While retrieving comments through YouTube API, I have come across a problem in which the code suggests that a video has disabled comments, thus returning an error, even though I can directly access tons of comments through the video’s link.

from googleapiclient.discovery import build
from googleapiclient.errors import HttpError

youtube = build('youtube', 'v3', developerKey= 'MYAPIKEY')


def fetch_comments(video_id):
    response = youtube.videos().list(part="snippet", id = video_id).execute()
    video_title = response['items'][0]['snippet']['title']
    print(video_title)

    vid_stats = youtube.videos().list(
        part="statistics",
        id=video_id
    ).execute()

    comment_count = vid_stats.get("items")[0].get("statistics").get("commentCount")
    print(comment_count)
    try:
        comments = []
        response = youtube.commentThreads().list(
            part="snippet",
            videoId=video_id,
            maxResults=100,
            order="relevance",
        ).execute()

        for item in response['items']:
            comment = item['snippet']['topLevelComment']['snippet']['textDisplay']
            print(comment)
            comments.append(comment)

    except HttpError as e:
        print(f"An HTTP error occurred: {e}")

video_urls = ['https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLSUDSNqLgQ', 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAqXDZoa624','https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wBgcalM4c4' ]
for url in video_urls:
    print(url)
    video_id = url.split('=')[-1]
    fetch_comments(video_id)

I developed a code to display 4 items: The video’s url, video’s title, the number of comments, and top 100 comments ordered by relevance, and the code succeeded in its duty except the fourth task: The code suggests that all three videos in the list (video_urls) has “has disabled comments,” while you can easily see that all three videos actually have their comments available.

Here’s what the output displays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLSUDSNqLgQ
Everywhere (2017 Remaster)
432
An HTTP error occurred: <HttpError 403 when requesting https://youtube.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/commentThreads?part=snippet&videoId=wLSUDSNqLgQ&maxResults=100&order=relevance&key=AIzaSyDl-zKEBOx6TAeEZAnX3But1XunhDPOYNA&alt=json returned "The video identified by the <code><a href="/youtube/v3/docs/commentThreads/list#videoId">videoId</a></code> parameter has disabled comments.". Details: "[{'message': 'The video identified by the <code><a href="/youtube/v3/docs/commentThreads/list#videoId">videoId</a></code> parameter has disabled comments.', 'domain': 'youtube.commentThread', 'reason': 'commentsDisabled', 'location': 'videoId', 'locationType': 'parameter'}]">

Bette Davis Eyes
2435
An HTTP error occurred: <HttpError 403 when requesting https://youtube.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/commentThreads?part=snippet&videoId=qAqXDZoa624&maxResults=100&order=relevance&key=AIzaSyDl-zKEBOx6TAeEZAnX3But1XunhDPOYNA&alt=json returned "The video identified by the <code><a href="/youtube/v3/docs/commentThreads/list#videoId">videoId</a></code> parameter has disabled comments.". Details: "[{'message': 'The video identified by the <code><a href="/youtube/v3/docs/commentThreads/list#videoId">videoId</a></code> parameter has disabled comments.', 'domain': 'youtube.commentThread', 'reason': 'commentsDisabled', 'location': 'videoId', 'locationType': 'parameter'}]">

Time After Time
3263

I tried to develop the code to print the total number of comments to check whether making a reference to the comment itself is disabled, but as it turns out to be successful, I reckon it is the problem to do with the function of the code. Please somebody help me…