Workflows

End-to-end patterns for common tasks with the Pharlo MCP server. Each workflow shows the tool sequence, example prompts, and SDK code for custom agents.

For tips on phrasing prompts effectively, see Prompt Engineering Tips.

Publish content

The standard pattern for publishing a video or post.

Example prompt:

"Upload https://cdn.example.com/demo.mp4 (opens in a new tab) to my 'TechReviews' YouTube channel. Title: 'Product Demo v3', make it public, schedule for Friday at 6 PM Kyiv time."

Claude will:

1. Call list_connections to find the TechReviews channel
2. Call get_platform_capabilities("youtube") to confirm payload fields
3. Convert "Friday 6 PM Kyiv time" → 2026-05-02T18:00:00+03:00
4. Call create_assignment with "privacy": "public" explicitly set

SDK example:

import anthropic
 
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
 
response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=1024,
    betas=["mcp-client-2025-04-04"],
    mcp_servers=[
        {
            "type": "url",
            "url": "https://pharlo.io/_mcp",
            "authorization_token": "mcp_at_your_token",
        }
    ],
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": (
                "Upload https://cdn.example.com/demo.mp4 to my 'TechReviews' YouTube channel. "
                "Title: 'Product Demo v3', public, schedule for 2026-05-02T18:00:00+03:00."
            ),
        }
    ],
)
 
for block in response.content:
    if hasattr(block, "text"):
        print(block.text)

Schedule multiple videos in one prompt

Give Claude the full list upfront. It plans all the tool calls before executing, and can confirm each before proceeding.

Example prompt:

"Schedule 3 videos to my 'TechReviews' channel, all public, all Kyiv time (UTC+3):

• Monday at 10 AM: https://cdn.example.com/v1.mp4 (opens in a new tab) — 'April Launch'
• Wednesday at 10 AM: https://cdn.example.com/v2.mp4 (opens in a new tab) — 'Behind the Scenes'
• Friday at 6 PM: https://cdn.example.com/v3.mp4 (opens in a new tab) — 'Q2 Recap'

Confirm each before creating."

Claude calls create_assignment three times in sequence, with scheduledAt offsets calculated for each.

SDK example — batch scheduling:

import anthropic
 
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
 
batch = [
    {"title": "April Launch",      "url": "https://cdn.example.com/v1.mp4", "at": "2026-04-28T10:00:00+03:00"},
    {"title": "Behind the Scenes", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/v2.mp4", "at": "2026-04-30T10:00:00+03:00"},
    {"title": "Q2 Recap",          "url": "https://cdn.example.com/v3.mp4", "at": "2026-05-02T18:00:00+03:00"},
]
 
lines = "\n".join(
    f"- {item['at']}: {item['url']} — title '{item['title']}', public"
    for item in batch
)
 
response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=2048,
    betas=["mcp-client-2025-04-04"],
    mcp_servers=[
        {
            "type": "url",
            "url": "https://pharlo.io/_mcp",
            "authorization_token": "mcp_at_your_token",
        }
    ],
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": (
                "Schedule these 3 videos to my 'TechReviews' YouTube channel:\n"
                + lines
            ),
        }
    ],
)
 
for block in response.content:
    if hasattr(block, "text"):
        print(block.text)

Connect a new channel

Connecting a channel requires the user to complete an OAuth screen in their browser. Keep this as a separate task from publishing.

Example prompt:

"I need to connect my second YouTube channel to Pharlo."

Claude calls get_oauth_connect_url("youtube") and returns a URL. After you complete the consent screen, it calls list_connections to confirm the new channel appears.

SDK example:

import anthropic
 
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
mcp = {
    "type": "url",
    "url": "https://pharlo.io/_mcp",
    "authorization_token": "mcp_at_your_token",
}
 
response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=512,
    betas=["mcp-client-2025-04-04"],
    mcp_servers=[mcp],
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Get me an OAuth URL to connect a new YouTube channel."}],
)
print(response.content[0].text)
# Claude prints the URL — user opens it in their browser and completes consent.
# After they return, ask Claude to list connections to confirm the new channel appeared.

