Initial commit: YouTube Sync Docker container

- Alpine-based Docker image with yt-dlp - Configurable channel sync script - Unraid template for Community Applications - Automatic scheduling via cron - Emby/Plex/Jellyfin compatible output structure
2026-05-08 18:52:04 -04:00
commit 0ffb54e12e
7 changed files with 456 additions and 0 deletions
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+# YouTube Channel Sync Docker
+
+Automatically download and organize YouTube channel videos for Emby, Plex, or Jellyfin media servers.
+
+## Features
+
+- Downloads videos in best quality up to 1080p (configurable)
+- Organizes videos by season folders (year-based)
+- Proper episode naming for media servers: `S2026E001 - Video Title - [VideoID].mp4`
+- Embeds thumbnails and metadata
+- Creates `tvshow.nfo` files for Emby/Plex
+- Tracks downloaded videos to avoid re-downloading
+- Supports YouTube cookies for authentication (bypasses bot detection)
+- Scheduled automatic syncs via cron
+- Lightweight Alpine Linux base (~200MB)
+
+## Quick Start (Unraid)
+
+1. Install from Community Applications: Search for "YouTube Sync"
+2. Configure paths:
+   - Download Directory: `/mnt/user/media/YouTube` (or your media location)
+   - Config Directory: `/mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync`
+3. Edit `/mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync/channels.txt` and add your channels
+4. (Optional) Add YouTube cookies to `/mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync/cookies.txt`
+5. Start the container
+
+## Configuration
+
+### channels.txt Format
+
+```
+# Format: CHANNEL_ID|Channel Name
+UCfDNi1aEljAQ17mUrfUjkvg|Alton Brown
+UCoq2qlWgvvKJzW_hBkLIE8w|Flavour Trip
+```
+
+**Finding Channel IDs:**
+1. Go to the channel's main page on YouTube
+2. View page source (Ctrl+U or Cmd+U)
+3. Search for "channelId" or check the URL structure
+
+### YouTube Cookies (Optional but Recommended)
+
+YouTube may block downloads without authentication. To fix this:
+
+**Method 1: Browser Extension**
+1. Install "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY" extension for Firefox/Chrome
+2. Go to YouTube.com while logged in
+3. Click the extension icon and export cookies
+4. Save as `/mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync/cookies.txt`
+
+**Method 2: yt-dlp command**
+```bash
+yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox --cookies cookies.txt --skip-download "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
+```
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|----------|---------|-------------|
+| `SYNC_SCHEDULE` | `0 2 * * *` | Cron schedule (2 AM daily). Use `manual` to disable. |
+| `MAX_QUALITY` | `1080` | Maximum video quality (480, 720, 1080, 1440, 2160) |
+| `SLEEP_INTERVAL` | `2` | Seconds between downloads (helps avoid rate limiting) |
+| `TZ` | `America/Phoenix` | Timezone for scheduling |
+| `PUID` | `99` | User ID for file ownership |
+| `PGID` | `100` | Group ID for file ownership |
+
+## Docker Compose
+
+```yaml
+version: '3'
+services:
+  youtube-sync:
+    image: azcomputerguru/youtube-sync:latest
+    container_name: youtube-sync
+    environment:
+      - SYNC_SCHEDULE=0 2 * * *
+      - MAX_QUALITY=1080
+      - SLEEP_INTERVAL=2
+      - TZ=America/Phoenix
+      - PUID=99
+      - PGID=100
+    volumes:
+      - /mnt/user/media/YouTube:/downloads
+      - /mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync:/config
+    restart: unless-stopped
+```
+
+## Docker CLI
+
+```bash
+docker run -d \
+  --name youtube-sync \
+  -e SYNC_SCHEDULE="0 2 * * *" \
+  -e MAX_QUALITY=1080 \
+  -e TZ=America/Phoenix \
+  -v /mnt/user/media/YouTube:/downloads \
+  -v /mnt/user/appdata/youtube-sync:/config \
+  azcomputerguru/youtube-sync:latest
+```
+
+## Manual Sync
+
+To run a sync immediately:
+
+```bash
+docker exec youtube-sync /app/sync.sh
+```
+
+## Output Structure
+
+```
+/downloads/
+├── Alton Brown/
+│   ├── tvshow.nfo
+│   ├── .downloaded.txt (tracking file)
+│   ├── Season 2024/
+│   │   ├── S2024E001 - Title - [VideoID].mp4
+│   │   ├── S2024E001 - Title - [VideoID].info.json
+│   │   └── ...
+│   └── Season 2025/
+│       └── ...
+└── Flavour Trip/
+    ├── tvshow.nfo
+    └── Season 2026/
+        └── ...
+```
+
+## Emby/Plex Setup
+
+1. Add the download directory as a TV Shows library
+2. Use "Local Media Assets (TV)" scanner
+3. Episodes will appear organized by channel name and year
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" Error
+
+YouTube is blocking downloads. Solution: Add cookies.txt (see Configuration section)
+
+### Videos Not Downloading
+
+1. Check `channels.txt` format (must be `CHANNEL_ID|Name`, no spaces around `|`)
+2. Verify channel IDs are correct
+3. Check container logs: `docker logs youtube-sync`
+4. Ensure `/downloads` directory is writable
+
+### Scheduling Not Working
+
+1. Verify cron schedule format is correct
+2. Check timezone is set properly
+3. Set `SYNC_SCHEDULE=manual` and run manually to test
+4. Check logs: `docker logs youtube-sync`
+
+## Building From Source
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/azcomputerguru/youtube-sync-docker
+cd youtube-sync-docker
+docker build -t youtube-sync .
+```
+
+## Support
+
+Issues and pull requests: https://github.com/azcomputerguru/youtube-sync-docker
+
+## License
+
+MIT License - See LICENSE file for details
+
+## Credits
+
+Built by Arizona Computer Guru LLC using [yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp)