How to Configure YouTube Cookies for Age-Restricted or Member-Only Videos in Agent-Reach

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 (lines 1092-1096) handles parsing and storage of the cookie source. Run the following command to point Agent-Reach at your browser profile:

agent-reach configure youtube-cookies chrome

For non-standard installations or custom profiles, provide the absolute path to the browser's user data directory:

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:

agent-reach config show | grep youtube_cookies_from

You should see output indicating the stored value:

youtube_cookies_from: chrome

Processing Restricted Videos

Once configured, process age-restricted or member-only videos using the standard read command:

# 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, 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 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 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 <browser> 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 and read by 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.

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 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 (lines 1092-1096) and read by the channel implementation in agent_reach/channels/youtube.py during video processing.

{
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    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
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}