ytdl-org/youtube-dl · error · ExtractorError

Unable to login: %s said: %s

Error message

Unable to login: %s said: %s

What it means

Raised by the AfreecaTV extractor when the login API returns a RESULT code other than 1. The message embeds a human-readable explanation from a code table (wrong password, blocked account, global-vs-Korean account conflict, etc.), falling back to 'You have failed to log in.' for unknown codes. Marked expected=True.

Source

Thrown at youtube_dl/extractor/afreecatv.py:219

            -4: 'Your account has been suspended due to a violation of our terms and policies.',
            -5: 'https://member.afreecatv.com/app/user_delete_progress.php',
            -6: 'https://login.afreecatv.com/membership/changeMember.php',
            -8: "Hello! AfreecaTV here.\nThe username you have entered belongs to \n an account that requires a legal guardian's consent. \nIf you wish to use our services without restriction, \nplease make sure to go through the necessary verification process.",
            -9: 'https://member.afreecatv.com/app/pop_login_block.php',
            -11: 'https://login.afreecatv.com/afreeca/second_login.php',
            -12: 'https://member.afreecatv.com/app/user_security.php',
            0: 'The username does not exist or you have entered the wrong password.',
            -1: 'The username does not exist or you have entered the wrong password.',
            -3: 'You have entered your username/password incorrectly.',
            -7: 'You cannot use your Global AfreecaTV account to access Korean AfreecaTV.',
            -10: 'Sorry for the inconvenience. \nYour account has been blocked due to an unauthorized access. \nPlease contact our Help Center for assistance.',
            -32008: 'You have failed to log in. Please contact our Help Center.',
        }

        result = int_or_none(response.get('RESULT'))
        if result != 1:
            error = _ERRORS.get(result, 'You have failed to log in.')
            raise ExtractorError(
                'Unable to login: %s said: %s' % (self.IE_NAME, error),
                expected=True)

    def _real_extract(self, url):
        video_id = self._match_id(url)

        webpage = self._download_webpage(url, video_id)

        if re.search(r'alert\(["\']This video has been deleted', webpage):
            raise ExtractorError(
                'Video %s has been deleted' % video_id, expected=True)

        station_id = self._search_regex(
            r'nStationNo\s*=\s*(\d+)', webpage, 'station')
        bbs_id = self._search_regex(
            r'nBbsNo\s*=\s*(\d+)', webpage, 'bbs')
        video_id = self._search_regex(
            r'nTitleNo\s*=\s*(\d+)', webpage, 'title', default=video_id)

View on GitHub (pinned to 956b8c5855)

Solutions

  1. Match the numeric RESULT to the table: fix credentials for -1/-3, use the Korean-site account for -7, contact AfreecaTV support for -10/-32008
  2. Verify the account logs in at the same AfreecaTV domain the URL targets
  3. Quote --password correctly and re-check for shell interpolation of !, $, @
  4. For persistent -32008, log in via browser to clear any security challenge, then retry

Example fix

# before
youtube-dl --username globaluser --password pass 'http://play.afreecatv.com/xxx'

# after
youtube-dl --username kruser --password pass 'http://play.afreecatv.com/xxx'  # use account for the Korean site
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Try / catch

try:
    ydl.extract_info(url)
except ExtractorError as e:
    msg = str(e)
    if 'Unable to login: AfreecaTV' in msg:
        if 'Global AfreecaTV' in msg:
            switch_to_korean_credentials()
        elif 'blocked' in msg or 'Help Center' in msg:
            mark_account_needs_manual_review()  # -10 / -32008: not automatable
        else:
            prompt_for_correct_credentials()

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: POST to AfreecaTV login endpoint returning RESULT -1/-3 (bad credentials), -7 (Global account used on Korean site), -10 (blocked for unauthorized access), -32008 (unspecified login failure), or any code not 1 and not in the table.

Common situations: Typo'd --username/--password; using a global AfreecaTV account against afreecatv.com (Korean); account locked after failed attempts; missing -12 step (security challenge) in newer flows.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of ytdl-org/youtube-dl@956b8c5855 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e50573a33c782c65. Report an issue: GitHub.