🚀 How to Auto‑Upload Videos with n8n

Save time and grow your channel by fully automating YouTube uploads — including scheduling, thumbnails, titles, and descriptions.

Why Automate Uploads?

• Eliminate manual, repetitive work.
• Ensure uploads go live at peak times.
• Standardize metadata for better discoverability.

🔧 What You’ll Need

• An n8n installation (self-hosted or cloud).
• YouTube API credentials (create via Google Cloud Console).
• A cloud drive (Google Drive, Dropbox) to store your video files.

Step 1: Set Up the Trigger

Use a “Webhook” or “Watch Files” node to detect new videos added to your folder.

{
  "nodes": [
    { "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDriveTrigger", "parameters": { "folderId": "" } }
  ]
}

Step 2: Add YouTube Upload Node

Connect the trigger to the YouTube node. Fill in:

• Video File: from incoming drive file.
• Title, Description, Tags: either static or dynamically generated by n8n (via variables or AI nodes).
• Schedule: Set `publishAt` to a future timestamp.

{
  "nodes": [
    { "type": "n8n-nodes-base.youtube", "parameters": {
        "operation": "uploadVideo",
        "title": "={{ $json[\"fileName\"] }}",
        "publishAt": "={{ new Date().toISOString() }}"
      } }
  ]
}

Step 3: Add Thumbnail & Metadata Enrichment (Optional)

Set up nodes to:

• Create thumbnails via AI image services (OpenAI, Stability).
• Fill metadata fields like tags via AI or spreadsheets.

Step 4: Test & Deploy

1. Add a test video to your source folder.
2. Watch the workflow run in n8n’s UI.
3. Verify the video appears on YouTube as scheduled.

⚠️ Best Practices

• Use descriptive titles and targeted tags.
• Monitor Quotas via Google Cloud Console.
• Handle errors with fallback nodes or notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

❓ Do I need coding skills?

No — n8n’s drag-and-drop UI makes setup easy. Just configure nodes.

❓ Can I automate other platforms?

Absolutely — the workflow is reusable for Vimeo, Dropbox, social platforms.

❓ What if the upload fails?

Add an “Error Trigger” node to send email alerts or retry logic.

❓ How can I customize metadata?

You can use AI nodes or connect to a Google Sheet to dynamically insert metadata.