YouTube Shorts

Google Cloud setup (Cameron)

1. Open Google Cloud Console and create or select a project.
2. Enable the YouTube Data API v3 for that project.
3. Configure the OAuth consent screen. While the app is in Testing, only Google accounts listed as test users can connect — add yourself (and any pilot emails) under Test users. Production external users require Google verification (out of scope for this MVP).
4. Create an OAuth client ID: Application type → Web application.
5. Add authorized redirect URI exactly matching YOUTUBE_CALLBACK_URL (local default: http://localhost:3000/api/oauth/youtube/callback; production example: https://rallyforge.ai/api/oauth/youtube/callback).
6. Copy Client ID and Client Secret into the server environment (never commit secrets).

Environment variables

• GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID / GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET — OAuth web client
• YOUTUBE_CALLBACK_URL — must match the Google redirect URI (falls back to {APP_ORIGIN}/api/oauth/youtube/callback if unset; GOOGLE_CALLBACK_URL is also accepted)
• INTEGRATIONS_ENCRYPTION_KEY — same vault key used for X and Twilio

Scopes requested: youtube.upload and youtube.readonly.

Connect in the app

1. Open Connected Accounts in your workspace.
2. On the YouTube Shorts card, choose Connect YouTube.
3. Authorize RallyForge in the Google consent screen.
4. You return to the workspace with the channel title shown — tokens never leave the server in plaintext.

Post a Short

1. Attach a vertical clip (MP4/MOV/WebM, ≤250 MB, ideally ≤60s) in Quick Post or the scheduler.
2. Select YouTube Shorts and the connected channel.
3. Use Post now or schedule; cron at /api/cron/dispatch-test-posts uploads when due.
4. Title comes from the post title; description from the body. If #Shorts is missing, RallyForge appends it (YouTube's Shorts convention).

Test Mode does not redirect YouTube to email. Connected channels still upload for real (same as X).

Ops checklist (Cameron) — go live

1. Apply migrations: 20260809000000_project_youtube_accounts.sql and 20260809010000_knowledge_base_clip_file_size.sql (raises knowledge-base bucket file_size_limit to 250 MiB).
2. Set GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, YOUTUBE_CALLBACK_URL, and ensure INTEGRATIONS_ENCRYPTION_KEY is set (same vault as X / Twilio).
3. Confirm Google OAuth redirect URI matches prod, YouTube Data API v3 is enabled, and your Google account is a consent-screen test user while the app is in Testing.
4. Smoke-test with a ~50–100 MB vertical Short first (not a full 250 MB file). Confirm Connected Accounts → YouTube, then Post now / scheduled cron dispatch.

Publish path: browser uploads clips direct to Supabase (signed URL). At post-now / cron, the server streams Storage → YouTube in ~8 MiB ranges (no full-file RAM buffer). Wall-clock still matters: Hobby functions cap at ~60s; this app asks for maxDuration = 300 (honored on Pro). Clips over ~40 MB show an in-app warning — 250 MB storage is fine, but a full 250 MB push is not reliable on Hobby.

Limitations (MVP)

• Shorts-oriented clips only — no playlists, thumbnails, or analytics deep dive
• Google OAuth verification required before unverified external users can connect
• YouTube Data API quotas apply (default ~10,000 units/day)
• Aspect ratio / duration are not validated client-side (prefer 9:16 ≤60s)
• No separate long-running worker — large clips need Pro timeouts (or a future queue); Hobby remains best-effort for ~40 MB sync publishes

Related

All connection guides · X (Twitter) · Campaigns & scheduling