[GH-ISSUE #49] Extension does not update cookie when it is already set

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:57 +00:00

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Originally created by @CommanderRedYT on GitHub (Nov 20, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/tubearchivist/browser-extension/issues/49

I have a old cookie that is blocked by youtube. When I delete it and re-sync the cookie, it works again (also works without cookie). But it seems the extension only updates it when it is empty.

Originally created by @CommanderRedYT on GitHub (Nov 20, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/tubearchivist/browser-extension/issues/49 I have a old cookie that is blocked by youtube. When I delete it and re-sync the cookie, it works again (also works without cookie). But it seems the extension only updates it when it is empty.

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2026-03-23 20:31:57 +00:00

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mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:58 +00:00

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@ajw107 commented on GitHub (Dec 7, 2024):

I have the same problem, tubearchivist not getting new videos due to an issue with the cookie it is using (I assume too old). Luckily there is an even easier workaround, you don;t need to delete the old cookie, in the extension just untick Option -> Sync Youtube Cookies, and then tick it again. Saves having to scroll through tubearchivist's settings until the issue is fixed.

@ajw107 commented on GitHub (Dec 7, 2024): I have the same problem, tubearchivist not getting new videos due to an issue with the cookie it is using (I assume too old). Luckily there is an even easier workaround, you don;t need to delete the old cookie, in the extension just untick Option -> Sync Youtube Cookies, and then tick it again. Saves having to scroll through tubearchivist's settings until the issue is fixed.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:59 +00:00

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@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Dec 8, 2024):

Yeah, this probably shouldn't have been a checkbox, a button would have been more appropriate.

The goal of that functionality is to copy the cookie on demand. Currently that will happen, once the checkbox is set to true.

Permanent sync would be another solution but will have potential sideffects, e.g. if you switch Google accounts.

I think first step is to change the UI and make this a button instead. If you want to look into, please do.

@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Dec 8, 2024): Yeah, this probably shouldn't have been a checkbox, a button would have been more appropriate. The goal of that functionality is to copy the cookie on demand. Currently that will happen, once the checkbox is set to true. Permanent sync would be another solution but will have potential sideffects, e.g. if you switch Google accounts. I think first step is to change the UI and make this a button instead. If you want to look into, please do.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:59 +00:00

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@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025):

@ajw107 @bbilly1 Is unchecking and rechecking still a fix for this? I'm having the same issue, but unchecking/rechecking is not allowing me to download videos again. I've even cleared my YouTube cookie out of my browser before, during, and after this process to see if I can force create a new YouTube cookie. Whatever I do, TA will not download. Am I missing something about the how the YouTube cookie and the TA cookie sync works?

Edit to add: I've also tinkered with configuring my entire home network to connect to a VPN using my NordVPN account, and applying an OpenVPN manual configuration. I've got Ubiquiti UniFi hardware, so this is fairly straight forward to do. Neither using a VPN configuration or attempting to generate and sync a new YouTube cookie is working for me.

@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025): @ajw107 @bbilly1 Is unchecking and rechecking still a fix for this? I'm having the same issue, but unchecking/rechecking is not allowing me to download videos again. I've even cleared my YouTube cookie out of my browser before, during, and after this process to see if I can force create a new YouTube cookie. Whatever I do, TA will not download. Am I missing something about the how the YouTube cookie and the TA cookie sync works? Edit to add: I've also tinkered with configuring my entire home network to connect to a VPN using my NordVPN account, and applying an OpenVPN manual configuration. I've got Ubiquiti UniFi hardware, so this is fairly straight forward to do. Neither using a VPN configuration or attempting to generate and sync a new YouTube cookie is working for me.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:59 +00:00

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@CommanderRedYT commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025):

@amanofcharacter My solution was to also always use chrome and deactivate cookie sync for Firefox. With that it worked

@CommanderRedYT commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025): @amanofcharacter My solution was to also always use chrome and deactivate cookie sync for Firefox. With that it worked

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:31:59 +00:00

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@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025):

@CommanderRedYT Thanks, I'll try that out

@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025): @CommanderRedYT Thanks, I'll try that out

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:00 +00:00

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@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025):

@CommanderRedYT Hm, that didn't seem to work for me. So I was using FireFox before. Here's what I tried:

Downloaded and installed Chrome
Unchecked the FireFox cookie sync in the TA extebsion
Logged into YouTube on chrome
Added the TA extension and synced the cookie

I still get downloads that attempt to start, but only make it about 10% and then stop. Then they seem to start again, but also stop again. My current error for most videos is the "ERROR: unable to download video data: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden".

Prior to trying out the VPN method, the error was telling me to sign in to confirm I'm not a bot.

EDIT: To anyone who might find this, my issue appeared to be an issue with TubeArchivist not having the latest version of yt-dlp. This was an issue arsing for many people on/after January 15th, 2025. I and many others solved the issue by running the console on the Docker container for TA (I'm using Unraid), and updating yt-dlp with the command "pip install --upgrade yt-dlp"

@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 18, 2025): @CommanderRedYT Hm, that didn't seem to work for me. So I was using FireFox before. Here's what I tried: - Downloaded and installed Chrome - Unchecked the FireFox cookie sync in the TA extebsion - Logged into YouTube on chrome - Added the TA extension and synced the cookie I still get downloads that attempt to start, but only make it about 10% and then stop. Then they seem to start again, but also stop again. My current error for most videos is the "ERROR: unable to download video data: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden". Prior to trying out the VPN method, the error was telling me to sign in to confirm I'm not a bot. EDIT: To anyone who might find this, my issue appeared to be an issue with TubeArchivist not having the latest version of yt-dlp. This was an issue arsing for many people on/after January 15th, 2025. I and many others solved the issue by running the console on the Docker container for TA (I'm using Unraid), and updating yt-dlp with the command "pip install --upgrade yt-dlp"

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:00 +00:00

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@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025):

Please stay on topic: This issue is about how the checkbox "Sync youtube cookies" really should be a button called "Copy YouTube cookies" that does that as advertised on click.

