Local Deployment - YouTube Automation Agent

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

Install Node.js

Download and install Node.js 18 or higher from nodejs.orgVerify installation:

node --version  # Should show v18.0.0 or higher
npm --version   # Should show 9.0.0 or higher

Clone the Repository

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

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

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

Set Up YouTube API Credentials

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

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

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

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

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
JavaScript
Python

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

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);

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
Windows

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

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

Verify API Key

Check that your API key is correct in .env

Check Credits

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

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
Background Process

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal

# 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

​Overview

​Prerequisites

Node.js 18+

Google Account

AI Provider

10 Minutes

​System Requirements

​Installation Steps

​Available NPM Scripts

​Core Commands

​Agent Commands

​Database Commands

​Automation Schedule

​Manual Content Generation

​Monitoring and Logs

​View Real-time Logs

​Health Check

​Running in Background

​Troubleshooting

​Port Already in Use

​YouTube API Quota Exceeded

​AI Service Connection Failed

​Database Errors

​Stopping the Agent

​Data and Backups

​Important Directories

​Backup Recommendations

​Next Steps

VPS Deployment

Cloud Deployment

Configuration

API Reference

Overview

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Installation Steps

Available NPM Scripts

Core Commands

Agent Commands

Database Commands

Automation Schedule

Manual Content Generation

Monitoring and Logs

View Real-time Logs

Health Check

Running in Background

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

YouTube API Quota Exceeded

AI Service Connection Failed

Database Errors

Stopping the Agent

Data and Backups

Important Directories

Backup Recommendations

Next Steps