Overview
Extract comments from YouTube videos using browser automation. Comments are loaded dynamically and require scrolling to load more.
Prerequisites
- Logged into YouTube (optional, but may affect visible comments)
- Video URL or navigation to video page
Workflow
Step 1: Navigate to Video
Navigate to the target video URL or click on a video thumbnail from search/home.
Step 2: Scroll to Comments Section
Comments are below the video player. The comments section header shows:
"X Comments"- total comment countbutton "Sort comments"- sorting options (Top/Newest)
Step 3: Capture Comments from Snapshot
Take a browser snapshot. Comments appear with this structure:
button "@username"
link "@username"
link "X minutes ago" or "X hours ago"
[Comment text appears here]
link "Like this comment along with X other people"
link "Dislike this comment"
link "Reply"
button "Action menu"
Key Elements
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
button "Sort comments" | Change sort order (Top comments / Newest first) |
link "@username" | Commenter's channel |
link "X minutes ago" | Comment timestamp |
link "Like this comment..." | Like count indicator |
link "Reply" | View/add replies |
input "" (in comments area) | Add your own comment |
Loading More Comments
Comments load dynamically on scroll. To load more:
- Use
browser_evaluatewith scroll command - Or click on
button "Show more replies"for threaded comments - Take new snapshot after scrolling
Extracting Comment Data
From snapshot, parse each comment block:
- Username:
@usernamelink text - Time: relative timestamp link
- Content: text between timestamp and "Like this comment" link
- Likes: number in "Like this comment along with X other people"
Tips
- Live stream comments may have
"Live chat replay"instead of regular comments - Some videos have comments disabled - check for
"Comments are turned off"message - Pinned comments appear first with a pin indicator
Limitations
- Cannot access comments on age-restricted videos without login
- Comment count may differ from visible comments (deleted/hidden comments)
- Very long comment threads require multiple scroll+snapshot cycles