To view YouTube videos in Kodi (or anything except a browser) a user
must now register for Google's API. Minitube (in the repos) seems to be exempt.

See: https://console.developers.google.com/apis/

Yes, I needed to register as a developer. I needed to link the API to
my Google account. Google Help has published a HOWTO. There are a few walk-through videos on YouTube, but even those from 2019 tend to be out
of date.

I had been notified of this change earlier, but RPMs come with a key put
there by Mageia, which worked until this week.

Having obtained my 3-part API key, my next problem was to tell Kodi the details. In Kodi the settings menu entry was disabled, and left me in
an endless loop. Others have found the process equally frustrating.
Reading what they had done, the recommended fix was to uninstall the
addon completely, then reinstall it, then cross your fingers. In my
case, there were 3 other addons dependent on YouTube, and Kodi wouldn't
let me remove it.

Finally, I read that the key is stored in a Json file,
~/.kodi/userdata/addon_data/plugin.video.youtube/api_keys.json

The file is quite straightforward. I made a copy of it in my Home
directory, completed the required details, then copied it back over the original. On the basis of others' experience, I didn't expect it to
work, but it did.

Doug.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.13 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/0@fidonet)

On 5/3/20 11:22 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

To view YouTube videos in Kodi (or anything except a browser) a user
must now register for Google's API. Minitube (in the repos) seems to be exempt.

See: https://console.developers.google.com/apis/

Yes, I needed to register as a developer.  I needed to  link the API to
my Google account.  Google Help has published a HOWTO.  There are a few walk-through videos on YouTube, but even those from 2019 tend to be out
of date.

I had been notified of this change earlier, but RPMs come with a key put there by Mageia, which worked until this week.

Having obtained my 3-part API key, my next problem was to tell Kodi the details.  In Kodi the settings menu entry was disabled, and left me in
an endless loop.  Others have found the process equally frustrating. Reading what they had done, the recommended fix was to uninstall the
addon completely, then reinstall it, then cross your fingers.  In my
case, there were 3 other addons dependent on YouTube, and Kodi wouldn't
let me remove it.

Finally, I read that the key is stored in a Json file,
 ~/.kodi/userdata/addon_data/plugin.video.youtube/api_keys.json

The file is quite straightforward.  I made a copy of it in my Home directory, completed the required details, then copied it back over the original.  On the basis of others' experience, I didn't expect it to
work, but it did.

Doug.

For Minitube, which is in the repos, there was nowhere to alter the key.
I could have downloaded and edited the SRPM or the .deb, but that
would not outlast the present release. The answer provided was to
create an environment variable, called

GOOGLE_API_KEY

I put the code into my .bashrc. It may be useful there for something
else, as well.



--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.13 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)