YouTube Shorts Pipeline v2: AI Automates Everything
YouTube Shorts Pipeline v2: From Topic to Published Video in Minutes
The Ultimate AI Content Factory
youtube-shorts-pipeline is a production-ready Python tool that turns a one-line topic into a complete YouTube Short – fully automated. No manual editing, no creative block, just results.
What's New in v2.1.0
- Burned-in captions with word-by-word highlighting (Whisper timestamps)
- Royalty-free background music with automatic voice ducking
- Trending topic engine: Reddit, RSS, Google Trends, Twitter, TikTok
- AI thumbnails: Gemini Imagen + Pillow overlays
- Resume capability: Skip completed stages
- Production-ready: 78 tests, structured logging, exponential backoff retries
Complete Pipeline Breakdown
| Stage | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Draft | DuckDuckGo research → Claude script → b-roll prompts → metadata |
| Produce | Gemini b-roll + Ken Burns → ElevenLabs voice → Whisper captions → music → ffmpeg assembly |
| Upload | YouTube API upload with SRT captions + AI thumbnail |
Quick Start (5 Minutes)
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m pipeline run --news "AI news" --dry-run
First run launches a setup wizard for API keys. That's it.
Trending Topics on Autopilot
# Discover hot topics
python -m pipeline topics --limit 20
# Auto-pick + full pipeline
python -m pipeline run --discover --auto-pick
Sources: Reddit (r/technology), Google Trends, Hacker News RSS, Twitter trends, TikTok.
Production Features
✅ Anti-hallucination: Claude uses only live DuckDuckGo research
✅ Cost: ~$0.11 per video (Claude $0.02 + Gemini $0.04 + ElevenLabs $0.05)
✅ Resume: ~/.youtube-shorts-pipeline/drafts/ tracks state per stage
✅ Security: 0600 config files, sanitized errors, prompt injection protection
✅ Multi-language: English/Hindi voiceovers + captions
✅ 78 comprehensive tests: pytest tests/
Real Commands You'll Use
# Full pipeline with trending topic
python -m pipeline run --discover --auto-pick
# Produce from existing draft
python -m pipeline produce --draft ~/.youtube-shorts-pipeline/drafts/abc123.json
# Just discover topics
python -m pipeline topics
Cost Breakdown
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet | $0.02 |
| Gemini Imagen (4 images) | $0.04 |
| ElevenLabs (60-90s) | $0.05 |
| Total | $0.11 |
Security & Privacy
- Config files: 0600 permissions (owner-only)
- Videos upload as private by default
- Minimal YouTube OAuth scopes
- No credentials in logs or URLs
- Dependency pinning in requirements.txt
Perfect For
- Newsletter creators scaling to video
- Agencies producing daily Shorts
- Developers automating faceless channels
- Marketers testing viral topic formats
MIT License | 616⭐ | 135 forks
Get started: GitHub Repo
Turn content creation into a fire-and-forget pipeline.