yt-offline

A desktop app for archiving YouTube channels using yt-dlp. Browse your downloaded channels, manage downloads, and play videos — all from a native GUI.

Features

• Channel Browser — Browse downloaded channels and videos with thumbnails
• Smart Download Routing — Paste any YouTube URL; channels, playlists, and single videos are automatically routed to the right folder
• Playlist View — Channels with playlist subdirectories show them in the sidebar
• Themes — Dark, Light, Dracula, Trans, and three Emo/Scene themes
• Settings GUI — Configure everything from inside the app
• Video Playback — Launch videos in mpv, VLC, or any player
• Search — Filter across your entire library in real time
• System Tray — Minimize to tray

Building

Arch Linux / Manjaro

A PKGBUILD is included:

git clone https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline
cd yt-offline
makepkg -si

Or build manually:

sudo pacman -S --needed rust yt-dlp mpv
cargo build --release
sudo install -Dm755 target/release/yt-offline /usr/bin/yt-offline

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Debian / Ubuntu / Linux Mint

Install build dependencies:

sudo apt install \
  build-essential pkg-config curl git \
  libxcb-render0-dev libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev \
  libxkbcommon-dev libssl-dev \
  libgtk-3-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev

Install Rust (if not already installed):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Install runtime dependencies:

sudo apt install yt-dlp mpv

Build and install:

git clone https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline
cd yt-offline
cargo build --release
sudo install -Dm755 target/release/yt-offline /usr/bin/yt-offline
cp youtube-backup.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/yt-offline.desktop

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macOS

Install Xcode command line tools and Homebrew dependencies:

xcode-select --install
brew install yt-dlp mpv

Install Rust:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Build:

git clone https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline
cd yt-offline
cargo build --release

The binary is at target/release/yt-offline. Copy it wherever you like, or run it in place.

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Windows

1. Install Rust — accept the default MSVC toolchain when prompted

2. Install Visual Studio Build Tools with the Desktop development with C++ workload

3. Install yt-dlp and mpv:

   winget install yt-dlp.yt-dlp
   winget install mpv.net
   

4. Clone and build:

   git clone https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline
   cd yt-offline
   cargo build --release
   

The binary is at target\release\yt-offline.exe. Copy it wherever you like and run it.

Note: The first build takes a while — Rust compiles all dependencies from scratch.

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Configuration

On first run, create a config.toml next to the binary (or edit it from the Settings button inside the app):

[backup]
directory = "/path/to/your/video/library"

[player]
command = "mpv"

[ui]
theme = "dark"

Options

Setting	Default	Description
backup.directory	./channels	Where downloaded videos are stored
player.command	mpv	Command used to launch the video player
ui.theme	dark	dark, light, dracula, trans, emo-nocturnal, emo-coffin, emo-scene-queen

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Usage

1. Download a channel/video/playlist — click ⬇ Downloads, paste a YouTube URL. The app detects the URL type and routes it automatically:

   • Channel URL → channels/<handle>/
   • Single video → channels/<channel-name>/
   • Playlist → channels/<channel-name>/<playlist-name>/

2. Browse your library — channels appear in the left sidebar. If a channel has playlist subdirectories they show as collapsible sub-items.

3. Play a video — click ▶ Play on any video card, or double-click the thumbnail.

4. Change settings — click ⚙ Settings to change the backup directory, player, or theme without editing the file.

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Troubleshooting

yt-dlp not found Make sure it's installed and on your $PATH. On Windows, restart your terminal after install.

Build fails on Debian/Ubuntu with missing headers Make sure you installed all packages in the build dependencies block above, especially libayatana-appindicator3-dev and libgtk-3-dev.

Build fails on Windows with linker errors Make sure Visual Studio Build Tools are installed with the C++ workload selected, not just the base tools.

Videos won't play Check player.command in config.toml (or Settings). The command must accept a file path as its last argument.

Thumbnails not loading Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP. Other formats are silently skipped.

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Project Structure

src/
  main.rs        entry point
  app.rs         UI and main loop
  downloader.rs  yt-dlp integration and URL detection
  library.rs     channel/playlist/video scanner
  config.rs      config file loading and saving
  theme.rs       all colour themes
  database.rs    SQLite (reserved for future use)
  tray.rs        system tray

License

See LICENSE.