YouTube Membership Video Download Guide

Overview

This guide documents the complete process for downloading YouTube membership-restricted videos using AWS EC2, Docker containers, yt-dlp, and various anti-bot bypass techniques. This method is necessary because YouTube membership videos have strict protections including geo-restrictions, bot detection, SABR streaming protocol enforcement, and JavaScript challenges.

Success Requirements:

• EC2 instance in a region where the video is available (Hong Kong worked for Chinese content)
• Fresh browser cookies from authenticated YouTube session
• PO (Proof of Origin) token generation via bgutil
• JavaScript challenge solver with remote components enabled
• Deno runtime for challenge solving
• ffmpeg for merging separate video/audio streams

Prerequisites

Local Machine

• AWS CLI configured with credentials
• SSH key pair for EC2 access
• Valid YouTube Premium/Membership account
• Browser with cookie export capability (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)

AWS Account Requirements

• EC2 access in target region (ap-east-1 Hong Kong for this case)
• Region must be enabled in AWS account (Hong Kong requires opt-in)
• Appropriate IAM permissions for EC2 operations

Architecture Components

1. EC2 Instance

• Instance Type: t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM minimum)
  • t3.micro proved too weak for browser operations
  • Browser would hang/struggle with insufficient resources
• AMI: Amazon Linux 2023
• Region: ap-east-1 (Hong Kong) - chosen based on content availability
• Security Group: Allow inbound on ports 22 (SSH), 5800 (VNC web), 4416 (bgutil)

2. Docker Containers

Firefox Container (jlesage/firefox:latest)

• Provides VNC-accessible Firefox browser
• Ports: 5800 (web VNC), 5900 (VNC)
• Used for:
  • Manual YouTube login
  • Cookie generation
  • Cookie extraction for yt-dlp

bgutil PO Token Provider (brainicism/bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider)

• Generates Proof of Origin tokens
• Required to bypass YouTube's 2026 anti-bot measures
• Port: 4416
• Must be accessible from Firefox container (not bound to 127.0.0.1)

3. Key Software Components

yt-dlp (2026.08.19 or later)

• Python-based YouTube downloader
• Requires multiple bypass mechanisms for membership content

Deno (2.7.4 or later)

• JavaScript/TypeScript runtime
• Required for solving YouTube's n-challenge
• Must have remote component downloads enabled

ffmpeg

• Required for merging separate video/audio streams
• YouTube serves 1080p as separate video (mp4) and audio (m4a) streams

Step-by-Step Setup

Phase 1: Launch EC2 Instance

# 1. Find appropriate AMI for Amazon Linux 2023 in Hong Kong region
AMI_ID=$(aws ec2 describe-images \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --owners amazon \
  --filters "Name=name,Values=al2023-ami-2023.*-x86_64" \
  --query 'Images | sort_by(@, &CreationDate) | [-1].ImageId' \
  --output text)

# 2. Create security group
SECURITY_GROUP_ID=$(aws ec2 create-security-group \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --group-name youtube-downloader-sg \
  --description "Security group for YouTube downloader" \
  --output text)

# 3. Add inbound rules
aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --group-id $SECURITY_GROUP_ID \
  --protocol tcp --port 22 --cidr 0.0.0.0/0

aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --group-id $SECURITY_GROUP_ID \
  --protocol tcp --port 5800 --cidr 0.0.0.0/0

aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --group-id $SECURITY_GROUP_ID \
  --protocol tcp --port 4416 --cidr 0.0.0.0/0

# 4. Create or import SSH key pair
aws ec2 create-key-pair \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --key-name yt-hk-key \
  --query 'KeyMaterial' \
  --output text > /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem

chmod 400 /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem

# 5. Launch instance
INSTANCE_ID=$(aws ec2 run-instances \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --image-id $AMI_ID \
  --instance-type t3.medium \
  --key-name yt-hk-key \
  --security-group-ids $SECURITY_GROUP_ID \
  --block-device-mappings 'DeviceName=/dev/xvda,Ebs={VolumeSize=20,VolumeType=gp3}' \
  --tag-specifications 'ResourceType=instance,Tags=[{Key=Name,Value=youtube-downloader}]' \
  --query 'Instances[0].InstanceId' \
  --output text)

# 6. Wait for instance to be running
aws ec2 wait instance-running --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID

# 7. Get public IP
PUBLIC_IP=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --region ap-east-1 \
  --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID \
  --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].PublicIpAddress' \
  --output text)

echo "Instance ready at: $PUBLIC_IP"

