MD2YT

Small go script to declaratively define a YouTube (Music) playlist through Markdown formatting with support for multiple playlists within a single file. Requires a lot of setup, but once done, it is very easy to maintain.

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Requirements

• Go
• A Google account with a YouTube channel (required by the API)
• YouTube Data API v3 enabled in Google Cloud
• OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop App type)

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Setup

1. Enable the YouTube Data API

1. Go to Google Cloud Console.
2. Create a new project (or use an existing one).
3. Go to APIs & Services → Library.
4. Search for YouTube Data API v3 and click Enable.

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2. Create OAuth Credentials

1. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials.
2. Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID.
3. If prompted, configure the OAuth consent screen:
   • User type: External
   • Add your Google account email under Test users
   • Save
4. For Application type, choose Desktop app.
5. Name it something like MD2YT.
6. Download the JSON file and save it as credentials.json in the project folder.

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3. Create a YouTube Channel (if you don’t have one)

The API will fail with youtubeSignupRequired if your account doesn’t have a channel.

1. Go to YouTube.
2. Click your profile picture → Create a channel.
3. Follow the prompts (no need to upload anything).

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4. Prepare Your Playlist File

Create a playlist.md file in this format:

# Playlists

## My Playlist Name

- [Song Title - Artist](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID)
- [Another Song](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID)

## Another Playlist

- [Track 1](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID)

You can have as many ## Playlist Name sections as you want.

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5. Install Dependencies

go mod download

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6. Run the Script

go run main.go

On first run:

• The script will print a Google login URL.
• Open it in your browser, log in, and approve access.
• You’ll be redirected to http://localhost/?code=... — copy the code from the URL and paste it into the terminal.
• The script will save your token to token.json so you won’t have to log in again.

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Troubleshooting

Error: Unable to parse client secret file to config: missing redirect URL
→ You downloaded a "Web application" OAuth file. Create a Desktop app OAuth client instead.

Error: Error 403: access_denied
→ You didn’t add your account as a Test user in the OAuth consent screen.

Error: Error 401: Unauthorized, youtubeSignupRequired
→ Your account doesn’t have a YouTube channel. Create one before running the script.

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License

MIT