# YouTube Shorts via Claude. Every setting stays yours.

> Claude can upload and schedule YouTube Shorts. Connect it to Motion Reel's MCP server, tell it the video and the time, and answer what YouTube asks: made for kids or not, and who can see it.

Motion Reel (https://motionreel.app). The page: https://motionreel.app/agents/youtube. Updated November 8, 2026.

## What Claude can do on YouTube.

- **Upload the video:** MP4 or MOV, up to 300 MB. Tools: `start_upload`, `finish_upload`.
- **Schedule the Short:** With its title, description, visibility and your answers to what YouTube asks. Tools: `create_post`.
- **Change or cancel it:** Change a scheduled post's caption or time, or cancel it, until it starts publishing. Tools: `update_post`, `cancel_post`.
- **Read how it did:** Views, likes, comments, shares, watch time and average view duration for every Short. Tools: `refresh_stats`, `get_post`.

## Connect it

1. Connect your agent. Run this in a terminal. The first time Claude uses it, your browser opens: sign in and click Allow.

   ```
   claude mcp add --transport http motionreel https://motionreel.app/mcp
   ```

   Other clients: https://motionreel.app/agents#connect
2. Connect your YouTube channel in the Motion Reel dashboard, with Google. Your agent can't do this part.
3. Ask in plain words. Your agent shows you a preview. Nothing changes until you say yes.

## Things to ask

- "Upload reel-14.mp4 as a public Short tomorrow at 6 pm. It's not for kids."
- "Schedule these three videos as unlisted Shorts, one a day at noon."
- "How did my last Short do?"

## What YouTube asks for.

- **Made for kids:** Yes or no, every time. Your agent has to ask you.
- **Visibility:** Public, unlisted or private.
- **Altered or AI-made content:** On when it could be mistaken for real people, places or events.
- **Title:** Up to 100 characters. Left empty, it's the caption's first line.
- **Description:** The caption, up to 5,000 characters.
- **Shape and length:** Vertical or square, up to 3 minutes.

## Questions

### Can Claude upload YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Connect Claude to Motion Reel's MCP server, and it can upload a video and schedule it as a Short on your channel. It shows you a preview first.

### Will it post as a Short?

Yes, when the video is vertical or square and up to 3 minutes long. YouTube decides from the video itself.

### Will Claude decide whether it's made for kids?

No. YouTube requires an answer for every upload, so Motion Reel tells your agent to ask you each time.

### Can a Short be unlisted or private?

Yes. Choose public, unlisted or private for each one.

### How do I remove Motion Reel's access to my channel?

Disconnect the channel in Motion Reel, or remove Motion Reel from the third-party access list in your Google Account.

### Which agents work with it?

Claude Code, the Claude app, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw and Hermes Agent, and any other MCP client that speaks Streamable HTTP.

### Do I need an API key?

Not for Claude Code, the Claude app or Codex: they sign in. Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent and other clients use a key you make in the dashboard under API & MCP.