Pinchflat

A lightweight self-hosted YouTube downloader that follows channels and playlists by rule and saves new videos for Plex, Jellyfin or Kodi.

5.4k stars, 193 forks Elixir On GitHub since January 2024

View on GitHub How to run it
Development has slowed down. No commits in the last 90 days; the latest on 16 December 2025. Active alternatives: MeTube, Tube Archivist, Invidious.

Pinchflat at a glance

Open sourceYes, AGPL-3.0No paid parts in the repository
Health6 of 100Slowing down
Self-hostingDockerCompose file, 1 service
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesNo repliesNone of the recent issues got an answer from the team

What is Pinchflat?

Pinchflat uses yt-dlp to download YouTube content according to rules you set per channel or playlist, then checks periodically for new uploads. It is designed to be self-contained and easy to run, and it saves files to disk for a media center app or VLC rather than playing them itself. Single videos work, but it is built for channels and playlists. Optional username and password protection and environment variables control the instance.

Good fit if

  • You want new videos from favorite channels to land in your Plex, Jellyfin or Kodi library automatically.
  • You prefer a small single-container app over a larger stack.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want an actively developed archive with search and playback: Tube Archivist.
  • You want to paste links and download on demand: MeTube.

Before you adopt it

Pinchflat is AGPL-3.0 and has nothing paid. Activity is slowing: the last commit was in December 2025 and the last release in September 2025, so consider the active alternatives above. It runs from one Docker container, with guides for Unraid and Portainer.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

How to run Pinchflat yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 1 service
Setup effort
1 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: the README on GitHub.

Pinchflat health: is it still maintained?

6 of 100, slowing down

Release rhythmNone in 12 monthsLatest: v2025.9.26, 26 September 2025
Issue repliesNo repliesNone of the recent issues got an answer from the team
Bus factorNo recent commitsNobody committed in the last 90 days
  • Activity
    No commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 16 December 2025.
    0 / 30
  • Contributors
    Nobody committed in the last 90 days.
    0 / 20
  • Releases
    0 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v2025.9.26, on 26 September 2025.
    1 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 0% of recent issues.
    0 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 6 November 2026. How the score works

Pinchflat license: is it open source?

Pinchflat uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. January 2024First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayAGPL-3.0.

Pinchflat for developers

Written in

  • Elixir 89%
  • HTML 8%
  • JavaScript 2%
  • Dockerfile <1%
  • CSS <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues204On GitHub
Authors, 90 daysNoneNo commits in the last 90 days

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to Pinchflat

  • MeTubeSelf-hosted video downloader for YouTube and other sites (web UI for yt-dlp) 81 health · AGPL-3.0 · 15.2k stars
  • Tube ArchivistYour self hosted YouTube media server 72 health · GPL-3.0 · 8.6k stars
  • InvidiousInvidious is an alternative front-end to YouTube 75 health · AGPL-3.0 · 25.9k stars
  • MediaCMSMediaCMS is a modern, fully featured open source video and media CMS 63 health · AGPL-3.0 · 5.2k stars
  • SeerrOpen-source media request and discovery manager for Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby. 82 health · MIT · 13.1k stars

All 23 projects in Media servers & streaming

Questions about Pinchflat

Is Pinchflat open source?

Yes. Pinchflat is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Pinchflat still maintained?

Its health score is 6 of 100 (slowing down). It had no commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 16 December 2025, and its latest release came out on 26 September 2025.

How do I run Pinchflat?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is Pinchflat written in?

Pinchflat is written mainly in Elixir (89% of the code), with HTML (8%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to Pinchflat?

Close alternatives in the Media servers & streaming category include MeTube, Tube Archivist, Invidious.