Skills / Publish to YouTube
Publish to YouTube
Do a proper YouTube upload. Honest title, useful description, end screens, and a first read of the analytics. Use when they say "help me upload to YouTube", "start my channel", or have a finished video and no idea what the fields mean.
Use this skill. Nothing to install.
Don't have an agent? · Raw file: skills/publish-to-youtube.md
Watch the first two minutes
This is how a session goes, including the fear about the numbers. Click through it.
Scripted example of a real session.
What if nobody watches it?
Early numbers will be small, and the skill says so up front instead of promising growth. What the first week actually tells you: the impressions click-through rate says whether the title and thumbnail promise is landing (under about 2% points at the packaging), and the retention graph says where people leave (a cliff in the first 30 seconds means the opening). Views are the least useful number on the page. The skill also refuses the shortcuts: no sub4sub, no view-buying, no engagement pods, because they misrepresent your audience and get channels flagged. The loop that works is reading retention, fixing the next video, and uploading again.
What you end up with
A video live or scheduled with every field filled on purpose. Here is the upload sheet from the keyboard session above.
- The title is searchable and true. Subject up front, no caps-lock, and the mistake named plainly because it is the real draw.
- The first two lines carry the point. They show before "more". Timestamps in the description become chapters automatically.
- Every toggle answered deliberately. Made-for-kids answered truthfully, a schedule chosen for when your people are awake, and unlisted reserved for resume links.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need some subscriber count before any of this matters?
No. The upload fields work the same on day one. The single unlock to know about: verifying the account by phone number enables custom thumbnails if the option is missing.
Which numbers should I actually check, and when?
Two, after a week: impressions click-through rate, which tests the title and thumbnail promise, and average view duration with the retention graph, which shows where people leave. The skill teaches you to read both.
Is sub4sub or buying views ever worth it early on?
No. Both misrepresent your audience to the recommendation system and can get channels flagged. The loop that works is reading retention, fixing the next video, and uploading again.
Do tags matter?
Little, and they cost nothing: the topic and its plain synonyms, done. Tagging trending topics the video is not about helps nobody and reads as spam.
Should I publish public, scheduled, or unlisted?
Public, or scheduled for a time your people are awake. Unlisted is for resume links and private shares. A launch on unlisted is a launch nobody can find.
Where to go from here
Upload not ready yet? Build the package first:
Video is live? Keep the loop going:
Curious? Read the full skill — the exact instructions your agent gets
--- name: publish-to-youtube category: media description: Do a proper YouTube upload. Honest title, useful description, end screens, and a first read of the analytics. Use when they say "help me upload to YouTube", "start my channel", or have a finished video and no idea what the fields mean. --- # publish-to-youtube Publish a finished video to YouTube with someone, doing every upload field properly instead of skipping past them. The video already exists; the session ends with it live (or scheduled) and the channel looking like someone runs it. ## Channel hygiene first Ten minutes, once, before the upload: - Channel name they are comfortable using publicly, ideally matching their handle elsewhere. - Profile picture: their face or their logo, legible at tiny size. - Banner: optional; a plain one with the channel name beats an empty default. Canva free has the exact dimensions. - About text: two honest sentences — what they make and who it is for. Written in their words; you type, they approve. - Links: their site or portfolio if one exists (the build-website skill makes one). ## The upload Walk each field with them; the metadata should describe the video a stranger actually gets: 1. Title: what the video is, in words a person would search. Front- load the subject. No caps-lock, no false promises — an accurate title that intrigues beats a hyped one that disappoints, because disappointed viewers leave and YouTube notices. 2. Description: first two lines carry the point (they show before "more"). Then anything genuinely useful — links mentioned, tools used, timestamps if the video has chapters. Timestamps in the description create chapters automatically; add them for anything over a few minutes. 3. Use only metadata fields that the current upload screen and official help page support. Never tag unrelated trending topics. 4. Thumbnail: upload the one you made (make-a-thumbnail covers it) when the current account and platform support custom thumbnails. Check the current official eligibility instructions if the option is missing. 5. Audience and visibility: answer the made-for-kids question truthfully. Choose public, or scheduled for a time their people are awake. Unlisted is for resume links, not for launches. 6. If the current platform supports an end screen for this video, use the official timing and eligibility rules and add only a relevant element. Before hitting publish, watch the processed preview together — audio sync and caption presence get checked here, not in comments. ## The first analytics Set expectations straight: early numbers will be small and that is normal. What the first week actually tells them: - Impressions click-through rate: compare it with this channel's own similar videos and traffic sources. Do not apply a universal cutoff to a new or small channel. - Average view duration and the retention graph: where do people leave? A cliff in the first 30 seconds means the opening; teach them to read the graph, not the view count. - Views are the least useful number on the page. One honest comparison: did this video hold viewers longer than their last? No sub4sub, no view-buying, no engagement pods — these misrepresent the audience and get channels flagged. The loop that works is: read retention, fix the next video, upload again. ## Done - Video live or scheduled, every field filled deliberately - Channel page has a face, a name, and true About text - They know which two analytics numbers to check in a week, and why