ObsidianYouTubeSync

ObsidianYouTubeSync is an open-source tool that syncs YouTube watch history into structured Markdown notes for Obsidian using Google Gemini and yt-dlp.

ObsidianYouTubeSync downloads and organizes your complete YouTube watch history into structured Markdown notes for Obsidian, GraphRAG, and OpenClaw pipelines. It extracts video metadata and full transcripts, generates summaries using Google Gemini, and applies a hierarchical AI taxonomy. The software runs locally via Python and yt-dlp, using browser cookies to access watch history without storing account credentials. It includes parallel processing to handle large libraries quickly, an incremental sync feature to skip existing notes, and a Model Context Protocol server for AI agent integration. Designed for researchers and knowledge management enthusiasts, it transforms passive viewing into a searchable, connected dataset.

ObsidianYouTubeSync at a glance

Best for: Researcher, Software engineer
Runs on: macOS, Linux, Python, self-hosted, open source
Pricing: Free
Released: October 2026
Category: AI research tool
Website: github.com/mr8lu/obsidianyoutubesync

Key features

Downloads full YouTube watch history incrementally or in bulk
Extracts manual and auto-generated video transcripts
Generates AI summaries using Google Gemini
Applies hierarchical CamelCase taxonomy tags
Organizes notes with clean YAML frontmatter for Obsidian
Skips YouTube Shorts automatically
Provides a native Model Context Protocol server
Supports parallel processing with ThreadPoolExecutor

Use it for

Cataloging personal YouTube watch history into Obsidian
Preparing transcript datasets for GraphRAG ingestion
Building personal knowledge management systems
Integrating YouTube data with AI agents via MCP

Companions

Tools that articles about ObsidianYouTubeSync recommend using with it, each with its job.

Gemini — Built to work with Gemini.
Gemini Notebook — Answers cite only the uploaded sources, with podcast-style summaries
Google Workspace
Perplexity — Perplexity when an answer needs citations.
Claude Code — Claude Code for development work.

Alternatives to ObsidianYouTubeSync

Claudian — Turns an Obsidian vault into a functional directory for AI agents.
Obsidian Wiki — Compiles knowledge into markdown and carries context across agent sessions.
Claude Obsidian — Maintains user ownership of files in a local-first, source-cited vault.
GetYouTubeText — Extracts YouTube transcripts instantly with no sign up or paywall.
Rewatch — Generates AI summaries, key points, and action items for saved YouTube videos.
Obsidian Copilot — Runs agents directly inside Obsidian with any AI model and zero lock-in.
video2ctx — Provides video context with timestamped citations and uses 95% fewer tokens than transcripts.
Smart Connections — Finds related notes locally by default without requiring an API key.
Obsidian Mind — It gives AI coding agents persistent memory so they never forget past context.
Youtube Video Transcriber — Transcribes and translates YouTube videos locally with AI summaries and fact-checking.
Obsidian Second Brain — Agent memory as plain Markdown notes that keep themselves current
Obsidian Local REST API — Connect scripts, browser extensions, and AI agents directly to your vault.

All ObsidianYouTubeSync alternatives