YouTube Subscription Notifications
Every hour, checks your subscribed YouTube channels for new videos and emails you a notification with a clickable thumbnail link.
What it does
Get notified via email whenever your subscribed YouTube channels upload new videos, complete with a clickable thumbnail link. This automated check happens every hour so you never miss an update without manually refreshing your feeds.
Step by step
- Configure a scheduled trigger to execute the workflow every hour.
- Use the YouTube API to retrieve the authenticated user's subscription list.
- Fetch RSS feeds for each subscribed channel and parse the XML structure.
- Compare current video IDs against stored previous run data to identify new uploads.
Where the LLM does the work
- Generate a concise, engaging subject line for the email notification based on the video title.
- Draft a brief summary or highlight description if the RSS feed lacks detailed content metadata.
- Format the final email body with appropriate HTML styling to ensure thumbnail images render correctly across different email clients.
Watch out for
RSS feeds may not include all video types like Shorts or Premieres, so add filters to exclude non-standard content if needed.
Email providers often block automated emails with large images, so use direct thumbnail URLs rather than embedding base64 data.
Tools that fit
HTTP Request Service Retrieve video data from RSS feeds
Send Email Service Deliver notifications for new videos
The agent brief
Everything your agent needs, including the gotchas. Copy it and go.
You are helping me build the following AI agent workflow. ## Goal YouTube Subscription Notifications: Every hour, checks your subscribed YouTube channels for new videos and emails you a notification with a clickable thumbnail link. ## Specification - What it does: Get notified via email whenever your subscribed YouTube channels upload new videos, complete with a clickable thumbnail link. This automated check happens every hour so you never miss an update without manually refreshing your feeds. - Trigger: On a schedule (Scheduled · every hour) - Autonomy: Fully hands-off - Expected setup effort: about an afternoon - Tools/services involved: - YouTube: Fetch subscriptions and latest videos via API and RSS - HTTP Request: Retrieve video data from RSS feeds - Send Email: Deliver notifications for new videos ## Known pitfalls, handle each one explicitly in your implementation 1. RSS feeds may not include all video types like Shorts or Premieres, so add filters to exclude non-standard content if needed. 2. Email providers often block automated emails with large images, so use direct thumbnail URLs rather than embedding base64 data. ## Reference implementation https://n8n.io/workflows/3216 (workflow template) Fetch and inspect this before building. If it matches my stack, adapt it; if not, rebuild the pattern with my tools. ## Process requirements 1. Before building: ask me which of the listed tools I actually use and what my platform is (n8n / Make / code / other). Do not assume. 2. Adapt the pattern to my answers; do not force the reference stack. 3. Address every pitfall above; tell me how you handled each. 4. Provide a test plan I can run before letting this touch real data. 5. Ask before any step that sends messages, modifies data, or spends money. Source: https://usecasesforagents.com/use-case/automated-youtube-subscription-notifications/ via usecasesforagents.com
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a different Media Hosting & CDN than YouTube?
Yes. YouTube is only the example media hosting & cdn in this recipe. The same flow works with Cloudinary and YouTube API. Swap the media hosting & cdn connection and keep the rest of the setup as written.
Want this running in your business?
This is what I do. I design and build AI agents like this one, and keep them running. If you want it set up for your team instead of doing it yourself, get in touch.
Who it's for
Built for anyone who wants this off their own plate, no team or company required.