January 4, 2026
Wrappers, ban hammers, and bash backlash
YouTube Playlist Downloader
Handy playlist tool or pointless wrapper? Fans cheer, skeptics jeer, ban fears rise
TLDR: An open-source script organizes YouTube playlists into tidy channel folders using yt-dlp, skipping duplicates for faster syncing. Commenters split: fans love convenience, critics call it a mere wrapper, and watchdogs warn of IP throttling—use cookies sparingly and don’t binge-download if you value your connection.
Meet the YouTube Playlist Downloader, a Bash script that promises tidy folders and one-click batch grabs, built on the powerhouse yt-dlp. The community didn’t hold back. Some cheered its simplicity—separate channel folders, skip duplicates, clean names, all pulled from a single playlists.txt—while others fired up the wrapper wars. One skeptic asked, “If yt-dlp already downloads playlists, what does this add?” and boom: instant drama.
Security hawks swooped in with warnings about the ban hammer: download too many videos and YouTube might throttle or block your internet address for days or weeks. The cookie debate got spicy too—using a cookies.txt (your login-in-a-file) makes things work, but several urged caution: try anonymous first, only use cookies when forced.
In a curveball, a nostalgic voice mourned losing Google’s recommendation magic: “I built that homepage brick by brick,” turning the thread into a mini therapy session about control vs convenience. Meanwhile, fans crowned yt-dlp the real hero, with FFmpeg (the tool that stitches audio and video) as its ride-or-die.
Verdict from the crowd? Handy organizer for power users, but not revolutionary. Expect neat folders, faster repeats, and a side of drama—plus keep an eye out for that throttle monster. Wrap wisely, download gently. Always.
Key Points
- •A Bash script automates batch downloading and organization of YouTube playlists using yt-dlp.
- •Downloads are organized by channel, with files named as “Playlist Title/Video Title.mp4.”
- •Supports smart syncing using --no-overwrites to skip already downloaded files.
- •Batch processing is enabled by reading multiple entries from playlists.txt in the format “Channel Name|PlaylistURL.”
- •Requires yt-dlp and FFmpeg; optional cookies.txt can be used; configuration variables are editable; licensed under MIT.