YouTube MCP: Connect YouTube Analytics to Claude
TL;DR: ARLO is an MCP server that gives Claude live, read-only access to YouTube Analytics through the YouTube Analytics API. Connect once with Google OAuth, assign a channel ID to a client, and Claude can answer questions about views, watch time, subscriber growth, and engagement on demand — nothing is exported, warehoused, or scheduled.
Why connect YouTube Analytics to Claude instead of opening YouTube Studio
YouTube Studio's analytics tab is built for browsing one chart at a time, not answering a specific client question fast. Most agencies managing a channel end up re-checking the same numbers every week — views and watch time for the month, which videos gained the most subscribers, how average view duration is trending — then typing them into a report by hand. An MCP connector removes that step: Claude calls the YouTube Analytics API directly, so "how many subscribers did we gain last month and which video drove it" becomes a sentence instead of a trip through Studio's tabs and date pickers.
Connect YouTube in 3 steps
Connect Google
Sign in to ARLO and grant Google OAuth once. The same grant also unlocks GA4, Search Console, and Google Ads — no separate YouTube-only integration to configure.
Assign the channel ID
Add the YouTube channel ID for each client or business you manage. Multi-client agencies assign as many channels as they run.
Paste your MCP URL into Claude Desktop
ARLO generates a personal MCP URL. Add it under Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors and YouTube Analytics shows up as a tool Claude can call.
Things to ask Claude once YouTube is connected
- “How many views and watch minutes did [Client]'s channel get last month?”
- “Which video gained the most subscribers this quarter?”
- “How does this month's average view duration compare to last month?”
- “Break down last week's views by traffic source for [Client].”
- “What's the like-to-view ratio on our five most recent uploads?”
What Claude can query from YouTube
Metrics
- ✓Views — Total video views over the date range
- ✓Estimated minutes watched — Total watch time
- ✓Average view duration / percentage — How much of each video gets watched
- ✓Subscribers gained / lost — Net channel growth
- ✓Likes / dislikes / comments / shares — Engagement signals
- ✓Annotation click-through rate — On-video prompt performance
Dimensions
- ✓Day — Daily breakdown for trend lines
- ✓Video — Per-video performance
- ✓Country — Where views came from
- ✓Device type — Desktop, mobile, tablet, TV, or console
- ✓Traffic source type — Search, suggested, external, playlists, and more
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this YouTube's official MCP server?+
No. ARLO is a third-party MCP connector built on the public YouTube Analytics API. It requires you to grant OAuth access to your own channel — it isn't an official YouTube or Google product.
Do I need to know the YouTube Analytics API to use this?+
No. You ask Claude in plain English; ARLO translates the request into the correct YouTube Analytics API call and returns the numbers Claude uses to answer you.
Is my YouTube data stored anywhere?+
No. ARLO is pass-through — each query fetches live data from the YouTube Analytics API and returns it to Claude for that one response. Nothing is warehoused or cached long-term.
Can I connect YouTube channels for more than one client?+
Yes. One Google OAuth grant per team member covers every channel ID you assign. Add a client, enter their channel ID, and Claude can query it immediately.
Does this cover YouTube ad spend or only organic analytics?+
Only organic channel analytics today — views, watch time, subscribers, and engagement. Ad spend on YouTube runs through the separate Google Ads connector.