verbose "URL" 2>&1 | tee debug.log

Security Considerations​

Plugin Security Best Practices​

Source Verification​

  • Official repositories: Prefer plugins from official or well-known sources
  • Code review: Review plugin code before installation when possible
  • Reputation: Check developer reputation and plugin reviews
  • Updates: Ensure plugins are actively maintained

Installation Security​

Install from trusted sources only

pip install --trusted-host pypi.org yt-dlp-plugin-name

Use virtual environments for isolation

python -m venv secure-plugin-env
source secure-plugin-env/bin/activate
pip install yt-dlp plugin-name

Runtime Security​

Run with restricted permissions

yt-dlp --no-exec --no-shell-escape "URL"

Monitor plugin behavior

strace -e network yt-dlp --use-postprocessor PluginName "URL"

Maintenance and Updates​

Regular Maintenance Tasks​

Plugin Updates​

Update all pip-installed plugins

pip list | grep yt-dlp-plugin | cut -d' ' -f1 | xargs pip install --upgrade

Check for plugin updates

pip list --outdated | grep yt-dlp-plugin

Update specific plugin

pip install --upgrade yt-dlp-plugin-name

Cleanup and Optimization​

Remove unused plugins

pip uninstall unused-plugin-name

Clean plugin cache

rm -rf ~/.cache/yt-dlp/plugins/

Optimize plugin directory

find ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/ -name "*.pyc" -delete
find ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/ -name "__pycache__" -type d -exec rm -rf {} +

Backup and Recovery​

Plugin Backup​

Backup plugin directory

tar -czf yt-dlp-plugins-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/

Backup pip-installed plugins list

pip freeze | grep yt-dlp-plugin > yt-dlp-plugins-requirements.txt

Recovery Procedures​

Restore from backup

tar -xzf yt-dlp-plugins-backup-20240101.tar.gz -C ~/

Reinstall from requirements

pip install -r yt-dlp-plugins-requirements.txt

Reset to clean state

rm -rf ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/
mkdir -p ~/.config/yt-dlp/plugins/{extractors,postprocessors,downloaders}

Best Practices Summary​

Installation Best Practices​

  1. Use package managers when possible for easier updates
  2. Test in virtual environments before system-wide installation
  3. Keep plugins updated for security and compatibility
  4. Document installed plugins for team environments
  5. Use version pinning for production deployments

Security Best Practices​

  1. Verify plugin sources before installation
  2. Review plugin code when possible
  3. Use isolated environments for untrusted plugins
  4. Monitor plugin behavior in production
  5. Keep backups of working configurations

Maintenance Best Practices​

  1. Regular updates for security patches
  2. Clean unused plugins to reduce complexity
  3. Monitor performance impact of plugins
  4. Test plugins after yt-dlp updates
  5. Document plugin configurations for reproducibility

By following this comprehensive installation guide, you can safely and effectively extend yt-dlp's functionality with plugins while maintaining security, performance, and maintainability.