Phase 2: Install Docker and Containers

# SSH into instance
ssh -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP

# Install Docker
sudo yum install -y docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo usermod -aG docker ec2-user

# Start Firefox VNC container
sudo docker run -d \
  --name firefox \
  -p 5800:5800 \
  -p 5900:5900 \
  -v /home/ec2-user/firefox-data:/config \
  --shm-size 2g \
  jlesage/firefox:latest

# Start bgutil PO token provider (NOT bound to 127.0.0.1)
sudo docker run -d \
  --name bgutil-provider \
  -p 4416:4416 \
  brainicism/bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider:latest

# Verify containers are running
sudo docker ps

Phase 3: Configure Firefox Container

# Install required software in Firefox container
sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  # Add Python repository
  apk add --no-cache python3 py3-pip git

  # Install yt-dlp
  pip3 install --break-system-packages yt-dlp

  # Install Deno for JavaScript challenge solving
  apk add --no-cache curl unzip
  curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh
  ln -s /root/.deno/bin/deno /usr/bin/deno

  # Verify installations
  python3 --version
  python3 -m yt_dlp --version
  deno --version
'

# Create Firefox profile directory structure
sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  mkdir -p /root/.mozilla/firefox
  ln -s /config/profile /root/.mozilla/firefox/default
  
  cat > /root/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini <<EOF
[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=default
Default=1
EOF
'

Phase 4: Browser Login and Cookie Extraction

Option A: Manual Login via VNC

1. Access Firefox via web browser: http://$PUBLIC_IP:5800
2. Navigate to YouTube and log in with membership account
3. Verify you can access the membership video
4. Cookies are now stored in /config/profile (persisted)

Option B: Import Cookies from Local Browser

Export cookies from your local browser:

1. Install cookie export extension:

   • Chrome/Edge: "Cookie-Editor" or "EditThisCookie"
   • Firefox: "Cookie Quick Manager"

2. Navigate to YouTube (must be logged in)

3. Export cookies in Netscape format

   • Format: Netscape HTTP Cookie File
   • Include: All YouTube cookies (.youtube.com domain)

4. Copy exported cookies to EC2:

# On local machine - save exported cookies to /tmp/youtube_cookies.txt
scp -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem /tmp/youtube_cookies.txt ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP:/tmp/

# On EC2 instance
ssh -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP
sudo docker cp /tmp/youtube_cookies.txt firefox:/config/cookies.txt

Important cookies that must be present:

• SID - Session ID
• SSID - Secure Session ID
• __Secure-1PSID - Primary secure session
• __Secure-3PSID - Third-party secure session
• LOGIN_INFO - Authentication token
• VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE - Visitor tracking
• SAPISID, __Secure-1PAPISID, __Secure-3PAPISID - API session IDs

Phase 5: Install Official yt-dlp Companion (Optional but Recommended)

The companion extension can automate downloads with embedded subtitles and thumbnails.

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  # Install Node.js and npm
  apk add --no-cache nodejs npm

  # Install companion globally
  npm install -g @yt-dlp/web-companion

  # Create config directory
  mkdir -p /root/.config/vm-yt-dlp

  # Start companion bridge (generates token)
  nohup vm-yt-dlp > /tmp/companion.log 2>&1 &
  
  sleep 2
  cat /root/.config/vm-yt-dlp/config.json
'

Note the pairing token - this is needed to connect browser extension to the companion bridge.

To install browser extension in VNC Firefox:

1. Go to about:addons
2. Search for "VM yt-dlp"
3. Install extension
4. Enter pairing token when prompted

Downloading Videos

Critical: The Complete Working Command

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  cd /config/downloads
  
  python3 -m yt_dlp \
    --cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default \
    --remote-components ejs:github \
    --format "137+140/best[ext=mp4]" \
    --merge-output-format mp4 \
    --output "video_output.mp4" \
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
'

Key Flags Explained

--cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default

• Extracts cookies directly from Firefox profile
• Alternative: --cookies /config/cookies.txt for Netscape format file
• Must have fresh, valid authentication cookies

--remote-components ejs:github

⚠️ CRITICAL - This is the key that makes it work

• Downloads JavaScript challenge solver components from GitHub
• Required for solving YouTube's n-challenge
• Without this, you get: "The page needs to be reloaded" error
• Deno must be installed and in PATH

--extractor-args "youtube:pot=bgutil:http:base_url=http://172.17.0.1:4416"

• Connects to bgutil PO token provider
• 172.17.0.1 is Docker bridge IP (accessible from containers)
• Required to bypass YouTube's 2026 bot detection
• Note: Often not needed if remote components are enabled

