VibeCodingYTPlayer

A minimalist macOS menu bar application for playing audio from YouTube live streams and videos.

Overview

VibeCodingYTPlayer is a lightweight macOS menu bar app that allows you to listen to YouTube live streams and videos as audio-only, without keeping a browser tab open. The app runs entirely from the menu bar, keeping your desktop clean while you enjoy your favorite content.

Key Features

• 🎵 Audio-only playback from YouTube live streams and videos
• 📍 Menu bar integration - no Dock icon, stays out of your way
• ⚡️ Full playback controls - Play, Pause, Stop, Restart
• 🔇 Audio controls - Mute, Unmute, Toggle
• ⏱️ Elapsed time tracking - See how long you've been listening
• ⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts - Control playback without touching the mouse
• 💾 URL persistence - Your last URL is saved and restored
• 🎨 Native macOS design - Follows Apple's Human Interface Guidelines
• 🔒 Privacy-focused - Minimal dependencies, no analytics

Requirements

• macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
• yt-dlp installed (see Installation)

Installation

1. Install yt-dlp

VibeCodingYTPlayer requires yt-dlp to extract audio streams from YouTube. Install it using Homebrew:

brew install yt-dlp

Or download from the official repository.

2. Install VibeCodingYTPlayer

Option A: Build from Source

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/YoutubeLivePlayer.git
   cd YoutubeLivePlayer

2. Open in Xcode:

   open YoutubeLivePlayer.xcodeproj

3. Build and run (⌘R) or create an archive for distribution

Usage

Getting Started

1. Launch the app - Look for the music note icon (🎵) in your menu bar
2. Set your YouTube URL:
   • Click the menu bar icon
   • Navigate to the Settings tab
   • Paste a YouTube URL (live stream or regular video)
3. Start listening:
   • Go back to the Main tab
   • Click the Play button
   • Enjoy audio-only playback!

Main Screen Controls

The Main screen provides all your playback controls:

Playback Controls

• Play ▶️ - Start playing the audio (⌘P)
• Pause ⏸ - Pause playback
• Stop ⏹ - Stop playback and reset time (⌘S)
• Restart 🔄 - Restart from the beginning (⌘R)

Audio Controls

• Mute 🔇 - Mute the audio (⌘M)
• Unmute 🔊 - Unmute the audio
• Toggle Audio 🔀 - Switch between mute/unmute (⌘T)

Additional Actions

• Open in Browser 🌐 - Open the current URL in your default browser (⌘B)
• Quit ⏻ - Exit the application (⌘Q)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Play	⌘P
Stop	⌘S
Restart	⌘R
Mute	⌘M
Toggle Audio	⌘T
Open in Browser	⌘B
Show Window	⌘W
Quit	⌘Q

Status Indicators

The Main screen shows your current playback state:

• 🟢 Playing - Audio is currently playing
• 🟠 Paused - Playback is paused
• ⚪️ Stopped - No active playback
• 🔵 Loading... - Extracting audio stream (with spinner)
• 🔴 Error - An error occurred (with details)

When muted, a 🔇 indicator appears next to the playback state.

Supported YouTube URL Formats

The app accepts these YouTube URL formats:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID

Troubleshooting

"yt-dlp is not installed" Error

Solution: Install yt-dlp using Homebrew:

brew install yt-dlp

If you've installed yt-dlp but still see the error, verify the installation:

which yt-dlp

"Unable to load the audio stream" Error

Possible causes and solutions:

1. Invalid URL: Verify the YouTube URL is correct
2. No internet connection: Check your network connection
3. Video unavailable: The video may be private, deleted, or region-locked
4. Live stream not started: Wait until the stream begins
5. yt-dlp needs update: Update yt-dlp to the latest version:

   brew upgrade yt-dlp

Technical Details

Architecture

• Language: Swift 5
• Frameworks: SwiftUI, AVFoundation, AppKit, Combine
• External Tools: yt-dlp (for audio extraction)
• Minimum macOS: 13.0 (Ventura)

Version Pattern

Version numbers follow the pattern: YYYY.M.N

• YYYY: Year (e.g., 2026)
• M: Month (1-12)
• N: Release number for that month

Example: 2026.1.1 = First release in January 2026

FAQ

Q: Does this download videos? A: No, it streams audio directly without downloading.

Q: Can I play regular videos (not just live streams)? A: Yes! Despite the name, it works with any YouTube video or live stream.

Q: Does it work with private/unlisted videos? A: Only if the URL is publicly accessible. Private and members-only videos won't work.

Q: Is there a Windows/Linux version? A: Not currently. This is a macOS-specific application.

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Made with ❤️ for the macOS community

Current Version: 2026.1.1 | Released: January 2026