Getting Your YouTube Videos into TubeZen
TubeZen summarizes YouTube videos so you can keep up with the channels you care about without watching everything end to end. Before it can summarize anything, it needs to know which videos you want. There are three ways to feed videos in — pick whichever fits how you watch:
Follow a channel — TubeZen keeps an eye on a creator and automatically summarizes their new uploads.
Use a playlist — TubeZen watches one of your YouTube playlists and grabs new videos you add to it.
Send videos with the Chrome extension — summarize any video on the spot, straight from YouTube, with one click.
Which method should I use?
| Method | Best for | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Follow a channel | Keeping up with specific creators automatically | Nothing extra |
| Use a playlist | Hand-picking videos by adding them to a YouTube playlist | Your YouTube account connected |
| Chrome extension | Grabbing a one-off video while browsing YouTube | Chrome + your YouTube account connected |
You can mix and match — most people follow a few channels and keep the extension handy for the occasional video they stumble on.
Where these settings live
Everything is in one place. From your dashboard, open YouTube → Settings. You'll see tabs down the left side:
Channel Follows — search for and follow creators (Method 1)
Playlist Follows — turn your YouTube playlists into auto-summary sources (Method 2)
YouTube Connection — connect your Google/YouTube account
Chrome Extension — generate the token that connects the extension (Method 3)
Tags — manage the tags used to organize your summaries
Connect YouTube first for playlists and the extension. Following a channel works on its own, but the playlist and Chrome extension methods need your YouTube account connected on the YouTube Connection tab. Connecting is a one-time Google sign-in.
A quick note on credits
Each video TubeZen summarizes uses one credit from your plan's monthly allowance. You can see how many credits you have left at the top of the Settings page. If you've added your own AI API key (Bring Your Own Keys), summaries are unlimited and don't draw from your credit balance.
Step-by-step guides
Ready to set one up? Each method has its own walkthrough:
Follow a YouTube Channel — automatic summaries of a creator's new uploads.
Sync Videos from a YouTube Playlist — use a new or existing playlist as a source.
Send Videos with the Chrome Extension — one-click summaries from YouTube itself.