yt-x runs, with mocks standing in for external services. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 12 minutes, hitting 5 errors on the way, and recorded the session.

How did Argusic test yt-x?

On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit d7e30982ae13. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.

What did it cost to test yt-x?

The run that produced this verdict cost $0.07: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.

How long does yt-x take to install?

12 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 yt-x need a GPU?

Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.

What goes wrong when installing yt-x?

5 things broke in the recorded run, and 5 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.

Where is the evidence for yt-x?

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.

yt-x

Posix script to browse youtube plus other yt-dlp supported sites from your terminal (fzf) or app launcher (rofi) with optional previews. (supports bash, zsh and dash)

Runs with mockssource: GitHubShellMITcommit d7e30982ae13

Shell, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: bash, cli, curl, dash, fzf, gum, jq and mpv.

yt-x runs, with stand-ins for the services it depends on. An Argusic agent installed it in 12 minutes and hit 5 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.

yt-x v0.8.7 installed with yt-dlp, fzf, jq, and mock-mpv; performs YouTube searches via yt-dlp, displays search results, auto-selects first result, and correctly invokes the configured media player with the video URL.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured

Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 92 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).

At a glance

verdict: Runs with mocks
Argusic Score: 92 / 100
cost of the verifying run: $0.07 (measured)
recorded runs: 1
last tested: 2026-10-06
stars: 1,668
forks: 79
open issues: 9
watchers: 19
size: 1 MB
created: 2024-09-11
last push: 2026-10-01

Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed 2026-10-06. 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.

Time lost to each failure while testing yt-x, drawn from the recorded run — Every bar is a failure the agent recorded, with the time it cost. Drawn from this run, not from anywhere else.

What went wrong, in the agent's own words

The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.

pip install yt-dlp failed: externally-managed-environment3 minutes
fzf binary not found on system2 minutes
auto-update check blocks non-interactive use without TTY2 minutes
mpv not installed; app refused playback1 minute
youtube download requires sign-in (bot detection)1 minute

Install time: 12 minutes
Cold machine to finish: 7 minutes
Errors hit and fixed: 5 hit, 5 fixed with no human help
How the result was proved: script -q -c 'timeout 10 yt-x --search test --playlist-skip --play --media-exit' returned 'Now Watching: ... mock-mpv: would play https://... Have a good day runner'. Real YouTube search results fetched via yt-dlp; player invocation confirmed.
Model tokens used: 71,970
Exact commit tested: d7e30982ae13
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
Behaviour against real services: this run was verified against stand-in services only

The end of the recording

The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.

   yt-dlp: 2026.08.19
   fzf: 0.74.4 (a140afeb)
   jq: jq-1.7
   mpv: mock-mpv: would play -v
exec
/bin/sh -lc "echo '{\"install_succeeded\": true, \"launch_succeeded\": true, \"install_minutes\": 1…
 succeeded in 0ms:
{"install_succeeded": true, "launch_succeeded": true, "install_minutes": 12, "errors": [{"msg": "pi…
2026-10-06T13:23:17.000633Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread 01a11…
2026-10-06T13:23:17.000672Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread 01a11…
tokens used
71,970

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

Recovered from all 5 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.

What did not, or is not known

Only reached a running state against stand-in services, so nothing here proves it works against the real ones.
Took 12 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 8 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.

Of the 9 bash projects Argusic has installed and timed, yt-x was the 8th fastest to reach a running state, and 6 of 9 reached one at all.

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

tested by	attempt	outcome	score	cost USD	when
Argusic Runner	1/3	Runs with mocks	92.00	0.07	2026-10-06 13:23 UTC

Topics (from GitHub)

bash cli curl dash fzf gum jq mpv posix posix-compliant rofi scripting terminal tui vlc youtube yt-dlp yt-dlp-wrapper yt-x zsh

Embed the badge

Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.

[![Tested by Argusic](https://argusic.com/badge/yt-x.svg)](https://argusic.com/subject/yt-x)

Questions

Does yt-x run?: yt-x runs, with mocks standing in for external services. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 12 minutes, hitting 5 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
How did Argusic test yt-x?: On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit d7e30982ae13. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
What did it cost to test yt-x?: The run that produced this verdict cost $0.07: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
How long does yt-x take to install?: 12 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 yt-x need a GPU?: Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
What goes wrong when installing yt-x?: 5 things broke in the recorded run, and 5 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
How does yt-x compare with the alternatives?: Of the 9 bash projects Argusic has installed and timed, yt-x was the 8th fastest to reach a running state, and 6 of 9 reached one at all.
Where is the evidence for yt-x?: 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.