--format "137+140/best[ext=mp4]"

• 137 = 1080p video (h264)
• 140 = Medium quality audio (m4a, AAC)
• Falls back to best single file MP4 if merging fails
• For 720p: use 136+140
• For best available: use best[ext=mp4] (may only get 360p for format 18)

Format Selection Reference

Common format codes for membership videos:

• 18 - 360p MP4 with audio (single file, always works)
• 136 - 720p video only (h264)
• 137 - 1080p video only (h264)
• 140 - 128k audio (m4a, AAC)
• 251 - 160k audio (webm, Opus)

List available formats:

python3 -m yt_dlp \
  --cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default \
  --remote-components ejs:github \
  --list-formats \
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Merging Separate Video and Audio Streams

If you downloaded video and audio separately, or merging failed:

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  # Install ffmpeg if not already present
  apk add ffmpeg
  
  # Merge video + audio
  cd /config/downloads
  ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i audio.m4a \
    -c copy \
    -movflags +faststart \
    output_final.mp4
'

Flags explained:

• -c copy - Stream copy (no re-encoding, fast)
• -movflags +faststart - Move metadata to beginning (web streaming optimization)

Retrieving Downloaded Files

Copy from Container to EC2

sudo docker cp firefox:/config/downloads/video_output.mp4 /tmp/

Download to Local Machine

# From local machine
scp -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP:/tmp/video_output.mp4 ./

# Or for WSL to Windows Desktop
scp -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP:/tmp/video_output.mp4 /tmp/
mv /tmp/video_output.mp4 /mnt/c/Users/USERNAME/Desktop/

Retrieving Companion Downloads

If using the official companion extension:

# Check download directory
sudo docker exec firefox ls -lh /root/Downloads/YouTube/

# Files will have full titles with metadata
sudo docker cp "firefox:/root/Downloads/YouTube/Video Title [VIDEO_ID].mp4" /tmp/

# May also include:
# - .srt subtitle files
# - .info.json metadata
# - .jpg thumbnail

Verification and Quality Check

# Inside container with ffmpeg
sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  ffprobe -v error \
    -show_entries stream=codec_type,codec_name,width,height,bit_rate \
    -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 \
    /config/downloads/video_output.mp4
'

Expected output for 1080p:

codec_name=h264
codec_type=video
width=1920
height=818 (or 1080, depends on aspect ratio)
codec_name=aac
codec_type=audio

Troubleshooting

Error: "The page needs to be reloaded"

Cause: JavaScript challenge solving failed due to missing remote components.

Symptoms:

WARNING: [youtube] [jsc] Remote components challenge solver script (deno) and NPM package (deno) were skipped
WARNING: [youtube] n challenge solving failed
ERROR: [youtube] VIDEO_ID: The page needs to be reloaded

Solution:

1. Add --remote-components ejs:github flag (critical)
2. Ensure Deno is installed: deno --version
3. Check Deno is in PATH: which deno
4. Verify internet access for downloading components

Alternative clients to try if still failing:

# Try different player clients
--extractor-args "youtube:player_client=android"
--extractor-args "youtube:player_client=ios"
--extractor-args "youtube:player_client=tv_embedded"

Error: "Could not find firefox cookies in database"

Cause: Firefox profile not properly linked or symlink broken.

Solution:

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  # Create proper directory structure
  mkdir -p /root/.mozilla/firefox
  
  # Create symlink to persistent profile
  rm -f /root/.mozilla/firefox/default
  ln -s /config/profile /root/.mozilla/firefox/default
  
  # Create profiles.ini
  cat > /root/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini <<EOF
[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=default
Default=1
EOF
  
  # Verify cookies database exists
  ls -la /config/profile/cookies.sqlite
'

Error: "Only images available" or "Some formats may be missing"

Cause: SABR streaming forced, or PO token provider not accessible.

Symptoms:

WARNING: [youtube] Some web client https formats have been skipped as they are missing a URL
YouTube is forcing SABR streaming for this client

Solutions:

1. Check bgutil provider is running:

sudo docker ps | grep bgutil
curl http://172.17.0.1:4416/health  # From inside Firefox container

2. Restart bgutil with correct port binding:

sudo docker stop bgutil-provider
sudo docker rm bgutil-provider
sudo docker run -d \
  --name bgutil-provider \
  -p 4416:4416 \
  brainicism/bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider:latest

3. Add PO token extractor args:

--extractor-args "youtube:pot=bgutil:http:base_url=http://172.17.0.1:4416"

4. Try with remote components (may bypass need for PO tokens):

--remote-components ejs:github

Error: Cookies Expired or Invalid

Symptoms:

ERROR: [youtube] VIDEO_ID: Could not read this video. Join this channel to get access to members-only content

Cause: YouTube rotates session tokens frequently (can be hours or days).

