API quota¶
The YouTube Data API enforces a daily quota of 10 000 units per project
by default. Most read operations (videos.list, comments.list, channel
info) cost 1 unit, while write operations like videos.update, playlist
edits, liveBroadcasts.insert/update, and comments.setModerationStatus
cost about 50 units each. search.list (behind playlists add --from-search)
is the notable exception at 100 units per call.
When you exceed the quota, the API returns HTTP 403 with a
quotaExceeded reason. ytstudio surfaces a clear error and exits.
Quota resets at midnight Pacific Time.
The YouTube Analytics API is a separate API with its own quota model (query-cost based, far more generous in practice), so analytics calls do not eat into the table below.
Data API cost cheatsheet¶
| Operation | Approx. quota cost |
|---|---|
videos.list |
1 unit |
commentThreads.list |
1 unit |
channels.list |
1 unit |
liveBroadcasts.list |
1 unit |
playlists.list |
1 unit |
playlistItems.list |
1 unit |
captions.list (videos captions) |
50 units |
captions.download (videos transcript) |
200 units |
search.list |
100 units |
videos.update |
50 units |
comments.setModerationStatus |
50 units |
comments.insert (reply) |
50 units |
playlists.insert / update / delete |
50 units |
playlistItems.insert / update / delete |
50 units |
liveBroadcasts.insert |
50 units |
liveBroadcasts.update |
50 units |
liveBroadcasts.transition |
50 units |
thumbnails.set |
50 units |
videos.insert (upload) |
~1600 units |
At ~1600 units per upload, the default 10 000-unit daily budget covers about
six new videos per day. Use ytstudio videos upload --max N to cap a run
and avoid burning the budget you need for the rest of the day.
Captions are the other pricey read: videos transcript first lists the tracks
(captions.list, 50 units) and then downloads the chosen one
(captions.download, 200 units), so a single transcript spends about 250 units.
Author metadata per video rather than pulling transcripts across a whole
channel.
Increasing the quota¶
In the Google Cloud Console, go to IAM & Admin Quotas and file a quota increase request for the YouTube Data API. Google's response time varies; expect a couple of days.
Reference: YouTube quota documentation.