Follow a YouTube channel and ZombyIO posts each new upload in a Discord channel you pick. Shorts can go to the same channel, to a channel of their own, or nowhere.
Takes about 3 minutesFree, Premium raises limits
What you will end up with
When a creator you follow uploads, ZombyIO posts your message in the channel you picked, with the YouTube player underneath or a card in your colour. The post usually arrives a few minutes after the upload, not the same second.
videos
ZombyIOAppToday at 14:32
@YouTube pings Retro Lab just uploaded a new video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3pQ7vLm2A
Building a mechanical keyboard from scratch
Retro Lab
Where to find it
Open the dashboard, pick your server and choose YouTube notifications in the sidebar (on a phone: under Features in the bar at the bottom). That is two clicks from your server list. You can also press Ctrl K anywhere in the dashboard and type the name.
In the dashboard, pick your server and choose YouTube notifications in the sidebar. The feature is already switched on for a new server, so the switch in the coloured banner at the top shows Enabled. Nothing is posted until you have added a creator and picked a channel for them.
Everything on the page, including the switch, is only stored when you press Save in the bar at the bottom.
Tip
Switching the feature off keeps every creator and every setting. It only stops the posts, and uploads made while it is off are not posted later.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeYouTube notificationsEnabledFollow a YouTube channel and ZombyIO posts every new upload in your server, usually a few minutes after it goes live.Set it upAdd a YouTube channelPaste the address of the channel or type its @name. We look it up straight away.Pick where the announcements goOne channel per creator. Shorts can go somewhere else further down.Switch the feature onNothing is posted in your server until this is on.
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Step 2: Add a YouTube channel
Under Add a YouTube channel, paste the creator’s channel address or type their @name, then press Look it up. These all work:
@retrolab or just retrolab
youtube.com/@retrolab
youtube.com/channel/UC…, or the channel id starting with UC on its own
the older youtube.com/c/… and youtube.com/user/… addresses
The page answers with the channel’s name and its latest upload, so you can check it found the right one. A link to a single video does not work: open the creator’s channel page and copy that address instead.
You can follow 2 creators on the free plan and 50 with Premium. The counter under the field shows how many you have used.
Tip
Adding a creator only puts them on the page. They are followed once you press Save.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeYouTube channel@retrolabLook it upFound Retro Lab · Latest upload: Building a mechanical keyboard from scratch1 of 2 channels · Premium follows up to 50 channels.
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Step 3: Pick where the announcements go
Each creator gets a card under Creators you follow. In Videos go to, pick the channel for their uploads. A creator without a channel stays silent. If your server has only one channel in the list, it is picked for you.
Under Ping this role you can pick a role to mention in the announcement. Left empty, nobody is pinged. Only the role you pick here is ever pinged: an @everyone or a role name in a video title stays plain text.
Important
ZombyIO needs to see the channel, send messages and embed links there, or the announcement never appears. There is no error in the channel when this goes wrong. See roles and permissions.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeCreators you followEach one has its own channel, its own ping and, if you want, its own wording.Retro Lab@retrolab · SubscribedVideos go to#videosPing this role@YouTube pingsLeft empty, the announcement pings nobody.Announce this creatorOff keeps every setting here and stops the announcements.
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Step 4: Decide what happens to Shorts
Under What about Shorts? each creator has three choices:
Same channel: Shorts are posted next to the long videos. This is the default.
A channel of their own: pick a channel in Shorts go to. If you leave it empty, Shorts go nowhere; they never fall back to the video channel.
Do not announce: only long videos are posted.
A creator who posts a Short every day then does not fill your video channel.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeWhat about Shorts?Same channelShorts are announced next to the long videos.A channel of their ownA creator posting a Short a day then does not fill the video channel.Do not announceOnly the long videos are posted.Shorts go to#shorts
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Step 5: Choose what the announcement says
Under What the announcement says, pick a starting point: Just the link, With a ping or A card of our own. A new server starts on With a ping. Each one sets the message text and the look together; change either by hand and the page shows Your own mix.
Under How should the video look?, YouTube player lets Discord show its own preview, so members watch without leaving the server. A card of our own shows the thumbnail on a card in your colour, but members have to click through to watch.
In Message for a new video you can use {title} for the video title, {url} for the link, {author} for the channel name and {mention} for the role being pinged.
Tip
A preset does not pick the role. The ping comes from Ping this role on each creator’s card, and only where the text contains {mention}.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeWhat the announcement saysUsed for every creator, unless one of them has wording of its own.Pick a starting pointJust the linkOne line and the player underneath. Nobody is pinged.With a pingThe same, with a role mentioned in front so people notice.A card of our ownThe thumbnail on a card in your colour, instead of the player.How should the video look?YouTube playerDiscord shows its own preview and members watch without leaving the server.A card of our ownYour colour and the thumbnail, but members have to click through to watch.Message for a new video{mention} **{author}** just uploaded a new video.
{url}
videos
ZombyIOAppToday at 14:32
@YouTube pings Retro Lab just uploaded a new video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3pQ7vLm2A
Building a mechanical keyboard from scratch
Retro Lab
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Step 6: Save and wait for the next upload
Press Save. From then on, ZombyIO checks for new uploads every minute for a creator who uploads daily, less often the less they upload, and at most ten minutes apart for one who has been quiet for months. YouTube’s feed can itself run up to 15 minutes behind, so expect the post a few minutes after the video goes live, and up to half an hour after a long quiet spell. With very many creators followed across ZombyIO, the checks are spaced further apart. There is no test button: the first real post comes with the creator’s next upload.
Nothing older is posted when you add a creator, so their back catalogue stays out of your channel. A video that is edited later is not posted again.