Solution:

1. Re-export cookies from authenticated browser session
2. Ensure you're exporting from a session that can actually view the video
3. Verify cookie file includes all required authentication cookies (SID, SSID, LOGIN_INFO, etc.)
4. Check cookie file format is correct (Netscape format)

Verify cookies in Firefox profile:

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  python3 -m yt_dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default --print-traffic
' 2>&1 | grep -i cookie

Error: "WARNING: You have requested merging of multiple formats but ffmpeg is not installed"

Symptoms:

• Downloads complete but results in separate .f137.mp4 (video) and .f140.m4a (audio) files
• No merged output file

Solution:

# Install ffmpeg in container
sudo docker exec firefox apk add ffmpeg

# Manually merge files
sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  cd /config/downloads
  ffmpeg -i video.f137.mp4 -i audio.f140.m4a -c copy -movflags +faststart merged.mp4
'

Error: Instance Too Weak / Browser Hanging

Symptoms:

• Firefox VNC interface unresponsive
• Browser tabs freezing
• Very slow page loads

Cause: t3.micro or t3.small instances have insufficient resources.

Solution:

1. Stop instance: aws ec2 stop-instances --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
2. Change instance type: aws ec2 modify-instance-attribute --region ap-east-1 --instance-id $INSTANCE_ID --instance-type t3.medium
3. Start instance: aws ec2 start-instances --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID

Recommended: t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)

Error: Video Not Available in Region

Symptoms:

• "Video unavailable"
• "This video is not available in your country"

Solution:

Test different AWS regions:

# Common regions for geo-restricted content:
# ap-east-1 (Hong Kong) - Chinese content
# ap-northeast-1 (Tokyo) - Japanese content
# ap-northeast-2 (Seoul) - Korean content
# ap-southeast-1 (Singapore) - Southeast Asian content
# eu-west-2 (London) - European content

Quick region test script:

for region in ap-east-1 ap-northeast-1 ap-northeast-2 ap-southeast-1; do
  echo "Testing $region..."
  # Launch test instance, attempt download, terminate
done

Error: Cannot Connect to bgutil Provider

Symptoms:

[pot:bgutil:http] Failed to generate PO Token
Connection refused to http://172.17.0.1:4416

Debug steps:

# 1. Check container is running
sudo docker ps | grep bgutil

# 2. Check port binding (should show 0.0.0.0:4416)
sudo docker port bgutil-provider

# 3. Test from Firefox container
sudo docker exec firefox wget -O- http://172.17.0.1:4416/health

# 4. Check Docker network
sudo docker network inspect bridge | grep -A 3 "Gateway"

Common mistake: Binding to 127.0.0.1:4416:4416 instead of 4416:4416

• Correct: -p 4416:4416 (accessible from other containers via 172.17.0.1)
• Wrong: -p 127.0.0.1:4416:4416 (only accessible from host)

Error: Deno Not Found or Challenge Solver Failed

Symptoms:

[youtube] [jsc:deno] Running deno: /usr/bin/deno run ...
sh: /usr/bin/deno: not found

Solution:

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  # Install Deno
  curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh
  
  # Create symlink to PATH
  ln -s /root/.deno/bin/deno /usr/bin/deno
  
  # Verify
  deno --version
  which deno
'

Companion Extension Connection Issues

Symptoms:

• "Pairing token too short" error
• Cannot connect to bridge

Solutions:

1. Check companion is running:

sudo docker exec firefox ps aux | grep vm-yt-dlp

2. Restart companion bridge:

sudo docker exec firefox sh -c '
  pkill -f vm-yt-dlp
  nohup vm-yt-dlp > /tmp/companion.log 2>&1 &
  sleep 2
  cat /root/.config/vm-yt-dlp/config.json
'

3. Check config file for token:

sudo docker exec firefox cat /root/.config/vm-yt-dlp/config.json

Token should be ~50 characters long. If shorter or missing, companion didn't start properly.

