KastorFlowTested and updated November 6, 2026
Add a YouTube channel to NotebookLM
Not from the channel link. When we pasted a channel address into Gemini Notebook, it failed with "Unable to import this web page due to domain restrictions." Gemini Notebook only takes links to single videos, so you copy each video's link from the channel and paste them in together. KastorFlow reads the channel's recent uploads for you, about 30 of them, and adds the ones you choose, each as its own source or all as one. Then you can ask questions across the creator's videos, and each answer cites the video it came from.
Gemini Notebook is NotebookLM's new name. Everything here works the same in both.
What happened when we tried it
On October 30, 2026 we added 18 YouTube links to one test notebook, and one of them was a channel's address. It didn't import. The link stayed in the source list in red, and the info icon next to it gave the reason: "Unable to import this web page due to domain restrictions."
The single videos in the same test imported fine, a YouTube Short included. So the problem isn't the videos. It's that Gemini Notebook won't open a channel page and look inside it.
On November 6, 2026 we tried the manual route: we pasted 7 links into the box at once, separated by spaces. All 7 came in within about 30 seconds.
Which way fits your channel
| What you want | Best way | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A handful of videos you've picked | Paste the links in Gemini Notebook | Quick, free, no extension |
| The latest 10 to 30 uploads | KastorFlow's channel import | No copying, newest first |
| Everything a creator made on one topic | Import the creator's playlist on that topic | A channel import only sees recent uploads. Playlists reach older videos. Playlists |
| A big channel in a free notebook | Merge the videos into one source | A free notebook holds 50 sources |
| New uploads as they come | A scheduled import | Gemini Notebook never checks the channel again |
Add a channel's videos by hand
- Open the channel on YouTube and click its Videos tab.
- Right-click each video you want and choose Copy link address. Paste the links into a note as you go, one per line.
- In your notebook, click Add sources and choose Websites.
- Paste all the links at once. The box says to separate them "with a space or new line".
- Click Insert. Each video becomes its own source.
Three things to know before you paste 30 links:
- Duplicates get in. We pasted one link twice and got two sources. Check your list before you insert.
- Upload order is lost. Sources are listed alphabetically by title, not by date. If order matters, put a number at the start of each title with Rename source in the source's menu.
- Every video is one slot. A notebook holds 50 sources on the free plan and up to 600 on Google AI plans. Limits by plan
What goes wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Unable to import this web page due to domain restrictions." | You pasted the channel's address | Paste links to single videos |
| "This video cannot be imported. Transcript not available." | The video has no captions or no speech | Skip it, or capture its frames with KastorFlow |
| A source with a playlist's title, but the chat knows nothing about the videos | You pasted a playlist link from the channel | Delete it and add the videos |
| The same video twice | Gemini Notebook doesn't check for duplicates | Remove one with Remove source |
A channel's videos, with KastorFlow
- Copy the channel's address from YouTube, such as youtube.com/@name.
- Paste it into the bar at the top of KastorFlow's Collect page. KastorFlow sees it's a channel and offers two ways: YouTube, each video as its own source, or YoPoD, the whole channel as one source.
- Click Import. The Import from YouTube window reads the channel and says how many videos it found, with their titles and lengths.
- Under Videos to import, newest first, set how many you want. It starts at 20.
- Check your choice: One source per video or One merged source.
- Check the notebook under Adding to, then click Import. The import keeps running if you close the window.
What to expect:
- About 30 videos. KastorFlow reads the channel's Videos tab, and YouTube shows about 30 recent uploads there. Shorts have their own tab and aren't included. For older videos, import the creator's playlists.
- It checks for room first. If the notebook is too full, it tells you, for example "This notebook has 4 of 50 source slots free, and this needs 20", and starts nothing.
- No double copies. With one source per video, a video that's already in the notebook is skipped rather than added again.
- A merged source keeps videos apart. Each video's title becomes a heading over its transcript, so answers can still say which video a point came from. Up to 100 videos go into one source.
- Captions still matter. KastorFlow uses Gemini Notebook's own import to read each video, so a video without captions doesn't make it in either way.
| In KastorFlow | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| A channel's videos, each as its own source | 3 runs a month | No monthly limit |
| A channel or playlist merged into one source | 1 a month | 50 a month |
| The import on a schedule | Not included | Included |
Plan limits as of November 6, 2026. Compare every tool by plan
Keep it current
A notebook doesn't follow a channel. New uploads only get in if someone adds them. With KastorFlow Pro you can let an automation do it:
- Open Automate and choose New automation.
- Pick the ready-made Import YouTube on a schedule. It imports a playlist, channel or search into a notebook weekly.
- Paste the channel's address, choose the notebook and how often it runs.
Each run reads the channel again and imports what it finds then. If you choose one merged source, every run adds a new merged source, which fills a notebook over time. One source per video suits a channel better, because videos already in the notebook are skipped. Everything automations can do
What to ask a channel notebook
- "What does this creator recommend for a beginner, and in which video?"
- "List every tool or book mentioned, with the video it came from."
- "Where has their advice changed over time?"
- "Make a study guide from the five videos about pricing."
Answers cite the transcript passage, so you can see which video said it. Remember that the transcript is all there is: a chart or a screen recording in the video only counts if the creator talks it through. What the transcript misses
A creator's channel as a notebook you can ask. Free to install, no account needed to start.
Add to ChromeQuestions
Can I add a YouTube channel to NotebookLM?
Not from the channel link. In our test Gemini Notebook, NotebookLM's new name, refused it with "Unable to import this web page due to domain restrictions." Paste links to single videos instead, or use KastorFlow, a Chrome extension that reads the channel's recent uploads and adds the ones you choose.
How many videos from a channel can I add?
By hand, as many as the notebook holds: 50 sources on the free plan. KastorFlow reads the channel's Videos tab, where YouTube shows about 30 recent uploads, and imports the newest ones up to the number you choose. Each video uses one source unless you merge them into one.
Can I add a whole channel as one source?
Not in Gemini Notebook alone. KastorFlow merges a channel's videos into one source, with each video's title as a heading over its transcript. That's once a month on Free and 50 a month on Pro.
Can NotebookLM keep up with a channel's new videos?
Not on its own. You add new videos yourself. A KastorFlow automation on Pro can run the channel import on a schedule you set.
More on YouTube and Gemini Notebook: YouTube to Gemini Notebook · a whole playlist · notes and flashcards from videos · can it watch videos? · when a video won't import · KastorFlow's YouTube tools