Pre-publish YouTube QA: Airtable + vidIQ + Slack

Build me a pre-publish QA agent for my YouTube content calendar. It should watch my Airtable base and fire whenever a video draft is ready for human review, then run the draft through vidIQ before I post it.

Trigger: poll Airtable with the New or Updated Record event on my Videos base / Videos table. The agent should only act when the row's Status field flips to "Ready for review" (make the exact status value configurable). Ignore other status changes.

Once a matching row fires, use Airtable's Get Record to read the full row. The fields it needs are: working title, planned thumbnail URL (or attachment URL), target topic / keyword, channel name, and the row id. Carry the row id through so we can write back at the end.

Then call vidIQ through its MCP server to score the draft. Three calls:

vidiq_score_title on the working title.
vidiq_score_thumbnail on the planned thumbnail URL.
vidiq_keyword_research on the target topic to pull search volume, competition, and related keywords.

With those results, reason about the weak spots. Identify the highest-opportunity keyword (good volume, lower competition) from the keyword research output. Draft two or three sharper alternate titles tuned to that keyword. Flag any thumbnail issues the score surfaces (low contrast, small face, no focal point, text too small, etc.) in plain language.

Then post a single Slack message via Send a Message to my content channel (let me set the channel id at setup). The message should include:

Video name and channel.
Title score and thumbnail score from vidIQ.
Target keyword with its volume and competition, plus the higher-opportunity keyword if it found one.
The recommended title (the strongest of the alternates) and the runner-up options below it.
Any thumbnail issues to fix.
A clear verdict at the bottom: GO if both scores clear the bar, REWORK if either is weak (let me tune the thresholds).

Optional but on by default: write the scores and the recommended title back to the same Airtable row using Update Record, so the calendar carries the review history. Use fields like Title Score, Thumbnail Score, Recommended Title, and QA Verdict (create them if they do not exist and let me map the field names at setup). If write-back is turned off, skip this step.

Keep it to one workflow, one Slack message per fire, and do not re-process a row unless the status flips back into Ready for review again.

Additional information

What does this prompt do?

Watches your Airtable content calendar and fires the moment a video is marked Ready for review.
Scores the working title and thumbnail with vidIQ and pulls search volume plus competition for the target keyword.
Drafts two or three sharper alternate titles tuned to the highest-opportunity keyword and flags any thumbnail issues.
Posts a single Slack message to your content channel with the scores, the recommended title, and a clear go or rework verdict.

What do I need to use this?

An Airtable base with a Videos table that includes a status field, a working title, a thumbnail image or URL, a target topic or keyword, and the channel name.
A vidIQ account with an API key from the MCP settings page.
A Slack workspace and the channel where you want the pre-publish review to land.

How can I customize it?

Change the status value that triggers the review (for example Ready for review, In QA, or Final cut).
Swap the destination Slack channel or route different channels (kids, gaming, finance) to different reviewers.
Tighten or relax the verdict thresholds so only stronger drafts get a green light.
Turn on the optional Airtable write-back so the scores and recommended title are saved on the row for future reference.

Frequently asked questions

When does this run?

It runs the moment a row in your Videos table flips to the status you choose (the default is Ready for review). You do not need to push a button or wait for a daily job.

What does the Slack message actually look like?

A single post that names the video, lists the vidIQ title and thumbnail scores, shows the keyword volume and competition, recommends two or three sharper titles, and ends with a go or rework call.

Does it change my Airtable row?

Only if you turn on the optional write-back. With it on, the scores and the recommended title are saved on the row so your calendar carries the review history.

Can I use this for more than one channel?

Yes. The agent reads the channel field on each row, so you can run a single review pipeline across every YouTube channel you manage from the same calendar.

What if my target keyword is weak?

The agent pulls related keywords with stronger search volume and lower competition, then tunes the alternate titles to the best one it finds.