How do I configure yt-dlp’s download path, manage permissions, and automate cleanup in a Docker-n8n setup?

Below are suggestions on how to tackle each point:

1. Changing the yt-dlp Download Path

Since the download location is controlled by your yt-dlp command (or the workflow node that calls it), there are two parts to update:

• Update the Command Argument:
  In your workflow (or wherever you invoke yt-dlp), change the output folder option (using, for example, the ‑o parameter) from something like

  yt-dlp -o "/home/node/%(title)s.%(ext)s" <video-url>
  

  to

  yt-dlp -o "/root/videos/%(title)s.%(ext)s" <video-url>
  

  This tells yt-dlp to download files to /root/videos (inside the container).

• Bind-Mount the Host Directory:
  Make sure that the host’s /root/videos folder is available within the container by adding a volume mount. For example, if you’re using a Docker Compose setup, modify the n8n service volumes like this:

  YAMLCopied
  services:
    n8n:
      image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
      ports:
        - "127.0.0.1:5678:5678"
      environment:
        # your other variables...
      volumes:
        - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
        - /root/videos:/root/videos  # mount host’s /root/videos folder

  Now when yt-dlp writes to /root/videos in the container, the files will be stored on the host inside /root/videos.

2. Addressing Sudo Permissions Issues

The error you encountered regarding the absence of sudo permissions under /home/node is because n8n’s container runs as a non-root user for security reasons. To resolve this:

• Use a Directory with Proper Permissions:
  By mounting your host folder to a location where the non-root user has write access (or adjusting its permissions), you can avoid needing sudo inside the container.
  For example, if you want to keep the files on the host under /root/videos but the container user can’t write to /root, you could either:

  • Change the mount target to a folder where the container’s user (typically node) has write permissions, such as /home/node/videos (and then update your yt-dlp command accordingly)

  • Or adjust permissions on /root/videos (on the host) so that they are writeable by the container’s non-root user. For example, on your host run:

    SHCopied
    sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /root/videos

    (Assuming the node user in the container has UID and GID 1000; verify with your image’s documentation.)

• Alternatively – Run as Root (Not Recommended):
  Though less secure, you could configure the container to run as the root user. If you choose to go that route, check the Docker documentation for overriding the user (for example, using the user: root option in Docker Compose). However, the preferred solution is to allow your container’s default (non-root) user write-access to the mounted folder.

3. Regularly Clearing n8n Logs and Downloaded Video Files

For log maintenance and clearing downloaded video files, here are two approaches:

• Log Rotation for Docker Logs:
  Docker provides built‑in log rotation options. In your Docker Compose file, you can add log options under your n8n service. For example:

  YAMLCopied
  services:
    n8n:
      image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
      ports:
        - "127.0.0.1:5678:5678"
      logging:
        driver: "json-file"
        options:
          max-size: "10m"
          max-file: "3"
      # volumes and environment...

  This setup limits each log file to 10 MB and retains up to 3 files.

• Scheduled Cleanup for Downloaded Files:
  On the host system, set up a cron job that runs a command to remove old video files from your /root/videos folder. For instance, to delete files older than 7 days, you can add a cron entry like:

  BASHCopied
  0 3 * * * find /root/videos -type f -mtime +7 -delete

  This cron job runs daily at 3 AM. Adjust the timing and criteria (for example, file extensions such as .mp3 or .mp4) as needed.

Alternatively, you could schedule a workflow in n8n itself that calls a shell command (using an SSH node or similar) to clear files based on your criteria.

By updating the Docker volume mounts, adjusting your yt-dlp command accordingly, managing directory permissions, and setting up log rotation and cron jobs, you can achieve the desired behavior of directing downloads to a specific host directory and maintaining a clean system.