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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/coah80/yoink/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Getting Yoink up and running takes only a few minutes if you already have Go and the required media tools installed. The entire server is a single compiled binary that serves both the REST API and the pre-built Svelte frontend from a public/ directory sitting next to the executable — no separate Node.js process, no reverse proxy required for basic use.
1
Install system dependencies
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Yoink relies on three external command-line tools at runtime. Install them using your system package manager before building.
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macOS (Homebrew)
brew install go yt-dlp ffmpeg gallery-dl
Ubuntu / Debian
# Go 1.24+ — use the official installer or snap
sudo snap install go --classic

# yt-dlp (recommended: install via pip for latest version)
sudo apt install python3-pip ffmpeg
pip3 install -U yt-dlp

# gallery-dl (optional — required only for image gallery downloads)
pip3 install -U gallery-dl
Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S go yt-dlp ffmpeg gallery-dl
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gallery-dl is optional. It is only needed if you plan to download image galleries. The rest of Yoink’s features work without it.
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ToolMin versionRequiredGo1.24+Yesyt-dlplatestYesffmpeg6.0+Yesgallery-dllatestOptional
6
Clone the repository
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git clone https://github.com/coah80/yoink.git
cd yoink
8
Configure environment variables
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Copy the example environment file and edit it with your values.
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cp .env.example .env
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Open .env in your editor. The table below shows the most important variables to set before your first run. See the Configuration page for the full reference.
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VariableDefaultNotesPORT3001Port the HTTP server listens onNODE_ENVdevelopmentSet to production for a live deploymentBOT_SECRET(none)Set this — protects bot endpoints from unauthorized accessCOBALT_APIShttps://co.eepy.todayComma-separated list of Cobalt API instances for the YouTube fast pathCOBALT_API_KEY(none)API key for authenticated Cobalt instancesOPENAI_API_KEY(none)Required only if you want AI transcription via Whisper
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If BOT_SECRET is not set, Yoink will print a warning at startup and all bot API endpoints will be accessible without authentication. Always set this value before exposing Yoink to the internet.
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You can supply multiple Cobalt instances as a comma-separated list in COBALT_APIS for redundancy:
COBALT_APIS=https://co.eepy.today,https://your-cobalt-instance.example.com
Yoink round-robins across them automatically.
15
Build the server binary
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make build
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This compiles the Go server and writes the output to ./yoink. The version string is embedded at compile time from the current git tag.
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Linux (cross-compile)
make linux
# Output: ./yoink-linux  (linux/amd64)
Windows (cross-compile)
make windows
# Output: ./yoink.exe  (windows/amd64)
Development (no compile step)
make run
# Runs: go run ./cmd/yoink
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Run the server
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./yoink
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The server starts on :3001 by default and prints a startup banner:
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  ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
  │         yoink-go v1.x.x          │
  │    media download api server     │
  └──────────────────────────────────┘
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Open http://localhost:3001 in your browser to see the Svelte frontend. The API is available at the same origin under /api/.
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Yoink stores temporary files in /var/tmp/yoink. Make sure the process user has write access to that path. The directory structure is created automatically on first start.
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(Optional) Build and run the Discord bot
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If you want slash command support in Discord, build the companion bot binary separately.
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make bot
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This produces ./yoink-bot. Before running the bot, add the following variables to your .env file — the bot will exit immediately if any required value is missing.
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VariableRequiredDefaultDescriptionDISCORD_TOKENYes(none)Discord bot token from the Discord Developer Portal.DISCORD_APP_IDYes(none)Application (client) ID of your Discord application.BOT_SECRETYes(none)Shared secret that must match BOT_SECRET on the Yoink server.YOINK_API_URLNohttp://localhost:3003Internal URL the bot uses to reach the Yoink API.YOINK_PUBLIC_URLNo(value of YOINK_API_URL)Public-facing URL embedded in bot response messages. Defaults to YOINK_API_URL if not set.
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./yoink-bot
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To cross-compile the bot for a Linux server in one step, use make linux-bot, which outputs ./yoink-bot-linux (linux/amd64).
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Available bot slash commands once registered:
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CommandDescription/yoinkDownload a video or audio file by URL/convertConvert an uploaded file to a different format/compressCompress a video to a target file size

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Next Steps

Configuration

Review all environment variables, compiled-in limits, and allowed format options.

Self-Hosting Requirements

Set up a reverse proxy, systemd service, and production environment.

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