youtube.search_videos

stable 2 credits may need a pack

Search YouTube videos by keyword.

GET /v1/youtube/search_videos

What you get#

A list of YouTube results in Onekey's unified shape, in data (an array). An empty array is a normal, successful answer and is charged like any other; a source that reports "nothing found" as an error returns a free 404 not_found instead.

Also works with: Multi-platform search as the YouTube search leg. Any batch can include it.

What it costs#

2 credits for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).
Free if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).

Parameters#

Name	Type	Required	Default	What it is	Constraints
`q`	string	yes	(required)	Search query	max 100 chars; must match `[^\x00-\x1f]{1,100}`; trimmed, repeated spaces collapsed

Request#

curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/youtube/search_videos?q=lofi" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Try it

Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.

Recorded response#

A real YouTube response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are null.

json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "content": {
        "id": "lTRiuFIWV54",
        "title": "1 A.M Study Session 📚 [lofi hip hop]",
        "text": null
      },
      "author": {
        "displayName": "Lofi Girl",
        "id": "UCSJ4gkVC6NrvII8umztf0Ow"
      },
      "ext": {
        "viewsText": "136,483,505 views",
        "publishedText": "6 years ago",
        "durationText": "1:01:14"
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lTRiuFIWV54/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCOgCEMoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLCT1lB3GDhE5qfAT4fTy1uTXAMKvg"
      }
    },
    {
      "content": {
        "id": "CLeZyIID9Bo",
        "title": "Chill Lofi Mix [chill lo-fi hip hop beats]",
        "text": null
      },
      "author": {
        "displayName": "Settle",
        "id": "UCkKT4qf-TcPFOmpqhTawrGA"
      },
      "ext": {
        "viewsText": "34,754,375 views",
        "publishedText": "4 years ago",
        "durationText": "1:44:52"
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CLeZyIID9Bo/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwE2COgCEMoBSFXyq4qpAygIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBvABAfgB_gmAAtAFigIMCAAQARhDIGQoZTAP&rs=AOn4CLAlX_2fwEbO2TRXiJLVFD-AvVEvLQ"
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "youtube",
    "endpoint": "search_videos",
    "cached": false,
    "stale": false,
    "age_s": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
    "credits_charged": 2,
    "request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
  },
  "error": null
}

Field mapping#

How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's unified schema. Fields the source lacks come back as null.

Source path	Onekey field	Transform
`videoRenderer.videoId`	`content.id`	-
`videoRenderer.title.runs.0.text`	`content.title`	-
`videoRenderer.descriptionSnippet.runs.0.text`	`content.text`	-
`videoRenderer.longBylineText.runs.0.text`	`author.displayName`	-
`videoRenderer.longBylineText.runs.0.navigationEndpoint.browseEndpoint.browseId`	`author.id`	-
`videoRenderer.viewCountText.simpleText`	`ext.viewsText`	-
`videoRenderer.publishedTimeText.simpleText`	`ext.publishedText`	-
`videoRenderer.lengthText.simpleText`	`ext.durationText`	-
`videoRenderer.thumbnail.thumbnails.0.url`	`media.thumbnailUrl`	`safeUrl`

Caching and freshness#

Fresh for about 2 minutes. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
Between 2 minutes and 15 minutes the cached copy is still served instantly and marked stale: true while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 1 hour more (marked stale).
A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute and is free.
The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.

What can go wrong#

Status	Code	What to do
401	`unauthorized`	Check the `x-api-key` header.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Add credits; your balance must cover the price.
404	`not_found`	Unknown endpoint path.
422	`invalid_params`	Fix the parameters using the table above. Free.
429	`rate_limited`	Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry.
502	`upstream_error`	The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff.

See Errors for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).