# How to Configure YouTube Cookies for Age-Restricted or Member-Only Videos in Agent-Reach > Configure YouTube cookies in Agent-Reach to access age-restricted or member-only videos. Use the agent-reach configure youtube-cookies command for seamless authentication. - Repository: [Pnant/Agent-Reach](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-19 --- **To configure YouTube cookies for age-restricted or member-only videos in Agent-Reach, use the `agent-reach configure youtube-cookies` command to point yt-dlp at your browser's cookie store, enabling authentication that bypasses restriction checks.** Agent-Reach leverages **yt-dlp** to process YouTube content, but age-restricted and membership-only videos require authenticated sessions. By configuring YouTube cookies, you enable the tool to read restricted content using your existing browser authentication stored in `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml`. ## How Cookie Authentication Works in Agent-Reach Agent-Reach does not handle authentication directly. Instead, it stores a reference to your browser's cookie location in the global configuration file under the key `youtube_cookies_from`. When processing a video URL, the **YouTubeChannel** class passes this value to yt-dlp, which reads the actual cookies from your browser's SQLite database using the `--cookies-from-browser` flag. This approach allows yt-dlp to authenticate requests exactly as a logged-in browser would, bypassing age-verification and membership checks without requiring manual cookie extraction. ## Step-by-Step Configuration ### Setting the Cookie Source via CLI The `configure` sub-command in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) (lines 1092-1096) handles parsing and storage of the cookie source. Run the following command to point Agent-Reach at your browser profile: ```bash agent-reach configure youtube-cookies chrome ``` For non-standard installations or custom profiles, provide the absolute path to the browser's user data directory: ```bash agent-reach configure youtube-cookies /home/user/.config/google-chrome/Default ``` ### Verifying Your Configuration Confirm that the setting was written correctly to the configuration file: ```bash agent-reach config show | grep youtube_cookies_from ``` You should see output indicating the stored value: ```text youtube_cookies_from: chrome ``` ### Processing Restricted Videos Once configured, process age-restricted or member-only videos using the standard `read` command: ```bash # Fetch video content with automatic transcription agent-reach read https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RESTRICTED_ID # Extract subtitles only agent-reach read --transcribe https://youtu.be/RESTRICTED_ID ``` ## Technical Implementation Details ### CLI Configuration Handler In [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py), the configuration logic writes the provided value to the global config using `config.set("youtube_cookies_from", value)`. This occurs at lines 1092-1096 when handling the `configure` sub-command for `youtube-cookies`. ### Channel Integration The `YouTubeChannel` class in [`agent_reach/channels/youtube.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/channels/youtube.py) checks for yt-dlp installation and JavaScript runtime availability before processing. When a valid configuration exists, it informs the backend to include cookie authentication in subsequent yt-dlp invocations. ### Command Construction The function `render_ytdlp_fix_command()` in [`agent_reach/utils/paths.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/utils/paths.py) constructs the final yt-dlp command. When `youtube_cookies_from` is present in the configuration, it appends the `--cookies-from-browser` flag with the stored value, ensuring yt-dlp authenticates using your browser's session data. ## Summary - **Use the CLI command** `agent-reach configure youtube-cookies ` to set your cookie source in `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml`. - **Supported browsers** include Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and others compatible with yt-dlp's `--cookies-from-browser` flag. - **The configuration key** `youtube_cookies_from` is written by [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) and read by [`agent_reach/channels/youtube.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/channels/youtube.py) during video processing. - **Age-restricted and member-only videos** become accessible once yt-dlp authenticates using your browser's cookie store via the command constructed in [`agent_reach/utils/paths.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/utils/paths.py). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What browsers are supported for cookie extraction? Agent-Reach supports any browser compatible with yt-dlp's `--cookies-from-browser` flag, including Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Brave. You can specify either the browser name for default profiles or the absolute path to a specific profile directory. ### Can I use a custom cookie file instead of a browser profile? While Agent-Reach specifically implements the `--cookies-from-browser` approach through the `youtube_cookies_from` configuration key, yt-dlp also supports `--cookies` flags for Netscape-formatted cookie files. To use a custom file, you would need to modify the command construction in [`agent_reach/utils/paths.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/utils/paths.py) where `render_ytdlp_fix_command()` builds the yt-dlp invocation. ### Why does Agent-Reach need cookies for age-restricted videos? YouTube requires authentication to verify age or membership status before serving restricted content. Agent-Reach uses yt-dlp as the download backend, which must present valid session cookies to YouTube's servers. Without these cookies, yt-dlp receives HTTP 403 errors or "content unavailable" messages for restricted videos. ### Where is the cookie configuration stored? The cookie source is stored in the global configuration file at `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml` under the key `youtube_cookies_from`. This value is written by the CLI handler in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) (lines 1092-1096) and read by the channel implementation in [`agent_reach/channels/youtube.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/channels/youtube.py) during video processing.