Youtarr
Self-hosted web app that automates downloading, organizing, and scheduling YouTube channel content with support for Plex, Kodi, Emby and Jellyfin
Runssource: GitHubhomepageJavaScriptISCcommit 46c17018fb50
JavaScript, ISC licensed. The project labels itself: automation, emby, jellyfin, kodi, plex, plex media server, scheduler and self hosted.
Youtarr runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 30 minutes and hit 4 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- System Node.js v18.19.1 does not meet package.json requirement of >=20.19.05 minutes
- npm engine check initially failed against eslint-visitor-keys which required ^22.13.03 minutes
- System npm v9.2.0 does not meet package.json requirement of >=11.10.02 minutes
- PATH did not include the new Node installation1 minute
- Install time
- 30 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 19 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 4 hit, 4 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- npm run test:backend exited 0, 166 suites passed with 4748 tests passed; npm run test:frontend exited 0, 244 suites passed with 4715 tests passed; npm run lint exited 0 silently; client vite build completed successfully in 7.6s
- Model tokens used
- 71,221
- Exact commit tested
- 46c17018fb50
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
Alright, everything is working. Let me now construct the final report. Here's the full status: **Issues encountered and fixed:** 1. **Node.js version too old** — The system had Node v18.19.1, but `package.json` requires `>=20.19… 2. **npm version mismatch on upgrade** — The bundled npm 10.9.2 initially shipped with Node v22.13.… 3. **eslint-visitor-keys engine error** — Node v22.11.0 didn't satisfy its `^22.13.0` requirement. … After fixes, **all tests pass, lint passes, and the client builds**. exec /bin/sh -lc 'echo "PATH=$HOME/node22/bin:'"\\"'$PATH" >> $HOME/.bashrc && echo '"'export PATH=\""'$… succeeded in 0ms: tokens used 71,221
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Recovered from all 4 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed ISC, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 30 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 9 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 10 automation projects Argusic has installed and timed, Youtarr was the 10th fastest to reach a running state, and 7 of 10 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
automationembyjellyfinkodiplexplex-media-serverschedulerself-hostedyoutube-downloaderyt-dlp
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/youtarr)Questions
- Does Youtarr run?
- Yes. Youtarr runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 30 minutes, hitting 4 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test Youtarr?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 46c17018fb50. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test Youtarr?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.06: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does Youtarr take to install?
- 30 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does Youtarr need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing Youtarr?
- 4 things broke in the recorded run, and 4 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does Youtarr compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 10 automation projects Argusic has installed and timed, Youtarr was the 10th fastest to reach a running state, and 7 of 10 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for Youtarr?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.