YouTube API approval: what it actually takes

The real timeline

Dates from PostWire's own submission, not an estimate.

• 17 Jun 2026
  Branding verified and published; verification for data access submitted.

Gotchas nobody documents

• Before verification, only accounts you add as test users can authorize your app at all.
• Before verification, uploads are forced to private regardless of the privacy status you request. This is not a bug in your code and no parameter overrides it.
• Google's refresh response omits the refresh token — you have to preserve the original or you lose access silently on the next rotation.
• Uploads use the resumable endpoint, not a simple POST. You initialise a session, then PUT the bytes.

Media requirements

Video required.

Or skip the review entirely

PostWire has already been through this. You post through PostWire's approved app, so there is no submission, no demo video and no waiting.

curl -X POST https://postwire.io/api/post \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTWIRE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"platforms":["youtube"],"text":"Shipped."}'

Or, from an AI agent, one MCP tool call: npx -y postwire-mcp then post_to_social.

Questions people actually ask

Do I need approval to post to YouTube via API?

Yes. Uploading video needs the youtube.upload scope, which Google classes as sensitive, so your OAuth consent screen has to pass verification. Until it does, your app still works — but with two limits that surprise people.

Can I skip YouTube approval by using PostWire?

Yes. PostWire has already been through this review, so you post to YouTube through PostWire's approved app with one REST call or one MCP tool call, and never file a submission yourself.

See every platform side by side on the API approval index.