---
title: "YouTube Data API key"
description: "Add a YouTube Data API key to monitor YouTube: where to get the key, the daily quota to plan around, and troubleshooting."
source: https://backtalk.sh/docs/youtube
---
# YouTube Data API key

YouTube has no keyless search, so BackTalk needs your own **YouTube Data API v3** key to monitor it. It's a free Google Cloud key: you're not billed, but there's a daily quota to plan around.

## What it unlocks

- Monitoring of **YouTube** for your keywords.

This key is **required** for YouTube. Without it, YouTube is skipped during a sync.

## Get your API key

1. Open the [**Google Cloud Console → Credentials**](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials) and select or create a project.
2. In **APIs & Services → Library**, search for **YouTube Data API v3** and click **Enable**.
3. Back on **Credentials**, choose **Create credentials → API key**.
4. Copy the key. It starts with `AIza…`. (Optionally restrict it to the YouTube Data API v3 for safety.)

> This is a **YouTube Data API** key, not a Gemini key. They look alike (`AIza…`), but this one must have the YouTube Data API v3 enabled on its project; otherwise scoring works but YouTube sync fails.

## Add it in BackTalk

1. Go to [**Settings**](/app/settings/providers) and find the **YouTube Data API** card under Data sources.
2. Paste your `AIza…` key.
3. **Save.** BackTalk validates the key and stores it encrypted.

## Quota to plan around

The key is free but quota-limited by Google:

- **10,000 quota units per day**, and each keyword search costs **100 units**.
- That's YouTube's tightest budget of any source, so expect to watch **fewer keywords** here than on other platforms, or the daily quota runs out.

There's no dollar cost; if you exceed the quota, YouTube sync pauses until it resets (midnight Pacific).

## Troubleshooting

- **"The provider rejected that API key."** The YouTube Data API v3 isn't enabled on the key's project, or the key is restricted to a different API. Enable it and re-check restrictions.
- **quotaExceeded errors.** You've spent the day's 10,000 units. Reduce the number of YouTube keywords or wait for the daily reset.
- **No results despite a valid key.** Confirm you have keywords and that the key's project has the API enabled (not just created).

> **Your key stays private.** It's encrypted at rest and only decrypted server-side at sync time. It is never returned to your browser and never logged. Settings shows only a masked hint.
>
> **Rotating your key:** create a new API key in the Google Cloud Console, paste it into Settings to replace the old one, then delete the previous key.