Note

Thanks to matt8707, I made this project based on youtube-watching

If you prefer not to depend on AppDaemon, or you want to add the `entity_picture` attribute to the Apple TV

Check this

1. A cookies.txt file is still required

2. Your version of yt-dlp must be 2025.03.31 or later. Even if your Home Assistant core version is 2025.4.1, you still need to update it.

   2-1. Log in to the console window. It’s not an ssh addon or putty!

   2-2. Run login

   2-3. Run docker exec -it homeassistant /bin/bash

   2-4. Run pip install -U yt-dlp

   2-5. Run python3 -c "import yt_dlp; print(yt_dlp.version.__version__)" (Verify that the update is complete. If it outputs 2025.03.31, then it’s OK.)

3. In the /config(homeassistant)/python(any folder name)/, create two files: youtube_thumbnail.py and set_entity_picture.py.

4. Add the following to /config/secrets.yaml:
   ha_host: "http://{your_ha_ip}:8123"
ha_token: "{yout-long-lived-token}"

5. Insert the following code into youtube_thumbnail.py:

import yt_dlp
import json

URL = "https://www.youtube.com/feed/history"

ydl_opts = {
   "cookiefile": "/config/python/.cookies.txt",
   "skip_download": True,
   "playlist_items": "1",
   "quiet": True,
   "no_warnings": True,
}

with yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(ydl_opts) as ydl:
   info = ydl.extract_info(URL, download=False)
   data = ydl.sanitize_info(info)
   entry = data.get("entries", [data])[0]
   print(
       json.dumps(
           {
               "channel": entry.get("channel"),
               "title": entry.get("fulltitle"),
               "video_id": entry.get("id"),
               "thumbnail": entry.get("thumbnail"),
               "original_url": entry.get("original_url"),
           },
           indent=2,
       )
   )

6. Insert the following code into set_entity_picture.py: But I found that from secrets import get_secret didn’t work, so I just put the TOKEN and HOST right in.

import argparse
import requests
import yaml

with open('/config/secrets.yaml') as f:
    secrets = yaml.safe_load(f)

HOST = get_secret("ha_host")
TOKEN = get_secret("ha_token")


def update_entity_picture(entity_id, entity_picture):
    url = f"{HOST}/api/states/{entity_id}"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {TOKEN}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        data = response.json()
        data["attributes"]["entity_picture"] = entity_picture
        response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
        if response.status_code == 200:
            print("ok")
        else:
            print("Error posting update: ", response.text)
    else:
        print("Error retrieving state: ", response.text)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="update entity_picture")
    parser.add_argument("--entity_id", required=True, help="entity_id")
    parser.add_argument("--entity_picture", required=True, help="entity_picture")
    args = parser.parse_args()
    update_entity_picture(args.entity_id, args.entity_picture)

7. Add the following command_line sensor to /config/configuration.yaml:

command_line:
  - sensor:
      name: youtube_thumbnail
      command: "python3 /config/python/youtube_thumbnail.py"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.thumbnail }}"
      json_attributes:
        - channel
        - title
        - video_id
        - thumbnail
        - original_url
      scan_interval: 86400

8. Add the following shell_command to /config/configuration.yaml:

shell_command:
  set_entity_picture: "python3 /config/python/set_entity_picture.py --entity_id '{{ entity_id }}' --entity_picture '{{ entity_picture }}'"

9. Create an automation.

alias: Set youtube entity_picture
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id:
      - media_player.sovrum
      - media_player.vardagsrum
    to:
      - playing
      - paused
conditions:
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {% set entity_id = trigger.entity_id %}
      {% set youtube = 'sensor.youtube_thumbnail' %}

      {{ is_state_attr(entity_id, 'app_id', 'com.google.ios.youtube')
      and (state_attr(entity_id, 'media_artist') != state_attr(youtube, 'channel')) 
      and (state_attr(entity_id, 'media_title') != state_attr(youtube, 'title')) }}
actions:
  - action: homeassistant.update_entity
    data:
      entity_id:
        - sensor.youtube_thumbnail
  - action: shell_command.set_entity_picture
    data:
      entity_id: >
        {{ trigger.entity_id }}
      entity_picture: >
        {{ states('sensor.youtube_thumbnail') }}
mode: single

10. It’s done. Now, when you play or pause the Apple TV, the media_player.apple_tv (used as a trigger in the automation) will have an entity_picture attribute.

Youtube-Thumbnail

Make a thumbnail of a recently watched youtube video on apple tv as a homeassistant sensor

Prerequisites

Homeassistant

• You need an MQTT integration for MQTT discovery and a server running the MQTT broker.

Cookies

• To authenticate with youtube, you need to set a HTTP Cookie File.

In order to extract cookies from browser use any conforming browser extension for exporting cookies. For example, Get cookies.txt LOCALLY (for Chrome) or cookies.txt (for Firefox).

Tip

for Chrome

1. Open a new Incognito tab.
2. Open cookies.txt LOCALLY.
3. Export the cookies with Export Format: Netscape (You can also copy them if you prefer).
4. Close the Incognito tab.
5. Save the .txt file as /homeassistant/.youtube_cookies.txt

Warning

If you do not obtain cookies in an incognito tab, the cookies may expire very quickly.

Installation

Use HACS or Download the youtube_thumbnail.py file from inside the apps directory to your local apps directory. then add the configuration to enable the youtube_thumbnail module.

HACS

1. To use appdaemon, you must make appdaemon visible in your HACS settings. CHECK
2. You can now see appdaemon in the HACS tab. go to HACS tab
3. Three dots in the upper right > custom repositories >
   Add https://github.com/kkqq9320/Youtube-Thumbnail , type is appdaemon
4. Search Youtube-Thumbnail and install
5. If you're having trouble, CHECK
6. go to Next step

Manual

1. Download source code.zip and unzip.
2. go to Next step

Next step

Choose only one.

Change app_dir:

• Add app_dir: /homeassistant/appdaemon/apps on appdaemon.yaml

Copy youtube_thumbnail.py on default directory

1. Copy Youtube-Thumbnail/apps/youtube_thumbnail.py or /homeassistant/appdaemon/apps/Youtube-Thumbnail/youtube_thumbnail.py
2. Now you need to take this and paste it into your addon_config directory.
3. Paste file to /addon_configs/a0d7b954_appdaemon/apps/
4. /addon_config is one level above /homeassistant in the file structure. CHECK

Appdamon configuration

Caution

Note: /config will not work. Use /homeassistant instead, as /homeassistant = /config.

apps.yaml

key	required	type	default	description
module	Yes	string	youtube_thumbnail	The module name of the app.
class	Yes	string	YouTubeThumbnail	The name of the Class.
apple_tv_entity_id	Yes	string	media_player.apple_tv	Enter your Apple TV entity ID. Only one Apple TV is supported.
cookies_url	Yes	string	/homeassistant/.youtube_cookies.txt	Specify the path where you saved the .txt file.

## apps.yaml
youtube_thumbnail:
  module: youtube_thumbnail
  class: YouTubeThumbnail
  apple_tv_entity_id: media_player.4k
  cookies_url: /homeassistant/.youtube_cookies.txt

Supproted sensor types

Cookies Status Binary Sensor

Watching Thumbnail Sensor

• Thumbnail URL
  • Channel
  • Title
  • Video ID
  • Duration String
  • Thumbnail
  • Original url