Tip
The badge on each card says Subscribed or Connecting. It shows whether YouTube has confirmed a subscription for that creator. Posts work either way, so Connecting is not a fault.
zomby.io/dashboard/…/youtubeCreators you followRetro Lab@retrolab · SubscribedKitchen Notes@kitchennotes · ConnectingAn upload normally appears within a few minutes, and within half an hour from a creator who has been quiet for months. With very many creators followed across ZombyIO it can take longer.
Every setting explained
In the order the page shows them. Names in bold are exactly what the dashboard calls each control.
Set it up
Switch the feature on
Turns the whole feature on or off. The same switch sits in the banner at the top. On by default for a new server. Off keeps all creators and settings and stops every post.
YouTube channelFree: 2 · Premium: 50
Finds a creator from their @name, channel address or channel id and adds them to the page. Links to single videos are not accepted. Up to 300 characters.
Creators you follow
One card per creator. Every setting in this group is per creator.
Videos go to
Where this creator’s long videos are posted. Empty by default, and a creator with no channel posts nothing. The list shows your text and announcement channels.
Ping this role
The role mentioned in the announcement through {mention}. None by default. @everyone is not offered.
What about Shorts?
Same channel (default), A channel of their own or Do not announce. Moving away from A channel of their own clears the Shorts channel.
Shorts go to
Only for A channel of their own. Where this creator’s Shorts are posted. Empty means Shorts are not posted at all.
Announce this creator
Off keeps the creator and all their settings and stops their posts. On by default. To stop following a creator completely, press the bin icon on their card, then save.
Own wording for this creator
Your own text for this creator, up to 2,000 characters. Left empty, the message from What the announcement says is used. When Shorts have a channel of their own, a second box sets the Shorts text for this creator.
Subscribed / Connecting
Shows whether YouTube has confirmed a subscription for this creator. It does not decide whether posts arrive: ZombyIO checks for new uploads either way. When other servers on ZombyIO follow the same creator, the line under the name says how many.
What the announcement says
Pick a starting point
Just the link: one line and the YouTube player, nobody pinged. With a ping: the same with {mention} in front. A card of our own: a shorter line and the thumbnail on a card. A new server starts on With a ping.
How should the video look?
YouTube player (default) leaves the preview to Discord, which plays the video in place. A card of our own posts a card with the title, the channel name and the thumbnail in your colour, and members click the title to watch on YouTube.
Message for a new video
The announcement for every creator without their own wording. Up to 2,000 characters. Default: {mention} **{author}** just uploaded a new video. with {url} on the next line, in your server’s language. An unknown placeholder stays as you typed it.
Placeholders
{title} is the video title, {url} the link to the video (a Shorts link for a Short), {author} the name of the YouTube channel and {mention} the role being pinged. Without a role, {mention} disappears and so does the space after it.
More settings
Message for a Short
Only used for creators whose Shorts have a channel of their own. A Short posted in the same channel as the videos uses the video message. Default: {mention} **{author}** just posted a Short. with {url} on the next line, in your server’s language.
Card colour
The colour of the card. Only shown while A card of our own is chosen. Pick any colour or one of the six suggestions. Default is YouTube red.
Free and Premium
Premium costs €6 a month per server and is shared by every admin of that server. It raises limits, it does not unlock the feature.
Free and Premium
What
Free
Premium
YouTube channels
2
50
Something not working?
The problems people run into most often, and how to fix each one.
A creator uploaded, but nothing was posted
Check these in order:
The creator has no channel in Videos go to. This is the most common cause.
The feature switch or Announce this creator is off, or the page was not saved.
ZombyIO cannot post in that channel. It needs to see the channel, send messages and embed links there. See roles and permissions.
It was a Short, and Shorts are set to Do not announce, or to A channel of their own with no channel picked.
The upload is still new. A post can take up to half an hour, and longer when very many creators are followed across ZombyIO.
Why does the video show up a few minutes late?
ZombyIO checks a creator who uploads daily, or whom many servers follow, every minute. The less a creator uploads, the less often they are checked, at most ten minutes apart for one who has been quiet for months. On top of that, YouTube serves its feed from a cache that can be up to 15 minutes old. A few minutes after publishing is normal, and up to half an hour for a creator coming back from a long break. When very many creators are followed across ZombyIO, the checks are spaced further apart, quiet creators first.
The lookup cannot find the channel
That does not look like a YouTube channel means the text is not a channel address or @name. Links to single videos are not accepted. Copy the address of the creator’s channel page instead.
No channel with that name means the @name is misspelt, or the channel no longer exists.
YouTube did not answer means YouTube did not respond in time. Try again in a moment.
I cannot add another creator
The free plan follows 2 creators and Premium 50. The count is taken from what is saved, so after removing a creator, press Save before adding a new one.
If Premium ends, every creator stays on the page, but only the first 2 on the page are announced: the ones you added first. The others keep their settings and are announced again with Premium.
The role is not pinged
The ping is set per creator: pick a role in Ping this role on each creator’s card. Your message must also contain {mention}; the Just the link preset leaves it out. @everyone cannot be chosen, and mentions inside a video title never ping.
A Short was posted as a normal video
ZombyIO reads from YouTube whether an upload is a Short. When YouTube does not say, it checks the video once, and if that check fails the upload is treated as a normal video, with a normal video link that still plays.
Will it post old videos when I add a creator?
No. Only uploads that appear after you add the creator are posted, and never anything more than two days old. Edits to a video’s title or description are not posted again.
Ask in the ZombyIO support server. Bring your support ID, your server’s support ID and a sentence about what you expected to happen, and someone will look at it with you.
