YouTube Music for Kodi
Unofficial YouTube Music add-on for Kodi.
YouTube Music for Kodi is an unofficial Kodi add-on that lets you browse and play your YouTube Music Premium library directly inside Kodi. It is also known as a YouTube Music Kodi add-on, YT Music Kodi plugin, or plugin.audio.ytmusic.
Screenshots
| | |
|---|
| | |
| Home screen | Search | Playlists |
| | |
| Albums & artists | Now playing | Settings & authentication |
Features
- Browse your YouTube Music library
- Search songs, albums, artists and playlists
- Play liked songs
- Play playlists
- Browse albums and artists
- Lyrics support
- Radio / watch-playlist support
- Audio quality selection (up to 256 kbps with Premium)
- Brand-account support
- Works on Kodi 21 Omega — Windows, LibreELEC and other supported platforms
Installation
Recommended — via the YPoulis Kodi Repository (auto-updates)
Install the repository once and Kodi will keep this add-on (and the MotoGP VideoPass add-on) up to date automatically.
- Download
repository.ypoulis-1.0.0.zip from the repository's releases (or direct link).
- In Kodi → Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file → select the downloaded ZIP.
- Then Install from repository → YPoulis Kodi Repository → Music add-ons → YTMusic.
- Configure authentication (see below).
Full instructions and one-click landing page: ypoulis-hub.github.io/kodi-repo.
Alternative — install the ZIP manually
- Download the latest
plugin.audio.ytmusic-x.y.z.zip from the Releases page.
- In Kodi → Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file → select the downloaded ZIP.
- Open the add-on once it appears under Music add-ons.
- Configure authentication (see below).
Manual installs do not auto-update — you'll need to repeat the steps above each release. Use the repository path if you want hands-off updates.
Requirements
- Kodi 21 (Omega) or later
- An active YouTube Music Premium subscription
- Python 3 available on the host (Windows, LibreELEC, Linux, macOS)
Authentication / Login
The add-on uses YouTube Music browser cookies to authenticate against your Google / YouTube Music Premium account.
- Sign in to music.youtube.com in a desktop browser.
- Export the cookies for
music.youtube.com using any cookies.txt extension (e.g. Get cookies.txt LOCALLY, EditThisCookie).
- Place the file at the path the add-on reports on first run (typically
special://profile/cookies.txt, which resolves to the add-on's user-data directory).
- Restart the add-on. Brand accounts are picked up automatically once cookies are valid.
Supported Kodi versions
- Kodi 21 Omega — primary target, regularly tested
- Kodi 20 Nexus may work but is not officially supported
Supported platforms
- Windows 10 / 11
- LibreELEC (tested on x86_64 Generic builds)
- Other Linux desktops running Kodi
- macOS (untested but should work)
Known limitations
- Some podcast / non-music YouTube Music content is not available
- Brand accounts must be visible to the cookies you provide
- Resume playback across sessions is not yet implemented (see ROADMAP)
FAQ
Is this an official YouTube Music add-on?
No. This is an unofficial Kodi add-on. It is not affiliated with Google, YouTube or YouTube Music.
Do I need YouTube Music Premium?
Yes — premium quality (256 kbps) and ad-free playback require an active YouTube Music Premium subscription.
Does it work with Kodi 21 Omega?
Yes — Kodi 21 Omega is the primary target.
Does it work on LibreELEC?
Yes — it is regularly tested on LibreELEC running Kodi 21.
How do I authenticate?
Export your YouTube Music browser cookies into a cookies.txt file and point the add-on at it. See the Authentication section above.
Why do I need cookies?
YouTube Music does not expose a public auth API for third-party clients. Cookies tied to your account are the only way to verify your subscription and access your library.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause / fix |
|---|
| Login / authentication failed | Cookies missing, wrong path or for the wrong account. Re-export cookies.txt from a logged-in browser session. |
| Cookies expired | Re-export and replace cookies.txt — Google rotates auth tokens periodically. |
| Playback does not start | Check kodi.log. System Python with yt-dlp is used for stream resolution on Windows; make sure it is installed. |
| "yt-dlp is too old" / Kodi closed when a track started (older versions) | YouTube changed what old yt-dlp versions get; update yt-dlp (pip install -U "yt-dlp[default]", or yt-dlp -U for a standalone binary). The add-on's own downloaded binary updates itself; a pip/system install shows a notification when it is older than 90 days. |
| Search returns no results | Verify the cookies file is for the correct YouTube Music account. Brand accounts may need profile-switching before exporting. |
| Lyrics not loading | Lyrics depend on the track. If they are missing on YouTube Music itself, they will be missing here too. |
| Brand account not visible | Re-export cookies while signed in to the brand account, or switch profiles in YouTube Music settings before exporting. |
Changelog
See CHANGELOG.md.
Roadmap
See ROADMAP.md.
Support
If you find this add-on useful, you can support development with a one-time donation:
Disclaimer
This is an unofficial add-on and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google, YouTube or YouTube Music. A valid YouTube Music Premium subscription is required for ad-free, full-quality playback.
License
MIT
