Claude-code-startup-skills download-video

Download videos from social media URLs (X/Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) using yt-dlp. Use when saving a video locally, extracting content for transcription, or archiving video references.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/rameerez/claude-code-startup-skills

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/rameerez/claude-code-startup-skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/download-video" ~/.claude/skills/rameerez-claude-code-startup-skills-download-video && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/download-video/SKILL.md

source content

Video Download Skill

Download a video from

$ARGUMENTS

(a social media URL) to the current directory using

yt-dlp

Supports X/Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and 1400+ other sites.

Process

Verify yt-dlp is installed - check with
```
which yt-dlp
```
, suggest
```
brew install yt-dlp
```
if missing
Download the video in the best available quality
Report results with filename, format, and file size

Download Command

yt-dlp -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

Options Reference

# Best video+audio (default)
yt-dlp -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

# List available formats first
yt-dlp -F "URL"

# Pick a specific format
yt-dlp -f "FORMAT_ID" -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

# Audio only (e.g. for podcasts)
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

# Custom output directory
yt-dlp -o "/path/to/dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "URL"

Platform-Specific Notes

Platform	Notes
X/Twitter	Works with tweet URLs containing video. May need `--cookies-from-browser` for age-restricted content
YouTube	Supports playlists, channels, shorts. Use `-F` to pick resolution
Instagram	Reels and stories supported. May require authentication for private accounts
TikTok	Direct video URLs work. Watermark-free when available
Reddit	Handles v.redd.it links with audio merging automatically

After Download

Verify the file:
```
ls -lh *.mp4
```
(or whatever extension was downloaded)
Report the filename, format, resolution, and file size to the user
If the user wants subtitles or a transcript, suggest using
```
/transcribe-video
```