# YouTube Cookies Setup Guide

## Why Do I Need Cookies?

YouTube has anti-bot protections that may block yt-dlp requests. Using cookies from your browser allows yt-dlp to authenticate as if you're logged in, bypassing these restrictions.

## Quick Start

### Option 1: Automatic Extraction (Recommended)

Run the helper script:

```bash
bash scripts/extract-cookies.sh
```

Follow the prompts to extract cookies from Chrome or Firefox.

### Option 2: Using yt-dlp Directly

```bash
# For Chrome/Chromium
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome --cookies youtube-cookies.txt 'https://www.youtube.com'

# For Firefox
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox --cookies youtube-cookies.txt 'https://www.youtube.com'

# For Edge
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser edge --cookies youtube-cookies.txt 'https://www.youtube.com'
```

### Option 3: Browser Extension

1. Install a cookies export extension:
   - **Chrome/Edge**: [Get cookies.txt LOCALLY](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/get-cookiestxt-locally/cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc)
   - **Firefox**: [cookies.txt](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookies-txt/)

2. Go to [youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com) and log in

3. Click the extension icon and export cookies

4. Save the file as `youtube-cookies.txt` in your project directory

## Configuration

After extracting cookies, update your `.env` file:

```bash
YOUTUBE_COOKIES_PATH=/home/debian/videotomp3transcriptor/youtube-cookies.txt
```

Or use a relative path:

```bash
YOUTUBE_COOKIES_PATH=./youtube-cookies.txt
```

## Verifying It Works

Test with a video:

```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/download \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"}'
```

If it works without cookies errors, you're good to go!

## Security Notes

⚠️ **IMPORTANT**:

1. **Never commit cookies to git**: The `.gitignore` file should already exclude `youtube-cookies.txt`
2. **Keep cookies secure**: They provide access to your YouTube account
3. **Cookies expire**: You may need to re-export them periodically (typically every few weeks/months)
4. **Don't share cookies**: Treat them like passwords

## Troubleshooting

### "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot"

This usually means:
- Cookies are not being used
- Cookies have expired
- Cookies file path is incorrect

**Solutions**:
1. Check the path in `.env` is correct and absolute
2. Re-export fresh cookies
3. Verify the cookies file exists: `ls -la youtube-cookies.txt`
4. Check logs: `pm2 logs toMP3-api`

### "HTTP Error 403: Forbidden"

YouTube is blocking your IP or the video is region-restricted.

**Solutions**:
1. Try with fresh cookies
2. Use a VPN if region-restricted
3. Wait a bit if rate-limited

### Cookies Not Working

1. Make sure you're logged into YouTube in the browser before extracting
2. Try extracting from a different browser
3. Verify the cookies file format (should be Netscape format)
4. Check file permissions: `chmod 600 youtube-cookies.txt`

## Cookie File Format

The cookies file should be in Netscape format and look like this:

```
# Netscape HTTP Cookie File
.youtube.com	TRUE	/	TRUE	1234567890	CONSENT	YES+
.youtube.com	TRUE	/	FALSE	1234567890	VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE	xxxxx
```

## Without Cookies

The API will still work for many videos without cookies, but you may encounter:
- "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" errors
- Rate limiting
- Blocked downloads for certain videos

For best results, always use cookies!

## Additional Resources

- [yt-dlp Cookie Documentation](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/wiki/FAQ#how-do-i-pass-cookies-to-yt-dlp)
- [Browser Cookie Extraction](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp#:~:text=You%20can%20use%20cookies%20from%20your%20browser)