YouTube Reporting Script - User Guide

This guide explains how to install Python, set up Google OAuth credentials, and run the script that reports videos from one or more YouTube channels.

1. Install Python

• Windows: Download from python.org and check “Add Python to PATH” during install.
• macOS: Install via python.org or with Homebrew: brew install python.
• Linux: Install via your package manager, e.g. sudo apt install python3 python3-pip.

2. Install Required Libraries

pip install google-auth google-auth-oauthlib google-auth-httplib2 google-api-python-client
  

3. Set Up Google OAuth

1. Go to Google Cloud Console and create a new project.
2. Enable the YouTube Data API v3 under APIs & Services → Library.
3. Create OAuth credentials:
   • Go to APIs & Services → Credentials.
   • Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID.
   • Select Desktop app and download the JSON file (e.g. client_secret.json).
4. Configure the OAuth consent screen:
   • Go to OAuth consent screen and select User Type = External.
   • Fill in the required app details.
   • Add your own email as a Test User.
     If you don’t add yourself as a test user, the script will fail to authenticate while in testing mode.

4. Running the Script

The script takes channels as a positional argument. This can be:

• A single channel ID
• A single channel URL
• A file containing multiple channels (one per line)

python report.py CHANNEL_OR_FILE --secret client_secret.json
  

Optional Arguments

• --reason: Abuse reason ID. If omitted, the script will prompt you.
• --message: A text message to include with the report (prompted if omitted).
• --max-videos: Maximum number of videos to report per channel (default: 1).
• --timeout: Seconds to wait between reports (default: 0).

Examples

# Report a single channel by ID
python report.py UC1234567890abcdef --secret client_secret.json --message "Violation of YouTube policies"

# Report a single channel by URL
python report.py "https://www.youtube.com/@SomeChannel" --secret client_secret.json --message "Harassment and harmful content"

# Report multiple channels from a file (one per line)
python report.py bad_channels.txt --secret client_secret.json --message "Spam channel" --max-videos 3 --timeout 10

# Let the script prompt for the reason interactively
python report.py UCabcdef123456 --secret client_secret.json --message "Misleading information"

# Pre-specify a reason ID (skips the prompt)
python report.py UCabcdef123456 --secret client_secret.json --reason N --message "Contains nudity"
  

5. Authentication (First Run)

1. A browser window will open asking you to log into your Google account (the one added as a Test User).
2. Grant the requested permissions.
3. A token.json file will be saved locally for future runs.

6. Validation

Successful reports will print a confirmation message in the terminal. Failed reports (e.g., invalid reason, quota issues, not authorized) will show an error message.