How to Update ReClip: A Complete Guide to Keeping Your Self-Hosted Downloader Current

Update ReClip by running git pull origin main to fetch the latest source code, then execute ./reclip.sh to automatically refresh Python dependencies including yt-dlp, or use docker-compose build && docker-compose up -d for Docker deployments.

ReClip is a lightweight, self-hosted video and audio downloader built with a Flask back-end and a vanilla HTML front-end. According to the averygan/reclip source code, keeping the tool updated ensures you have the latest yt-dlp extractor capabilities and Flask security patches. Regular updates are essential because yt-dlp frequently changes to match evolving video platform APIs.

Understanding ReClip's Update Architecture

Before updating, it helps to know which components change during an update. The repository contains several critical files that work together:

• app.py – The Flask back-end that serves the UI and implements the download API (/api/info, /api/download). The run_download function orchestrates yt-dlp via subprocess calls.
• reclip.sh – The Bash wrapper that manages the Python virtual environment, installs dependencies, and automatically updates yt-dlp on startup (unless disabled).
• templates/index.html – The single-page front-end that communicates with the back-end via JSON API.
• Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml – Container definitions that mirror the Bash wrapper logic for Docker-based deployments.

Updates typically involve two parts: pulling the latest source code from GitHub and refreshing the Python dependencies (yt-dlp and flask).

How to Update ReClip from Source

Step 1: Pull the Latest Repository Code

Navigate to your ReClip directory and fetch the newest commits:

cd ~/reclip
git pull origin main

This command updates app.py, templates/index.html, and reclip.sh with the latest UI improvements and back-end logic.

Step 2: Execute the Update Script

Run the Bash wrapper to refresh dependencies and restart the service:

./reclip.sh

The script performs several actions as implemented in reclip.sh (lines 43-48):

• Checks for python3, yt-dlp, and ffmpeg on your system
• Creates a Python virtual environment (venv/) if it does not exist
• Installs flask and yt-dlp into the environment
• Executes pip install -q -U yt-dlp to upgrade the downloader to the latest release

After completion, the script launches the Flask server on the port defined by $PORT (default 8899).

Step 3: Force Update All Python Dependencies (Optional)

If you need to manually upgrade both yt-dlp and flask to specific versions, activate the virtual environment and run:

source venv/bin/activate
pip install -U yt-dlp flask

Remember to restart the Flask process after manual updates by stopping the current instance (Ctrl-C) and rerunning ./reclip.sh.

How to Update ReClip with Docker

For containerized deployments, you must rebuild the image to incorporate both code changes and dependency updates:

git pull origin main
docker-compose pull        # Optional: update base images

docker-compose build       # Rebuild with latest code and dependencies

docker-compose up -d       # Restart the container

The Dockerfile mirrors the Bash wrapper logic by creating a virtual environment and installing yt-dlp during the build phase. Rebuilding ensures the container contains the freshest yt-dlp extractor.

To force a complete dependency refresh without cache:

docker-compose build --no-cache
docker-compose up -d

Verifying the Update

Confirm the update succeeded by checking the yt-dlp version inside the virtual environment:

source venv/bin/activate
yt-dlp --version

Alternatively, open the web UI (e.g., http://localhost:8899) and request video metadata for a known URL. If the UI loads and returns format information, app.py and yt-dlp are functioning correctly.

Summary

• Pull the latest source code with git pull origin main to update app.py, templates, and scripts
• Run ./reclip.sh to automatically create or refresh the virtual environment and update yt-dlp
• Set the environment variable RECLIP_NO_UPDATE=1 before running the script to skip automatic yt-dlp updates
• For Docker deployments, rebuild with docker-compose build and restart to apply changes
• Verify updates by checking yt-dlp --version or testing the download API through the web interface

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I update ReClip?

Update weekly or immediately when video downloads fail. Because yt-dlp extracts metadata from sites that frequently change their HTML structure, the extractor receives updates multiple times per week to maintain compatibility.

What does the reclip.sh script do during an update?

The script checks for required system binaries (python3, yt-dlp, ffmpeg), initializes a Python virtual environment in venv/ if missing, and executes pip install -q -U yt-dlp to fetch the latest extractor version according to the logic in reclip.sh (lines 43-48). It then launches app.py to start the Flask server.

Can I update ReClip without stopping the server?

No. You must terminate the current Flask process (using Ctrl-C or kill <pid>) before running ./reclip.sh. The script launches a new server instance, and the updated code and dependencies only take effect when the new process starts.

Why is my Docker deployment not using the latest yt-dlp?

Docker images bake dependencies into the image layers at build time, not runtime. If you only run docker-compose up -d without rebuilding, the container continues using the yt-dlp version from the original image. You must run docker-compose build (or build --no-cache for a clean slate) to install the latest yt-dlp release into the image.

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