Schedule YouTube Shorts
Quick answer
SchedulePost uploads videos to your YouTube channel through the YouTube Data API at the time you schedule, with the title, description and privacy you chose. YouTube decides whether the upload is a Short from the video itself, so upload a vertical or square clip that fits YouTube’s Shorts rules. Creator and Studio include a 7-day free trial with a card collected at checkout, then a paid subscription. Unlimited posts under fair use and provider limits, REST API and MCP are included.
Updated
How it works
- Connect your YouTube channel from the Channels screen with Google sign-in.
- Upload the vertical video and fill in the YouTube title (up to 100 characters) and description.
- Choose the privacy: public, unlisted or private. Public is the default.
- Pick the date and time, or add the post to the Smart Schedule queue.
- Check the Queue screen for what is waiting, and Sent for the YouTube result.
How a video becomes a Short
SchedulePost does not mark an upload as a Short, convert it, or add the #Shorts tag for you. It sends a normal video upload, and YouTube classifies it as a Short from the file, which should be vertical or square and within YouTube’s current Shorts length limit. Check YouTube Help for that limit, because YouTube changes it.
The upload uses the category People & Blogs and is declared as not made for kids. SchedulePost streams the file to YouTube and accepts files up to 512 MB.
Titles, descriptions and privacy
The YouTube title is limited to 100 characters, and if you leave it empty the first line of the caption is used. The description is sent as written, or the caption is used when it is empty. YouTube allows up to 5,000 bytes in a description and does not allow angle brackets in titles or descriptions; the free YouTube Shorts length checker measures both before you post.
Public publishes immediately at the scheduled time, unlisted needs the link, and private keeps the video to you.
Scheduling Shorts from code
POST /api/v1/schedule takes a video URL, a caption, the connection ids, a scheduledFor timestamp and the YouTube fields youtubeTitle, youtubeDescription and youtubePrivacy. POST /api/v1/queue takes the same body and picks the next free slot. Both need an API key with the posts:write permission, and the same operations are available through the MCP server.
YouTube Shorts scheduling facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Upload method | YouTube Data API resumable upload, up to 512 MB |
| Title | Up to 100 characters; first caption line if left empty |
| Description | Up to 5,000 bytes; caption used if left empty |
| Privacy | Public (default), unlisted or private |
| Marked as a Short by | YouTube, from the video file; SchedulePost does not convert it |
| Cost to schedule | Creator and Studio include a 7-day free trial with a card collected at checkout, then a paid subscription. Unlimited posts under fair use and provider limits, REST API and MCP are included. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I schedule YouTube Shorts ahead of time?
Yes. Pick a date and time, or add the video to the Smart Schedule queue. SchedulePost uploads it to your channel through the YouTube Data API when it is due.
How does YouTube decide a video is a Short?
YouTube decides from the video file, which should be vertical or square and within its current Shorts length limit. SchedulePost uploads a normal video with your title, description and privacy and does not convert or tag it.
What are the YouTube title and description limits?
A title can be up to 100 characters and a description up to 5,000 bytes, and neither may contain angle brackets.
Can I schedule a Short as private or unlisted?
Yes. Each post has a privacy setting of public, unlisted or private. Public is the default.
Is scheduling YouTube Shorts free?
Creator and Studio include a 7-day free trial with a card collected at checkout, then a paid subscription. Unlimited posts under fair use and provider limits, REST API and MCP are included.