Local Deployment

Run the YouTube Automation Agent on your local machine for development and testing

Overview

Local deployment is the simplest way to get started with the YouTube Automation Agent. This option is perfect for:

• Testing and development
• Running automation on your personal computer
• Small-scale operations (1-2 videos per day)
• Learning how the system works

Local deployment is completely free but requires your computer to be running for automation to work.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+

Download from nodejs.org

Google Account

For YouTube API access

AI Provider

OpenAI or Google Gemini account

10 Minutes

For initial setup and configuration

System Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	Dual-core	Quad-core
RAM	2 GB	4 GB
Storage	500 MB	2 GB
OS	Windows 10, macOS 10.15, Ubuntu 18.04	Latest versions
Internet	Stable broadband connection

Installation Steps

1. Install Node.js

   Download and install Node.js 18 or higher from nodejs.org

   Verify installation:

   node --version  # Should show v18.0.0 or higher
   npm --version   # Should show 9.0.0 or higher
   
2. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/darkzOGx/youtube-automation-agent.git
   cd youtube-automation-agent
   
3. Install Dependencies

   Install all required npm packages:

   npm install
   

   This will install:

   • Express server (port 3456)
   • Google APIs for YouTube
   • AI libraries (OpenAI, Google Generative AI)
   • Database (SQLite3)
   • Automation schedulers (node-cron)
   • And all other dependencies
4. Configure Environment Variables

   Copy the example environment file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Edit .env with your preferred text editor and fill in:

   # Application Settings
   NODE_ENV=production
   PORT=3456
   LOG_LEVEL=info
   
   # AI Provider (choose one)
   OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key-here
   # OR
   GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-key-here
   
   # Channel Settings
   CHANNEL_NAME=Your Channel Name
   DEFAULT_AUTHOR=Your Name
   TARGET_AUDIENCE=Your target audience
   
   # YouTube Settings
   YOUTUBE_REGION=US
   DEFAULT_PRIVACY_STATUS=public
   
   # Security
   JWT_SECRET=generate-a-random-secret-here
   
5. Set Up YouTube API Credentials

   1. Go to Google Cloud Console
   2. Create a new project or select existing one
   3. Enable YouTube Data API v3
   4. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop app)
   5. Download the JSON file
   6. Save it as config/credentials.json

   Keep your credentials.json file secure and never commit it to version control!

6. Run Interactive Setup

   The setup wizard will guide you through configuration:

   npm run setup
   

   This will:

   • Verify your credentials
   • Initialize the database
   • Configure your channel preferences
   • Set up automation schedules
7. Start the Agent

   Start the main application:

   npm start
   

   You should see:

   ✓ Database initialized
   ✓ YouTube API connected
   ✓ AI service initialized
   ✓ Server running on http://localhost:3456
   ✓ Automation scheduler started
   
8. Access the Dashboard

   Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://localhost:3456
   

   The dashboard provides:

   • Real-time automation status
   • Content generation controls
   • Analytics and performance metrics
   • Publishing schedule management

Available NPM Scripts

Core Commands

# Start the main application
npm start

# Run initial setup wizard
npm run setup

# Start daily automation scheduler
npm run scheduler

# Run system tests
npm run test

Agent Commands

Run individual agents manually:

npm run agent:strategy      # Content strategy planning
npm run agent:script        # Script writing
npm run agent:thumbnail     # Thumbnail generation
npm run agent:seo           # SEO optimization
npm run agent:production    # Production management
npm run agent:publishing    # Publishing & scheduling
npm run agent:analytics     # Analytics & optimization

Database Commands

npm run db:init             # Initialize database
npm run credentials:setup   # Set up OAuth credentials

Automation Schedule

Once running, the agent operates on this schedule:

Time	Task	Description
6:00 AM	Content Generation	Strategy, script, thumbnail, SEO
Every 15 min	Publishing Queue	Processes scheduled uploads
9:00 AM	Analytics Collection	Gathers performance data
10:00 PM	Optimization	Runs improvement tasks
Weekly	Strategy Review	Performance analysis

All times are based on your system’s local timezone.

Manual Content Generation

Generate content on-demand using the API:

cURL

curl -X POST http://localhost:3456/generate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "topic": "10 Productivity Tips for 2026",
    "style": "listicle"
  }'

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('http://localhost:3456/generate', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    topic: '10 Productivity Tips for 2026',
    style: 'listicle'
  })
});
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result);

Python

import requests

response = requests.post('http://localhost:3456/generate',
  json={
    'topic': '10 Productivity Tips for 2026',
    'style': 'listicle'
  }
)
print(response.json())

Monitoring and Logs

View Real-time Logs

# View application logs
tail -f logs/app.log

# View error logs
tail -f logs/error.log

# View agent-specific logs
tail -f logs/agents/*.log

Health Check

curl http://localhost:3456/health

Expected response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "uptime": 3600,
  "database": "connected",
  "youtube": "authenticated",
  "ai_service": "ready"
}

Running in Background

macOS/Linux

Using nohup:

nohup npm start > output.log 2>&1 &

Using screen:

screen -S youtube-agent
npm start
# Press Ctrl+A, then D to detach

# Reattach later:
screen -r youtube-agent

Windows

Using pm2 (recommended):

npm install -g pm2
pm2 start index.js --name youtube-agent
pm2 save
pm2 startup

View logs:

pm2 logs youtube-agent

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If port 3456 is already in use:

# Change port in .env
PORT=3457

YouTube API Quota Exceeded

• Check Google Cloud Console quotas
• Default limit: 10,000 units/day (sufficient for most use cases)
• Implement rate limiting by adjusting schedule frequency

AI Service Connection Failed

1. Verify API Key

   Check that your API key is correct in .env

2. Check Credits

   For OpenAI: Ensure you have available credits For Gemini: Verify API is enabled

3. Test Connection

   npm run test
   

Database Errors

Reinitialize the database:

# Backup existing data
cp data/youtube-automation.db data/youtube-automation.db.backup

# Reinitialize
npm run db:init

Stopping the Agent

Foreground Process

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal

Background Process

# Using pm2
pm2 stop youtube-agent

# Using process ID
ps aux | grep node
kill <PID>

Data and Backups

Important Directories

• data/ - Generated content, thumbnails, and database
• logs/ - Application and error logs
• uploads/ - Temporary upload files
• config/ - Credentials and configuration

Backup Recommendations

# Create backup
tar -czf youtube-agent-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  data/ config/ .env

# Restore from backup
tar -xzf youtube-agent-backup-20260305.tar.gz

Always backup before major updates or configuration changes!

Next Steps

VPS Deployment

Deploy to a VPS for 24/7 operation

Cloud Deployment

Scale with cloud platforms

Configuration

Advanced configuration options

API Reference

Explore API endpoints