PlaySync

A command-line tool for syncing YouTube playlists. PlaySync allows you to automatically keep your YouTube playlists in sync by adding videos from source playlists to a target playlist, eliminating duplicates and saving you time from manual playlist management.

Features

• Playlist Synchronization: Automatically sync videos from multiple source playlists to a target playlist
• Duplicate Prevention: Intelligent detection ensures videos aren't added twice
• Dry-Run Mode: Preview changes before applying them
• Configuration Management: Store and manage your playlist setup locally
• OAuth2 Authentication: Secure authentication with YouTube using OAuth2
• Multiple Playlist Support: Configure and manage multiple playlist sync rules

Why Use PlaySync?

• Save Time: No more manually adding videos to playlists
• Stay Updated: Keep your playlists current with videos from multiple sources
• Avoid Duplicates: Never worry about the same video being added multiple times
• Flexible Configuration: Set up different sync rules for different playlists
• Safe Dry-Runs: Test your sync configuration before making actual changes

Installation

Prerequisites

• YouTube API credentials (OAuth2 JSON file)

Install (recommended)

macOS (Homebrew)

brew tap KilDesu/playsync
brew install playsync

Windows (Scoop)

scoop install https://github.com/KilDesu/playsync/releases/latest/download/playsync.json

Linux / manual download

# pick the target that matches your platform
curl -LO https://github.com/KilDesu/playsync/releases/latest/download/playsync-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip
unzip playsync-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip
chmod +x playsync
sudo mv playsync /usr/local/bin/

Building from source

git clone https://github.com/KilDesu/playsync
cd playsync
cargo build --release

The compiled binary will be located at target/release/playsync.

Setup

1. Get YouTube API Credentials

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project
3. Enable the YouTube Data API v3
4. Create OAuth2 credentials (Desktop application)
5. Download the credentials as a JSON file

2. Configure PlaySync

Set the path to your OAuth2 JSON file:

playsync config --oauth2-json /path/to/your/oauth2.json

3. Add Playlists to Sync

Add a target playlist that will receive videos:

playsync config --add YOUR_TARGET_PLAYLIST_ID

When prompted, specify the source playlist IDs you want to sync from (space-separated).

4. View Your Configuration

List all configured playlists:

playsync config --list

Usage

Sync All Playlists

Sync all configured playlists:

playsync sync

Sync a Specific Playlist

Sync only one playlist by its ID:

playsync sync --id YOUR_PLAYLIST_ID

Dry-Run Mode

Preview what would be synced without making changes:

playsync sync --dry-run

For a specific playlist:

playsync sync --id YOUR_PLAYLIST_ID --dry-run

Configuration Commands

Reset Configuration:

playsync config --reset

Remove a Playlist:

playsync config --remove YOUR_PLAYLIST_ID

View Help:

playsync config --help
playsync sync --help

Configuration File

PlaySync stores its configuration in your system's config directory:

• Linux: ~/.config/rs.playsync/
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/rs.playsync/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\rs.playsync\

The configuration file (playsync.toml) contains:

• OAuth2 JSON file path
• List of playlists with their sync rules

The token cache (token_cache.json) is also stored in the same directory for authentication purposes.

How It Works

1. Retrieves Videos: Gets the list of videos from all source playlists
2. Checks Target: Compares against videos already in the target playlist
3. Identifies New Videos: Finds videos that aren't already in the target
4. Adds Videos: Adds new videos to your target playlist
5. Reports Results: Shows you which videos were added and any errors

Troubleshooting

"OAuth2 JSON path is not set"

Run: playsync config --oauth2-json /path/to/your/oauth2.json

"Failed to authenticate"

• Verify your OAuth2 JSON file path is correct
• Ensure the file hasn't been deleted or moved
• Try deleting token_cache.json from your config directory and authenticating again

Videos not syncing

• Check your source playlist IDs are correct
• Ensure the videos aren't already in the target playlist
• Verify your YouTube API quota hasn't been exceeded
• Try a dry-run first: playsync sync --dry-run

Scheduling Syncs

To run syncs automatically, use your system's task scheduler:

Linux/macOS (Cron)

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Example: Sync every day at 9 AM
0 9 * * * /path/to/playsync sync

Windows (Task Scheduler)

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Create a new task to run: playsync sync (write the full path to the executable if it is not in your PATH)
3. Set your desired schedule

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.