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YT → Jellyfin Archiver
Architecture dashboard: auth flow requirements, tool evaluation axes, and Jellyfin output contract for replacing a flaky NAS container with a self-hosted YouTube archiver.
43 citations 14 min read expedition 2026-06-07
pipeline overview
▶
YouTube
channels
playlists · WL
source
🔑
Auth Layer
Firefox cookies
PO token provider
critical
yt-dlp
yt-dlp Core
⭐ 168k · active
pot plugin req'd
stable
📁
Output Format
TV-show naming
NFO sidecars
tool-dependent
Jellyfin
Jellyfin
media server
TV library only
contract clear
⚙
The critical coupling. An archiver must solve auth and output simultaneously. Tools that handle auth but produce flat output need a separate rename + NFO layer (ytdl-sub fills this role but adds config overhead). Tools with native Jellyfin output must also keep their yt-dlp dependency current enough for PO token support. Neither axis can be delegated or deferred.
configuration requirements
yt-dlp repository
🔑 Auth Requirements
cookie.browser
Chrome 127+: blocked Firefox: only option [12]
required.cookies
SAPISID APISID __Secure-3PAPISID [1]
auth.hash
SAPISIDHASH = SHA1(timestamp + SAPISID + origin)
po_token
mandatory — missing returns HTTP 403 [2]
pot.provider
bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider ⭐ 555 or yt-dlp-get-pot ⭐ 112
pot.binding
DATASYNC_ID (auth) · VISITOR_DATA (guest) · VIDEO_ID (Player/Subs) [13]
cookie.lifespan
~2 weeks; open tabs trigger background rotation → invalidation [3]
cookie.export
Private/incognito window; close tab immediately after export [4]
rate.limit
~2,000 videos/hr authenticated · ~300/hr guest [3]
acct.strategy
Dedicated throwaway Google account for NAS; keep primary account isolated from rotation risk
Jellyfin media server
📺 Jellyfin Output Contract
folder.structure
Channel/Season XX/Channel - SXXEXX.mkv [5]
ep.numbering
Zero-padded required: S01E01 not S1E1
nfo.series
tvshow.nfo at channel root [6]
nfo.episode
<filename>.nfo alongside each video file
metadata.priority
NFO > remote providers — survives library rescans [6]
library.type
TV Shows — dedicated, YouTube-only library
segregation
Do NOT mix with live TV or movies — degrades metadata matching [7]
nfo.saver
Enable Jellyfin "Nfo Saver" to auto-write metadata edits back to NFO files
specials
Place in Season 00/ folder
critical blockers
🚫
PO Token: mandatory, not optional
Any archiver running a stale yt-dlp build or without a configured PO token provider returns HTTP 403 on all video streams — regardless of UI polish, subscription features, or metadata handling. PO tokens bind to DATASYNC_ID (authenticated GVS), VISITOR_DATA (unauthenticated GVS), and VIDEO_ID (Player/Subs contexts). [2]
⚠️
Cookie Rotation: the silent failure mode for subscription workflows
Exported Firefox cookies expire in approximately 2 weeks. Leaving an authenticated browser tab open triggers background rotation scripts that invalidate already-exported cookies. Any unattended NAS archiver running channel subscriptions needs a built-in rotation strategy: scheduled Firefox re-export automation, or a dedicated throwaway Google account whose cookies can be refreshed without affecting the primary account. [3]
⚠️
Watch Later: polling only — not true two-way sync
The YouTube Data API v3 blocks update, delete, and reorder on the Watch Later playlist (WL) with 403 — enforced server-side. Any archiver claiming "Watch Later sync" is doing authenticated yt-dlp polling of ?list=WL via browser cookies. Deletions from Watch Later in the YouTube UI cannot be mirrored to the local archive automatically. [8]
candidate tool evaluation — 3-axis matrix — comparison not yet completed
TubeArchivist
Self-contained YouTube media server with Elasticsearch, subscriptions, and web UI. Ships its own yt-dlp integration.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
Pinchflat
Elixir-based archiver focused on channel/playlist subscriptions with a clean web UI and Docker deployment.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
ytdl-sub
Subscription + metadata layer on top of yt-dlp with declared Jellyfin/Kodi output presets. High config complexity.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
MeTube
Minimal yt-dlp web frontend designed for single-video and playlist downloads. No subscription or rename layer.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
YoutubeDL-Material
Angular + Node.js frontend with subscriptions, multi-user support, and theming. Bundles its own yt-dlp.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
Tartube
GTK desktop GUI for yt-dlp with channel/playlist management and scheduling. Desktop-first; NAS deployment harder.
PO token support ❓ unverified
Jellyfin TV output ❓ unverified
Active maintenance ❓ unverified
sub-research runs
survey
YouTube auth, cookies & Watch Later mechanics
16 citations · 4 min · on-target
 recon
Jellyfin naming conventions & NFO expectations
4 citations · 2 min · on-target
 survey
Tool feature & health comparison matrix
20 citations · 6 min · ⚠ generic methodology, not candidate data
 recon
Winner deploy config
3 citations · ⚠ researched kitchen CAD software instead
open question — follow-up run required
?
unanswered after this expedition
Which candidates among TubeArchivist, Pinchflat, ytdl-sub, MeTube, YoutubeDL-Material, and Tartube handle PO token generation natively through their yt-dlp integration, produce Jellyfin-compatible TV-show output without a rename step, and have bus-factor > 1 with active releases in the last six months — all three simultaneously? Those three axes determine the ranked pick; none of the four sub-runs answered them.
axis 1 · PO token support axis 2 · native Jellyfin TV output axis 3 · bus-factor > 1 + active releases ≤ 6 months
yt-dlp ⭐ 168k · bgutil-pot-provider ⭐ 555 · yt-dlp-get-pot ⭐ 112 expedition · 43 citations · 2026-06-07