Use yt-dlp to download and track a YouTube playlist, and use FFmpeg when separate video and audio streams need to be merged. Save the files and yt-dlp’s download archive to a mounted, writable SSD directory. FFmpeg alone does not find and download playlist videos.
What you need before downloading
- A Raspberry Pi with an operating system and a model that supports your chosen SSD connection. Raspberry Pi storage and boot options vary by board; check documentation for your exact model before choosing USB storage, an NVMe drive, or a HAT.
- An SSD that is connected, mounted, writable, and has enough free space for the videos you intend to keep. Its mount point is not universal: it depends on your model, OS, connection, and configuration.
- yt-dlp for extracting and downloading playlist items, plus FFmpeg for merging separate audio and video formats when required.
- A playlist URL you can access. Some YouTube media access may depend on cookies, headers, or matching network conditions, so a public URL does not guarantee every item will download.
Raspberry Pi Ltd’s current getting-started documentation recommends at least 32 GB of boot media for Raspberry Pi OS Desktop and Full, or at least 8 GB for Raspberry Pi OS Lite. Those are OS boot-media recommendations, not estimates of how much space a video library needs. Estimate library capacity from your own videos and retention needs, then leave room for the operating system and other files.
Prepare the SSD and tools
Choose a stable SSD directory
Connect and mount the SSD, then identify its actual mount location on your Pi. Create or choose a directory on that mounted drive for the downloaded videos, and confirm that your user can write to it. Do not copy a guessed device path from another Pi: mount points and supported interfaces vary.
If you will run downloads repeatedly or on a schedule, also choose a persistent location for the archive file. Keeping it on the SSD alongside the library is convenient, provided the drive is mounted whenever the job runs.
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Install yt-dlp and FFmpeg for your OS
Install both tools using the current instructions for your Raspberry Pi operating system. The appropriate command depends on the OS and installation method, and package versions can change; verify the current yt-dlp and FFmpeg project instructions rather than assuming one command fits every Pi.
yt-dlp handles playlist extraction and download tracking. FFmpeg is useful when YouTube provides video and audio as separate formats that must be merged. A simple merge does not require you to re-encode the result.
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Download the playlist to the SSD
- Replace the example paths. Set the archive path and videos directory to locations on your mounted SSD. Replace
PLAYLIST_URLwith the playlist URL you intend to download. - Run the command:
yt-dlp --download-archive "/path/on/ssd/archive.txt" -P "/path/on/ssd/videos" -o "%(playlist_index)03d - %(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s" "PLAYLIST_URL"This is a schematic command, not a tested command for a particular Pi. Quoting the URL is important when it contains shell-special characters such as
&. The output template numbers items by playlist position and includes the video ID, which helps distinguish similarly named titles. - Let yt-dlp select formats by default. This command delegates format selection to yt-dlp. If the selected formats require merging, yt-dlp can invoke FFmpeg when it is installed and available. Do not add transcoding just to combine separate streams; merging is not the same as re-encoding.
- Check the resulting files. Confirm that downloads appear in the SSD directory and that the archive file is present at its chosen persistent path. Check available SSD space before downloading a large playlist.
Skip videos already downloaded on later runs
--download-archive records video identifiers for successful downloads. Run the same command later with the same archive file to have yt-dlp skip items already recorded and attempt items not yet in the archive. Only successful downloads are recorded, so a failed item can be tried again on a later run.
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Do not delete or replace the archive if you rely on it to avoid downloading the same playlist items again. If the archive is moved, update the command to point to its new location.
Choose storage and schedule repeat runs carefully
Keep the mount available
Before running a manual or scheduled download, ensure the SSD is mounted and writable. A scheduled job that starts before the drive is mounted can fail or write somewhere other than the intended SSD directory, depending on the system configuration. For repeatable operation, make the job check that the expected mount is present before it launches yt-dlp.
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Plan capacity around the library
Playlist size depends on the media available for each item, the formats selected, and how many items you retain. The Pi’s recommended boot-media size is not a video-capacity target. Check free space on the SSD and choose a capacity based on the library you actually need; the title alone does not establish a suitable size.
Use a log and failure alert for unattended jobs
If you schedule downloads, keep a log so you can distinguish a completed run from a mount, access, or extraction failure. Consider arranging an error notification as well. These are operational safeguards, not guarantees that a scheduled download will succeed: YouTube access conditions and playlist contents can change.
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Rights and access limits
Only download material when you have the rights or permission to do so, and check the applicable service terms and local law. Whether a particular download is permitted depends on the circumstances and jurisdiction; this guide does not make a legal determination. yt-dlp may also need cookies, headers, or matching network conditions for some media, and not every playlist item is guaranteed to be accessible.
Troubleshooting
- The command says the destination cannot be written: verify the SSD is mounted at the path you supplied and that your user has write permission there.
- Files are not appearing on the SSD: check the value passed to
-P, then confirm the mount is active. A mount point that differs from your assumed path can send files to the wrong location or cause a failure. - Separate formats fail to merge: confirm FFmpeg is installed and available to yt-dlp. When the chosen formats are separate audio and video streams, FFmpeg is needed for merging.
- The playlist URL fails or some items are unavailable: check that the URL is correct and that you can access the affected media. Some cases require cookies, headers, or matching network conditions; access is not guaranteed for every playlist.
- Previously downloaded items are downloaded again: confirm every run uses the same
--download-archivefile and that it is on persistent storage. - A scheduled run fails but a manual run works: verify that the SSD is mounted and writable before the scheduled start, and inspect the job log for its actual paths and errors.
Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is a different option for a different goal: it keeps an uploaded video or playlist live on YouTube, rather than downloading a YouTube playlist onto your Pi SSD. To use it, upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. The cloud continues looping uploaded videos without your computer or home connection staying on.
- Nothing has to stay on at home.
- Videos stream as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one price per slot regardless of quality.
- It automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream.
- The first day is free with no card; one free day is available per account.
The monthly option is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo for details, or start the free first day.
Quick Recap
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