[GH-ISSUE #1007] can't get anything from YouTube on the main instance #6507

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opened 2026-04-19 08:37:39 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 7 comments
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Originally created by @wukko on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/issues/1007

bug description

attempting to get anything from youtube may result in an empty (0 bytes) file or a message that says "youtube downloading is temporarily disabled due to restrictions from youtube's side."

reproduction steps

  1. paste any youtube link (such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ).
  2. get either an empty file or an error message.

additional context

this exact issue occurred a week ago (#992) and was fixed as soon as it was possible.

the problem is not with cobalt's codebase, but is instead caused by network restrictions from youtube's side. just like last time, our proxy instances can't access googlevideo.com. instead of expected content they get 403. cobalt catches the error and aborts the tunnel, causing empty files as result.

we're already looking into new ways to go around this bullshit restriction, and are doing our best to restore youtube downloading asap. we're not happy about it either and are extremely tired.

since the "problem" is with the network, eta is unknown. resolution time depends on network providers. either me or @dumbmoron will close this issue as soon as it's resolved.

as a temporary (or permanent) workaround, you can host a cobalt instance on your home network: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/blob/main/docs/run-an-instance.md

Originally created by @wukko on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/issues/1007 ### bug description attempting to get anything from youtube may result in an empty (0 bytes) file or a message that says "youtube downloading is temporarily disabled due to restrictions from youtube's side." ### reproduction steps 1. paste any youtube link (such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ). 2. get either an empty file or an error message. ### additional context this exact issue occurred a week ago (#992) and was fixed as soon as it was possible. the problem is not with cobalt's codebase, but is instead caused by network restrictions from youtube's side. just like last time, our proxy instances can't access `googlevideo.com`. instead of expected content they get 403. cobalt catches the error and aborts the tunnel, causing empty files as result. we're already looking into new ways to go around this bullshit restriction, and are doing our best to restore youtube downloading asap. we're not happy about it either and are extremely tired. since the "problem" is with the network, eta is unknown. resolution time depends on network providers. either me or @dumbmoron will close this issue as soon as it's resolved. as a temporary (or permanent) workaround, you can host a cobalt instance on your home network: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/blob/main/docs/run-an-instance.md
GiteaMirror added the main instance issue label 2026-04-19 08:37:39 -05:00
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@zig71 commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024):

Yo bro can we get a fix???

<!-- gh-comment-id:2552032130 --> @zig71 commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024): Yo bro can we get a fix???
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@dumbmoron commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024):

Yo bro can we get a fix???

@zig71 can u read the OP

<!-- gh-comment-id:2552036360 --> @dumbmoron commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024): > Yo bro can we get a fix??? @zig71 can u read the OP
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@zig71 commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024):

@dumbmoron Tryna download a vid rn

<!-- gh-comment-id:2552041661 --> @zig71 commented on GitHub (Dec 18, 2024): @dumbmoron Tryna download a vid rn
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@eaglehuntt commented on GitHub (Dec 19, 2024):

That's interesting... I'm curious to learn about how other YT downloading tools can stay running with constant changes on YouTube's side of things. Especially the sketchy ones online. Hopefully you'll be able to get it resolved soon!

<!-- gh-comment-id:2552840210 --> @eaglehuntt commented on GitHub (Dec 19, 2024): That's interesting... I'm curious to learn about how other YT downloading tools can stay running with constant changes on YouTube's side of things. Especially the sketchy ones online. Hopefully you'll be able to get it resolved soon!
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@cdarbs11 commented on GitHub (Dec 19, 2024):

This appears to be working! Nice job @wukko! How did you do it?

<!-- gh-comment-id:2553615376 --> @cdarbs11 commented on GitHub (Dec 19, 2024): This appears to be working! Nice job @wukko! How did you do it?
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@zephiii commented on GitHub (Dec 20, 2024):

Still happening to me. Oddly it only happens when downloading audio.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2557016312 --> @zephiii commented on GitHub (Dec 20, 2024): Still happening to me. Oddly it only happens when downloading audio.
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@coderonex commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2024):

How can I solve this problem? I'm having this problem with my own deployed instance @wukko

<!-- gh-comment-id:2558156545 --> @coderonex commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2024): How can I solve this problem? I'm having this problem with my own deployed instance @wukko
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