If you want to help implement that, please open a PR for that.

An no, using cookies is not a guarantee that YT is not blocking you, as using cookies makes every of your requests personally identifiable and attributable to you and your account. So that makes things easier for YT to block you.

@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025): Please stay on topic: This issue is about how the checkbox "Sync youtube cookies" really should be a button called "Copy YouTube cookies" that does that as advertised on click. If you want to help implement that, please open a PR for that. An no, using cookies is not a guarantee that YT is not blocking you, as using cookies makes every of your requests personally identifiable and attributable to you and your account. So that makes things easier for YT to block you.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:00 +00:00

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@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025):

Id call it on topic…

My issue has since been resolved. The sync checkbox was very apparently not adding/updating the cookie. At this point in time when I encountered what seemed to be the same issue, on/around 1/16/2025, TA was not down long for a lot of people, related to an update to YT-dlp. I’d get the 403 error, but also the “sign in” error. Before I found additional discussion around YT-dlp update, fixable by manual update, I observed that unchecking/re-checking appeared to update the cookie, but download behavior remained unchanged. Errors regarding “sign in” remained as this error. That’s how I got here, given the thread title.

Only after updating YT-dlp could I download again. At that point I did not have my cookie syncing. In a couple hours, boom, “sign in error” again. Hit sync, problem solved, unlike before the update, where it wasn’t solved.

So, whether the need for YT-dlp update was causing the cookie not to sync, or just was coincidence? I don’t know, I can’t say. But that was the verifiable visible behavior.

I’m totally new to TA, only got it a week ago.

Edit: And yeah, obviously syncing a cookie gives them identifiable info, I didn’t say that it doesn’t. I’m working off TA’s own guides that discuss both syncing and unsyncing as a means for getting out of a soft ban, both things that I have now observed to be possible. Given that you’re essentially changing who the site recognizes you to be by tracking cookies, akin to using VPN to change IP, it makes perfect sense.

@amanofcharacter commented on GitHub (Jan 19, 2025): Id call it on topic… My issue has since been resolved. The sync checkbox was very _apparently_ not adding/updating the cookie. At this point in time when I encountered what seemed to be the same issue, on/around 1/16/2025, TA was not down long for a lot of people, related to an update to YT-dlp. I’d get the 403 error, but also the “sign in” error. Before I found additional discussion around YT-dlp update, fixable by manual update, I observed that unchecking/re-checking _appeared_ to update the cookie, but download behavior remained _unchanged_. Errors regarding “sign in” _remained_ as this error. That’s how I got here, given the thread title. Only after updating YT-dlp could I download again. At that point I did not have my cookie syncing. In a couple hours, boom, “sign in error” again. Hit sync, problem solved, unlike before the update, where it wasn’t solved. So, whether the need for YT-dlp update was _causing_ the cookie not to sync, or just was coincidence? I don’t know, I can’t say. But that was the verifiable visible behavior. I’m totally new to TA, only got it a week ago. Edit: And yeah, obviously syncing a cookie gives them identifiable info, I didn’t say that it doesn’t. I’m working off TA’s own guides that discuss both syncing and unsyncing as a means for getting out of a soft ban, both things that I have now observed to be possible. Given that you’re essentially changing who the site recognizes you to be by tracking cookies, akin to using VPN to change IP, it makes perfect sense.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:01 +00:00

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@Kozi801 commented on GitHub (Jan 26, 2025):

I am getting the same issue. Did someone get a solution? I am already to the latest version fo yt-dlp. Is there a specific command to update yt-dlp within tubearchivist correctly.

@Kozi801 commented on GitHub (Jan 26, 2025): I am getting the same issue. Did someone get a solution? I am already to the latest version fo yt-dlp. Is there a specific command to update yt-dlp within tubearchivist correctly.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:01 +00:00

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@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Jan 28, 2025):

There is an attempt of "continuous sync" here: https://github.com/tubearchivist/browser-extension/tree/release-TA-v0.5.0, only for your unstable builds. That introduces a onChange listener for the cookies on YT, and sync the cookies when something changes. It's quite aggressive, but so far effective.

@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Jan 28, 2025): There is an attempt of "continuous sync" here: https://github.com/tubearchivist/browser-extension/tree/release-TA-v0.5.0, only for your unstable builds. That introduces a onChange listener for the cookies on YT, and sync the cookies when something changes. It's quite aggressive, but so far effective.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:32:01 +00:00

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@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Mar 9, 2025):

OK, continuous cookie sync cookies is shipped with v0.4.0, please update.

@bbilly1 commented on GitHub (Mar 9, 2025): OK, continuous cookie sync cookies is shipped with v0.4.0, please update.

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2026-03-23 20:32:16 +00:00

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2026-03-23 20:32:16 +00:00

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[GH-ISSUE #49] Extension does not update cookie when it is already set #33