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Claude
Gemini
How to upload a YouTube video with Claude Title, description, thumbnail and publish time
Claude cannot reach YouTube on its own: it needs a connector that holds your channel’s connection. Add Upload-Post as a connector, connect your channel once, and ask Claude to upload a video with every field filled in, or to write the title, description and tags for you first.
Upload ./final/episode-12.mp4 to YouTube.
Title: "How we cut our cloud bill by 40%"
Description: summary + chapters from the transcript
Thumbnail: ./final/thumb-12.png
Playlist: "Engineering diaries"
Visibility: public, Thursday 17:00 Madrid time
AI content: no · Made for kids: noBefore you start: verify your channel
YouTube unlocks custom thumbnails and videos longer than 15 minutes only on channels verified with a phone number. It takes a minute at youtube.com/verify and saves most of the “why didn’t my thumbnail show up” questions.
Source: YouTube Help, intermediate and advanced features, read 24 October 2026.
Upload to YouTube from Claude in five steps
About five minutes the first time; after that, one message per video.
- 1
Connect your YouTube channel to Upload-Post
Sign up at app.upload-post.com (no card) and connect YouTube with Google’s own login. If your Google account manages several channels, pick the one to post to.
- 2
Add Upload-Post to Claude
In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, click + Add, then Add custom connector, paste the URL and click Continue. In Claude Code run claude mcp add --transport http upload-post with the URL, then /mcp to sign in.
- 3
Get the video to Claude
Claude.ai needs a public link to the file (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3). Claude Code can take a file from your disk: it uploads it to Upload-Post first. Large files are fine.
- 4
Ask for the upload with every field
Give the title, description, thumbnail, playlist, visibility and time, or ask Claude to write them from the transcript. Claude shows you the result before it publishes.
- 5
Check that it is live
Ask “is it up?”: Claude checks the upload status and returns the YouTube link, or YouTube’s reason if something failed.
Connector URL: https://mcp.upload-post.com/mcp. Uploading a folder of videos from your disk: schedule posts with Claude Code.
Every field Claude can set on a YouTube upload
YouTube’s limits from the Data API reference, read 24 October 2026. Ask for any of them in plain English.
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Title | Up to 100 characters; no < or > |
| Description | Up to 5,000 bytes; chapters as timestamp lines starting at 0:00 |
| Tags | Up to 500 characters in total |
| Custom thumbnail | Needs a phone-verified channel; 16:9, for example 1280 × 720 |
| Visibility | Public, unlisted or private |
| Publish time | Any date, time and timezone; Upload-Post publishes it then |
| Playlists | One or several playlists |
| Subtitles | SRT, VTT and other caption files, one per language |
| Made for kids | Required by YouTube; say yes or no |
| Altered or synthetic content | Disclose realistic AI-generated or altered footage |
| Also | Category, default language, license, embedding and public view counts |
Sources: YouTube Data API videos resource and custom thumbnails. API field names: upload video reference.
What you can ask Claude to do on YouTube
Claude drafts the metadata, you correct it in the chat, then it uploads.
“Write a title, a description with chapters and 10 tags from this transcript, then upload the video.”
“Upload it as unlisted so I can check it, then make it public on Friday at 9 am.”
“Add it to the “Tutorials” and “2026” playlists and attach the English and Spanish subtitles.”
“Post this vertical clip as a YouTube Short and the same clip to TikTok and Reels.”
“Upload every video in ./season-2 as private, one per day at 17:00.”
“Which of my videos got the most views in the last 28 days?”
Turning a long video into Shorts first? See repurposing YouTube videos into Shorts, Reels and TikToks.
When the upload does not look right
Most of these are YouTube rules rather than errors.
The custom thumbnail did not appear
Custom thumbnails need a phone-verified channel. Verify it at youtube.com/verify and ask Claude to set the thumbnail again.
You cannot set a thumbnail on a Short
YouTube only lets you change a Short’s thumbnail in YouTube Studio on a computer. Pick a good opening frame instead.
Claude cannot open the video
On claude.ai, share a public link (Drive, Dropbox, S3). Claude Code can upload the file from your disk.
Long videos are rejected
Videos over 15 minutes need a phone-verified channel. Verify it once and upload again.
The upload went to the wrong channel
Name the profile or channel in your request. Upload-Post keeps one YouTube channel per profile.
The video is stuck processing
YouTube processes large files after the upload. Ask Claude for the status in a few minutes; the link works once processing ends.
Claude and YouTube: frequently asked questions
Can Claude upload videos to YouTube?
Yes, through a connector that holds your YouTube connection. With Upload-Post you add https://mcp.upload-post.com/mcp as a custom connector in Claude (or with claude mcp add in Claude Code), connect your channel once, and ask Claude to upload with the title, description, thumbnail, playlist and publish time.
Can Claude add a custom thumbnail?
Yes, if your channel is phone-verified, which YouTube requires for custom thumbnails. Give Claude the image (16:9, for example 1280 × 720) with the video and it is set right after the upload. Shorts are the exception: YouTube only allows that in YouTube Studio.
Can Claude schedule a YouTube video?
Yes. Give a date, time and timezone (“Thursday at 17:00 Madrid time”) and Upload-Post publishes it then. You can also upload it as private or unlisted first and make it public later.
Do I have to put the file online first?
On claude.ai, yes: Claude needs a public link such as Google Drive, Dropbox or S3. In Claude Code you can point it at a file on your disk and it uploads it for you.
Can Claude write the title, description and tags?
Yes. Give it the transcript, a summary or the script and ask for a title under 100 characters, a description with chapters and tags. Edit them in the chat, then ask Claude to upload with your version.
Can Claude upload YouTube Shorts?
Yes. Send a vertical video under three minutes and it publishes as a Short; the same request can also post it to TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Do I need to label AI-generated video?
YouTube asks creators to disclose realistic altered or synthetic content. Tell Claude whether the video contains it and the flag is set on upload.
Does it work on Claude’s Free plan?
Yes. Custom connectors work on every Claude plan, and the Free plan allows one. The Upload-Post plugin with ready-made skills needs a paid Claude plan.
Does Claude get access to my Google account?
No. You connect YouTube on Google’s own login page inside Upload-Post, and Claude signs in to Upload-Post with OAuth. Claude only calls the upload and analytics tools.
Upload your next video from Claude
Free plan, no card. The same connector also posts to TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and more.