Research: yt-dlp

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Quick Answer

Problem: Probe, transcript, and optionally download video/audio from supported hosts via yt-dlp. Transcript-first protocol: doctor → probe → transcript → download (with approval).

Stack / assumptions: yt-dlp binary; optional user-owned Netscape cookies; default outputs under $HOME/Downloads/yt-dlp/; scripts/probe_url.py and scripts/doctor.py.

Comparable alternative: Fetch MCP for static HTML; ffmpeg for post-download remux/transcode; research for multi-source synthesis.

Repo summary:

Repo-owned skill enforcing read-only probe before writes, explicit download approval, ethics/ToS boundaries, and no repo-tree output. Playlists require enumeration and selective indices only.

> Grounded in repository skills/yt-dlp/SKILL.md; treat as evidence, not authority.

Ethics Boundary

Refuse DRM circumvention, paywall evasion, and committed cookie secrets. User-owned cookie paths only; see references/ethics-and-tos.md.