How to get a Google API key

1. Sign in to the Google Cloud Console.
2. Create a new project (or select an existing one) from the project dropdown.
3. Open APIs & Services → Library, search for YouTube Data API v3, and click Enable.
4. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → API key.
5. Copy the generated key.
6. Paste it into Video Sync → Settings and save.

That’s all Video Sync needs — no billing account, no app verification, and no OAuth consent screen.

API key vs OAuth — which does Video Sync use?

Video Sync uses a plain API key, not OAuth. An API key is all that’s required to read public YouTube data — videos, playlists, and channels — which is everything Video Sync imports. You do not need to configure an OAuth consent screen or sign in with a Google account. If a guide tells you to set up OAuth, that’s for apps acting on a user’s private account, which Video Sync never does.

Keeping your API key secure

Because the key only reads public data, the main risk is quota theft rather than data exposure — but it’s still worth restricting:

• Under Credentials → your key → API restrictions, restrict it to the YouTube Data API v3 only.
• For Application restrictions, an IP address restriction set to your server’s IP is the safest fit, since Video Sync’s requests come from your server, not a browser. Avoid HTTP referrer restrictions — they’re meant for browser-side calls and will block Video Sync’s server-side requests.
• Never paste your key into front-end code, shortcodes, or public posts.

Understanding your YouTube API quota

Google grants every project 10,000 quota units per day, free, resetting at midnight Pacific Time. Different calls cost different amounts:

• Reading a list of videos, playlists, or channel data costs roughly 1 unit per request.
• Each request returns up to 50 items, so a 500-video channel takes about 10 list calls to page through.
• Importing a channel typically costs at least 2 calls, plus roughly 1 per 50 videos.

Most sites stay well under 10,000 units a day. You’ll only approach the limit when first importing very large channels, or when running frequent recurring syncs across many channels (Pro).

The pre-sync quota estimate

Before any sync, Video Sync shows an estimate of how many units the job will cost, so you can confirm a large import fits within your remaining daily quota before you run it. Use it to stage big first-time imports across multiple days if needed.

Conserving quota

• Run large initial imports in batches rather than all at once.
• On recurring rules (Pro), choose the longest interval that still meets your needs — daily instead of hourly where possible.
• Use filter conditions (Pro) to import only the items you actually want instead of an entire channel.
• Prefer “update specific” actions (Pro) over “update all” so syncs touch fewer items.

Requesting a higher quota

If you genuinely need more than 10,000 units a day, you can apply for an increase in the Google Cloud Console under APIs & Services → YouTube Data API v3 → Quotas. Google reviews these requests manually and may ask how your app uses the data, so allow time for approval.

Fixing API key and quota errors

If a sync fails with an API or quota error, check these in order:

1. API not enabled — The YouTube Data API v3 specifically must be enabled on your Cloud project, not just any Google API.
2. Key restrictions too tight — An HTTP-referrer restriction, or an IP restriction that doesn’t match your server, will block requests. Switch to an IP restriction set to your server’s IP, or temporarily remove restrictions to test.
3. Wrong or revoked key — Re-copy the key from Credentials and confirm it wasn’t deleted or regenerated.
4. Daily quota exhausted — A quotaExceeded error means you’ve used your 10,000 units. Wait for the midnight-Pacific reset, request a higher quota, or use the pre-sync estimate to plan smaller batches.