Description:
ytdlp fails to extract YouTube URL from mixed text (non-URL prefix / multilingual text)
When passing input that contains a valid YouTube link embedded within additional text (including timestamps, labels, or non-English characters), the downloader fails to parse the URL and throws a generic URL validation error.
Example input:
[2026-03-26 18:06] Stash: https://youtu.be/Xlw1bbivnio
Error:
ERROR: [generic] '[2026-03-26 18:06] Stash: https://youtu.be/Xlw1bbivnio' is not a valid URL
Expected behavior:
The application should robustly extract and process any type(short/long) valid YouTube URLs even when they are embedded within surrounding text, regardless of:
- Prefix/suffix text (timestamps, labels, logs, etc.)
- Language or character set
- Mixed or unstructured input
Actual behavior:
The entire string is treated as a URL, causing validation failure instead of isolating the valid link.
Environment:
Suggested improvement:
Implement URL extraction/parsing logic that:
- Detects and isolates valid URLs within arbitrary text
- Supports multilingual and mixed-character input
- Gracefully ignores surrounding non-URL content
Impact:
Prevents batch processing or automation workflows where URLs are embedded in logs, chat exports, or multilingual text sources.
Description:
ytdlp fails to extract YouTube URL from mixed text (non-URL prefix / multilingual text)
When passing input that contains a valid YouTube link embedded within additional text (including timestamps, labels, or non-English characters), the downloader fails to parse the URL and throws a generic URL validation error.
Example input:
Error:
Expected behavior:
The application should robustly extract and process any type(short/long) valid YouTube URLs even when they are embedded within surrounding text, regardless of:
Actual behavior:
The entire string is treated as a URL, causing validation failure instead of isolating the valid link.
Environment:
Suggested improvement:
Implement URL extraction/parsing logic that:
Impact:
Prevents batch processing or automation workflows where URLs are embedded in logs, chat exports, or multilingual text sources.