TubeSync

TubeSync is a personal video recorder (PVR) for YouTube that continuously syncs channels and playlists to local storage. It wraps yt-dlp and FFmpeg behind a simple web interface and scheduled task system, aiming for a hands-off “set and forget” workflow.

Key Features

• Monitors YouTube channels and playlists on a schedule and downloads new media automatically
• Separates audio-only and video media into dedicated folders for cleaner library organization
• Integrates with Plex and Jellyfin to refresh libraries after downloads complete
• Flexible format/quality selection driven by yt-dlp, with FFmpeg handling media processing
• Automatic retries with back-off timers for improved reliability during temporary failures
• Web-based administration UI, with optional basic HTTP authentication via environment variables

Use Cases

• Build a local, offline-accessible library of favorite YouTube channels in Plex or Jellyfin
• Archive playlists (e.g., educational series or music) with consistent quality settings
• Run a lightweight YouTube “Sonarr-like” workflow for households or homelab media servers

Limitations and Considerations

• Focused on recurring channel/playlist syncing; it is not designed for one-off single video downloads
• Indexing very large channels too frequently can cause excessive crawling and may lead to throttling
• The web UI is intentionally minimal and avoids JavaScript, so it does not provide a download progress bar

TubeSync is well-suited for users who want automated, repeatable YouTube downloads with media-server integration. It emphasizes scheduling, reliable retries, and predictable file organization to keep libraries up to date with minimal manual effort.