---
title: "SearchAPI.io - YouTube Search API"
description: "SearchAPI.io tool searchapi-io-youtube on looot: input fields, $0.004 per call, output shape, and code to run it with curl, JavaScript or Python."
sidebar:
  hidden: true
---

{/* Generated by scripts/generate-api-reference.mjs from data/api-reference.json. Do not edit. */}

YouTube Search API provides real-time YouTube search results, including videos, channels, playlists, movies, and more. **Cross-linking**: The video IDs returned by this API can be used with the YouTube Video Details API to fetch detailed information about specific videos. Channel IDs can be used with the YouTube Channel API and YouTube Channel Videos API to get channel-specific information.

- **Tool id:** `searchapi-io-youtube`
- **Provider:** [SearchAPI.io](/providers/searchapi-io)
- **Job:** [Youtube search](/reference/jobs/search-youtube) (`search.youtube`)
- **Price:** $0.004 per call. A call that fails at the provider costs $0.

## Inputs

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `engine` | string | no | Fixed to "youtube" for this endpoint. Example: "youtube" |
| `gl` | string | no |   |
| `hl` | string | no |   |
| `q` | string | yes |   |
| `sp` | string | no |   |

## Output

Shape of the run's `result`, checked against 1 real answer:

```txt
{ shorts: { items: { id, link, title, views, position, thumbnail }[], position }[], videos: { id, link, title, views, badges: string[], length, channel: { id, link, title, thumbnail, is_verified }, position, thumbnail: { rich, static }, description, key_moments: { title, thumbnail, start_seconds }[], published_time }[], channels: { id, link, title, position, thumbnail: { rich, static }, description, is_verified, subscribers }[], pagination: { next_page_token }, search_metadata: { id, status, html_url, json_url, created_at, request_url, total_time_taken, parsing_time_taken, request_time_taken }... ...
```

The shape is cut here. Signed in, `looot inspect searchapi-io-youtube` prints all of it.

## Run it

Every call needs your API token in `LOOOT_TOKEN`; [Sign in](/get-started/sign-in#use-the-token-in-scripts-and-agents) shows how to get one. Each run also needs a new idempotency key, so a retry never pays twice. With `wait: 30` the answer comes back inline when the run ends within 30 seconds. Otherwise you get the running run back: poll `GET /v1/runs/<runId>`.

Example input with placeholder values:

<CodeGroup>

```bash curl
curl -X POST "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LOOOT_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -d '{"endpointId":"searchapi-io-youtube","input":{"q":"<q>","engine":"youtube"},"wait":30}'
```

```js JavaScript
const response = await fetch("https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LOOOT_TOKEN}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Idempotency-Key": crypto.randomUUID(),
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    endpointId: "searchapi-io-youtube",
    input: {
      q: "<q>",
      engine: "youtube",
    },
    wait: 30,
  }),
});
const run = await response.json();
console.log(run.status, run.result);
```

```python Python
import os
import uuid

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LOOOT_TOKEN']}",
        "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4()),
    },
    json={
        "endpointId": "searchapi-io-youtube",
        "input": {
            "q": "<q>",
            "engine": "youtube",
        },
        "wait": 30,
    },
    timeout=90,
)
run = response.json()
print(run["status"], run.get("result"))
```

</CodeGroup>

To let looot pick among every provider of this job instead, send `job:search.youtube` as `endpointId`; see [the job page](/reference/jobs/search-youtube).