Extract YouTube Video Metadata and Save to Google Docs using RapidAPI

📺 Automated YouTube Video Metadata Extraction Workflow

Description: This workflow leverages the YouTube Metadata API to automatically extract detailed video information from any YouTube URL. It uses n8n to automate the entire process and stores the metadata in a neatly formatted Google Docs document.

Perfect for content creators, marketers, and researchers who need quick, organized YouTube video insights at scale.

⚙️ Node-by-Node Explanation

1. ✅ On Form Submission

This node acts as the trigger. When a user submits a form containing a YouTube video URL, the workflow is activated.

Input: YouTube Video URL Platform: Webhook or n8n Form Trigger

2. 🌐 YouTube Metadata API (HTTP Request)

This node sends the video URL to the YouTube Metadata API via HTTP request.

Action: GET request

Headers:

-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: youtube-metadata1.p.rapidapi.com"

Endpoint Example:

https://youtube-metadata1.p.rapidapi.com/video?url=YOUTUBE_VIDEO_URL

Output: JSON with metadata like:

Title Description Views, Likes, Comments Duration Upload Date Channel Info Thumbnails

3. 🧠 Reformat Metadata (Code Node)

This node reformats the raw metadata into a clean, human-readable text block.

Example Output Format:

🎬 Title: How to Build Workflows with n8n  

🧾 Description: This tutorial explains how to build...
👤 Channel: n8n Tutorials
📅 Published On: 2023-05-10
⏱️ Duration: 10 minutes, 30 seconds
👁️ Views: 45,678
👍 Likes: 1,234
💬 Comments: 210
🔗 URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123 4. 📝 Append to Google Docs

This node connects to your Google Docs and appends the formatted metadata into a selected document.

Document Format Example:**

📌 Video Entry – [Date]

🎬 Title:
🧾 Description:
👤 Channel:
📅 Published On:
⏱️ Duration:
👁️ Views:
👍 Likes:
💬 Comments:
🔗 URL:

---

📄 Use Cases

Content Creators**: Quickly analyze competitor content or inspirations. Marketers**: Collect campaign video performance data. Researchers**: Compile structured metadata across videos. Social Media Managers**: Create content briefs effortlessly.

✅ Benefits

🚀 Time-saving: Automates manual video data extraction 📊 Accurate: Uses reliable, updated YouTube API 📁 Organized: Formats and stores data in Google Docs 🔁 Scalable: Handles unlimited YouTube URLs 🎯 User-friendly: Simple setup and clean output

🔑 How to Get Your API Key for YouTube Metadata API

Go to the YouTube Metadata API on RapidAPI. Sign up or log in to your RapidAPI account. Click Subscribe to Test and choose a pricing plan (free or paid). Copy your API Key shown in the "X-RapidAPI-Key" section. Use it in your HTTP request headers.

🧰 Google Docs Integration – Full Setup Instructions

🔐 Step 1: Enable Google Docs API

Go to the Google Cloud Console. Create a new project or select an existing one. Navigate to APIs & Services > Library. Search for Google Docs API and click Enable. Also enable Google Drive API (for document access).

🛠 Step 2: Create OAuth Credentials

Go to APIs & Services > Credentials. Click Create Credentials > OAuth Client ID. Select Web Application or Desktop App. Add authorized redirect URIs if needed (e.g., for n8n OAuth). Save your Client ID and Client Secret.

🔗 Step 3: Connect n8n to Google Docs

In n8n, go to Credentials > Google Docs API. Add new credentials using the Client ID and Secret from above. Authenticate with your Google account and allow access.

📘 Step 4: Create and Format Your Google Document

Go to Google Docs and create a new document. Name it (e.g., YouTube Metadata Report). Optionally, add a title or table of contents. Copy the Document ID from the URL:

  https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOCUMENT_ID/edit

🔄 Step 5: Use Append Content to Document Node in n8n

Use the Google Docs node in n8n with:

Operation: Append Content Document ID: Your copied Google Doc ID Content: The formatted video summary string

🎨 Customization Options

💡 Add Tags: Insert hashtags or categories based on video topics. 📆 Organize by Date: Create headers for each day or week’s entries. 📸 Embed Thumbnails: Use thumbnail_url to embed preview images. 📊 Spreadsheet Export: Use Google Sheets instead of Docs if preferred.

🛠 Troubleshooting Tips

| Issue | Solution | | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ❌ Auth Error (Google Docs) | Ensure correct OAuth redirect URI and permissions. | | ❌ API Request Fails | Check API key and request structure; test on RapidAPI's playground. | | 📄 Doc Not Updating | Verify Document ID and sharing permissions. | | 🧾 Bad Formatting | Debug the code node output using logging or console in n8n. | | 🌐 n8n Timeout | Consider using Wait or Split In Batches for large submissions. |

🚀 Ready to Launch?

You can deploy this workflow in just minutes using n8n.

👉 Start Automating with n8n