Performance: Slow Download Speeds

Causes and solutions:

1. Throttled by YouTube:

   • Use --limit-rate 5M to stay under radar
   • Add delays: --sleep-interval 1 --max-sleep-interval 3

2. Network congestion:

   • Try different AWS regions
   • Use enhanced networking instance types

3. Fragment download issues:

   • Increase concurrent fragments: --concurrent-fragments 4
   • Or decrease if causing errors: --concurrent-fragments 1

Debug Mode

For any persistent issues, run with verbose debugging:

python3 -m yt_dlp \
  --cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default \
  --remote-components ejs:github \
  --verbose \
  --print-traffic \
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" \
  2>&1 | tee debug.log

Look for:

• Cookie extraction count (should be 70+ cookies)
• PO token generation attempts
• JavaScript challenge solver execution
• Available format list
• Any WARNING or ERROR messages

Cost Considerations

AWS Costs

EC2 Instance (t3.medium in ap-east-1 Hong Kong):

• On-Demand: ~$0.0608/hour
• For a 1-hour download session: ~$0.06
• For 8-hour workday: ~$0.49

Data Transfer:

• EC2 to Internet: $0.12/GB (first 10 GB free per month)
• For 1 GB video: ~$0.12

EBS Storage:

• 20 GB gp3: ~$0.0096/day
• Usually negligible for short-term use

Total estimated cost for single video download: $0.20 - $0.50

Cost Optimization

1. Stop instance when not in use:

aws ec2 stop-instances --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID

2. Use Spot Instances (70% cheaper):

aws ec2 run-instances \
  --instance-market-options 'MarketType=spot' \
  ... other parameters ...

3. Terminate after completion:

aws ec2 terminate-instances --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID

Cleanup

After Download Complete

# 1. Download files to local machine first!

# 2. Stop containers
ssh -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP '
  sudo docker stop firefox bgutil-provider
  sudo docker rm firefox bgutil-provider
'

# 3. Terminate EC2 instance
aws ec2 terminate-instances --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID

# 4. Delete security group (wait for instance to terminate first)
aws ec2 wait instance-terminated --region ap-east-1 --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
aws ec2 delete-security-group --region ap-east-1 --group-id $SECURITY_GROUP_ID

# 5. Delete key pair
aws ec2 delete-key-pair --region ap-east-1 --key-name yt-hk-key
rm /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem

Quick Reference: Complete Working Example

# After setup is complete, this is the command that works:

ssh -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP '
sudo docker exec firefox sh -c "
  cd /config/downloads
  
  python3 -m yt_dlp \
    --cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default \
    --remote-components ejs:github \
    --format \"137+140/best[ext=mp4]\" \
    --merge-output-format mp4 \
    --output \"%(title)s.%(ext)s\" \
    \"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID\"
"
'

# Download to local
scp -i /tmp/yt-hk-key.pem ec2-user@$PUBLIC_IP:/tmp/*.mp4 ./

Key Takeaways

What Makes This Work

1. Remote Components Flag - The single most critical element. Without --remote-components ejs:github, JavaScript challenges fail.

2. Fresh Cookies - Must be from an authenticated session that can actually view the video. Cookies expire frequently.

3. Proper Region - EC2 instance must be in a region where the content is available.

4. Sufficient Resources - t3.medium minimum for reliable browser operation.

5. Deno Runtime - Required for challenge solving, must be in PATH.

What Doesn't Work

1. Screen recording - Poor quality, timing-dependent, not reliable.

2. Browser extensions alone - Most are outdated or blocked by YouTube.

3. Direct yt-dlp without auth - Immediately blocked for membership content.

4. Weak instances - t3.micro/small cause browser hangs and failures.

5. Client switching without remote components - Trying different player clients doesn't help if JS challenges aren't solved.

Critical Flags Summary

Minimum required:

--cookies-from-browser firefox:/path/to/profile
--remote-components ejs:github

Recommended complete set:

--cookies-from-browser firefox:/root/.mozilla/firefox/default \
--remote-components ejs:github \
--format "137+140/best[ext=mp4]" \
--merge-output-format mp4 \
--concurrent-fragments 4 \
--output "%(title)s.%(ext)s"

Additional Resources

• yt-dlp documentation: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
• bgutil PO token provider: https://github.com/Brainicism/bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider
• Deno installation: https://deno.land/
• yt-dlp companion: https://github.com/yt-dlp/web-companion

Version Information

This guide was tested with:

• yt-dlp: 2026.08.19
• Deno: 2.7.4
• Python: 3.14.7
• bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider: 2.0.0
• Firefox container: jlesage/firefox:latest
• Amazon Linux: 2023
• Date: September 2026

Note: YouTube's anti-bot measures evolve constantly. If this method stops working, check for:

• Updated yt-dlp version
• New bypass techniques in yt-dlp issues/discussions
• Updated bgutil provider
• New required components or flags