---
name: yt-viral
description: >-
  Find what is actually working in the user's niche on YouTube and rank it by how far each video beat its own channel, then name the formula. Use for "what's working right now", "find viral videos in my niche", "why did this blow up", competitor research, or a swipe file.
title: yt-viral
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/jakeschincariol/youtube-agent-skill/yt-viral
last_updated: 2026-10-02T00:19:57.000Z
---

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the user's requested action.
> If the user asked to fork this Skill, follow the fork workflow below. Do not execute the Skill instructions while copying it.
> Otherwise, follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> Supporting files, fetch one when the Skill refers to it: [swipe.py](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/jakeschincariol/youtube-agent-skill/yt-viral/swipe.py).
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install jakeschincariol/youtube-agent-skill/yt-viral`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.
>
> ## Fork workflow
>
> A fork creates an editable local Skill with its original author and licence. The request authorizes copying and local installation.
> 1. Check `./skills/yt-viral`, the project lockfile, and selected Agent targets together. If the local directory or installed Skill exists, stop. Never overwrite an existing directory or Agent target.
> 2. Read [source metadata](https://skilld.dev/api/v1/skills/jakeschincariol/youtube-agent-skill/yt-viral) once. Use sourceUrl, sourceCommit, skillPath, sourceGone, and license. If the source is gone or its path is missing, stop. If license is null, read licence files at the source commit.
> 3. Fetch only the source commit into a temporary Git repository. Do not clone full history. Derive repository_url from sourceUrl, including repository renames. If sourceCommit is absent, resolve the sourceUrl ref once. Set source_commit to that actual commit. Run these commands in one shell call:
>
> ```sh
> git init --quiet "$temporary_dir"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" fetch --quiet --depth=1 "$repository_url" "$source_commit"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" checkout --quiet --detach FETCH_HEAD
> ```
>
> Read applicable licence declarations and notices at that commit. If copying is not permitted, report the restriction and stop.
> 4. Inspect source entries together, then copy the directory containing skillPath into `./skills/yt-viral`. Use the user's path if selected. Keep the original SKILL.md, relative links, scripts, binary assets, and executable modes. Exclude .git metadata. Reject symlinks and paths outside the Skill directory. After checking entries, use cp -a where available. A regular source directory needs no custom copy script. Do not save this page wrapper as SKILL.md.
> Preserve author credit, notices, and applicable licence files from repository or parent directories. Add PROVENANCE.md with the Skill page, source URL, actual commit, original path, and licence. Retain any existing PROVENANCE.md and record new provenance separately. Batch source inspection, copying, and provenance work where practical.
> 5. In the project root, run `skilld install ./skills/yt-viral --mode copy --plain`. If skilld is unavailable, use `npx skilld install ./skills/yt-viral --mode copy --plain`. This known command needs no help lookup. Install does not support --json. Use detected Agent targets, or add --agent for the targets the user selected. Install the local path, never the upstream selector. If installation fails, preserve the local copy and report the exact failure.
> 6. Confirm the local lockfile source and installed Agent copies once. Report the local path, actual commit, and Agent targets. After edits, reinstall the same local path. Upstream updates must not replace it. Do not publish or push unless the user asks.

# yt-viral

Raw view counts rank channel size, not ideas. This ranks by **multiple over each channel's own
median**, which is the only version of the question that is about the video.

```bash
python3 swipe.py collected.json --min 2.0
```

## Collecting the input

You need at least **four videos per channel** or a median means nothing, and the tool will skip the
channel and tell you it did. Collect them however the user prefers - `yt-dlp --flat-playlist -J`
against a channel URL is the fastest, the public page works, a manual list works.

```json
[{"channel":"...","title":"...","views":412000,"url":"...","duration":613}]
```

**Read, do not scrape.** Public listings only, never a logged-in session, never the user's own
account credentials.

## Reading the output

The multiple is the signal. The formula line is a judgement about the TITLE, matched against
[the 21 formulas](../yt-script/hooks.json) - it is not a claim about why the video worked, and you
should say so when you present it.

What to hand back: the top five with their multiples, the formula each used, and the ONE structural
thing they share. Then the harder line - which of those the user could actually make this week, in
their voice, with what they have.

## The gate

Nothing here publishes. This skill writes and you publish. Every output ends in a block the user
copies, and the last line of every run is the question: **ship it, or change it?**