YouTube

YouTube Connector: Integration Overview & Requirements

This document outlines the technical requirements and configuration steps for connecting your YouTube channel to the indexing service.

Overview

This integration allows for the automated indexing of video content to enhance searchability and data retrieval. To ensure a successful connection, please review the following technical constraints and authentication requirements.

Functional Requirements

To maintain data quality and ensure the connector functions as intended, the following rules apply:

• Public Content Only: The connector only processes public videos. Private or unlisted videos will not be indexed.

• Captions Required: Only videos with subtitles/captions (either auto-generated by YouTube or manually uploaded) can be processed. Videos without a caption track will be skipped.

• Channel Mapping: We support multi-channel indexing; however, each individual connection must be mapped to a single, specific YouTube channel.

Authentication & Access Control

The integration utilizes OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. Because our system uses the YouTube Data API captions.download endpoint, specific permission levels are required:

Note: The YouTube Data API's captions.download endpoint requires edit-level access on the video. Manager is the minimum Brand Account role that satisfies this requirement, enabling the authenticated integration account to retrieve video transcripts.

Account Requirements

• Account requirements: A dedicated Google account in your organization’s domain (e.g., capacity@yourcompany.com) that can complete OAuth 2.0 authorization. Please do not use an individual employee’s personal account.
• Permission level: The account must have Manager access on the Brand Account associated with the YouTube channel.
• Setup: Your IT team creates the account, the Brand Account Owner grants it Manager access (steps below), and provides Capacity with authorized access to that account to complete OAuth 2.0 authorization for the connector.

Add the Account as Manager on YouTube Brand Account

To connect your YouTube channel to Capacity Answer Engine, you'll need to grant Manager access to our service account on your Google Brand Account. The account owner must complete these steps:

1. Go to Brand Account settings — Visit the Brand Accounts section of your Google Account. You must be the Owner of the Brand Account.
2. Select your channel — Under "Your Brand Accounts," select the YouTube channel you want to connect.
3. Open permissions — Click Manage permissions to see who currently manages the account.
4. Invite a new user — Choose Invite new users.
5. Enter the Enter the account email — Type the account address provided to you (e.g., capacity@yourcompany.com).
6. Assign the Manager role — Under their name, select Manager.
7. Send the invitation — Tap Invite, then Done.