Retry a failed assignment

Example prompt:

"My last upload failed. Check why and retry it if it makes sense."

Claude calls get_assignment to read the error, explains the root cause, and calls retry_assignment if the issue is transient.

SDK example:

import anthropic
 
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
 
response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=512,
    betas=["mcp-client-2025-04-04"],
    mcp_servers=[
        {
            "type": "url",
            "url": "https://pharlo.io/_mcp",
            "authorization_token": "mcp_at_your_token",
        }
    ],
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": "Check assignment a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890 — it failed. What went wrong and should I retry it?",
        }
    ],
)
 
for block in response.content:
    if hasattr(block, "text"):
        print(block.text)

Check analytics

Pharlo exposes two live analytics tools — one for a whole channel, one for a single post. Both call the platform API in real time. See Analytics REST reference for the underlying API.

Example prompts:

"How many subscribers does my 'TechReviews' channel have right now?"

"How is my latest YouTube video performing?"

"Get current view and like counts for the videos I uploaded this week."

SDK example — channel snapshot:

import anthropic
 
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
 
response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=1024,
    betas=["mcp-client-2025-04-04"],
    mcp_servers=[
        {
            "type": "url",
            "url": "https://pharlo.io/_mcp",
            "authorization_token": "mcp_at_your_token",
        }
    ],
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": "Give me the current subscriber count and total views for all my YouTube channels.",
        }
    ],
)
 
for block in response.content:
    if hasattr(block, "text"):
        print(block.text)

Timezone rules

Always pass scheduled times with an explicit timezone offset.

When prompting Claude interactively, natural language works — "6 PM Cyprus time" is converted automatically. In SDK code, always use ISO 8601 with an explicit offset.

Privacy defaults

Common pitfalls

Ambiguous channel name

❌ "Publish this video to YouTube"

✅ "Publish this video to my 'TechReviews' YouTube channel"

If you have multiple channels and don't name one, Claude may ask for clarification or pick the wrong channel. Ask "What channels do I have connected?" first if unsure.

Non-direct media URL

Video assignments require a direct download URL — not a Google Drive or Dropbox share link, which open a web page instead of the raw file. Use a CDN, S3 presigned URL, or any public direct-download link.

Scheduled time in the past

Assignments with a scheduledAt in the past are rejected immediately with a validation error. Double-check the timezone offset if you hit this.

Combining connect + publish in one prompt

Connecting a channel requires a browser OAuth step — it can't run inline with publishing. Run connection setup as a separate task first, then publish. See Connect a new channel.

Example conversation

You: List my YouTube channels and show me their subscriber counts.

Claude: (calls list_connections(platform: "youtube") and get_channel_stats for each)

You have 2 YouTube channels:

• TechReviews — 12,400 subscribers
• Behind The Scenes — 3,200 subscribers

You: Upload https://cdn.example.com/demo.mp4 (opens in a new tab) to TechReviews. Title: "Product Demo v3", public, schedule for tomorrow at 10 AM Berlin time.

Claude: (calls create_assignment with scheduledAt: "2026-04-28T10:00:00+02:00" and "privacy": "public")

Assignment created — ID: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890. Scheduled for April 28 at 10:00 AM Berlin time (08:00 UTC).

You: What's the status?

Claude: (calls get_assignment("a1b2c3d4-..."))

Status: published YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ (opens in a new tab) Published at 10:02 AM Berlin time.

You: How is it doing? Give me the current views.

Claude: (calls get_post_stats(connectionId, postId: "a1b2c3d4-..."))

The video has 1,820 views, 142 likes, and 23 comments so far.

See also

• Tool Reference — all 15 tools with parameters and annotations
• Prompt Engineering Tips — how to phrase prompts for reliable results
• Connection Setup — connecting Claude.ai or building a custom agent
• MCP Overview — how MCP works, credit surcharge, supported clients
• Assignments REST reference — direct REST API for automation