diff --git a/internal/adapters/youtube/videobyid_test.go b/internal/adapters/youtube/videobyid_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f436b4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/adapters/youtube/videobyid_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package youtube
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"net/http"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gitea.d-ma.be/mathias/tapir/internal/domain"
+)
+
+func TestVideoByID(t *testing.T) {
+	const id = "dQw4w9WgXcQ"
+	a, secrets := newTestAdapter(t, func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.URL.Path != "/videos" {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected path %q (must use videos.list)", r.URL.Path)
+		}
+		if got := r.URL.Query().Get("id"); got != id {
+			t.Errorf("expected id=%s, got %q", id, got)
+		}
+		if got := r.URL.Query().Get("part"); got != "snippet" {
+			t.Errorf("expected part=snippet, got %q", got)
+		}
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"items":[{"snippet":{"title":"Never Gonna Give You Up","publishedAt":"2026-05-20T09:00:00Z"}}]}`))
+	})
+
+	v, err := a.VideoByID(context.Background(), "u1", id)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("VideoByID: %v", err)
+	}
+	if v.UserID != "u1" {
+		t.Errorf("UserID = %q, want u1", v.UserID)
+	}
+	if v.ProviderVideoID != id || v.Title != "Never Gonna Give You Up" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected video: %+v", v)
+	}
+	if v.Provider != domain.ProviderYouTube || v.URL != "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v="+id {
+		t.Errorf("video not wired correctly: %+v", v)
+	}
+	if v.PublishedAt.IsZero() {
+		t.Errorf("expected publishedAt parsed, got zero")
+	}
+	if v.SubscriptionID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("a pasted video must have no subscription, got %q", v.SubscriptionID)
+	}
+	if secrets.byRef == nil {
+		t.Errorf("token must be resolved by reference through the SecretStore")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVideoByIDNotFound(t *testing.T) {
+	a, _ := newTestAdapter(t, func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"items":[]}`))
+	})
+	_, err := a.VideoByID(context.Background(), "u1", "missingvid0")
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrVideoNotFound) {
+		t.Fatalf("VideoByID for missing id = %v, want ErrVideoNotFound", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/adapters/youtube/youtube.go b/internal/adapters/youtube/youtube.go
index 361d815..954fb04 100644
--- a/internal/adapters/youtube/youtube.go
+++ b/internal/adapters/youtube/youtube.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package youtube
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -31,6 +32,10 @@ import (
 	"gitea.d-ma.be/mathias/tapir/internal/ports"
 )
 
+// ErrVideoNotFound is returned by VideoByID when an id resolves to no video
+// (deleted, private, or a typo'd paste). Callers map it to an honest user message.
+var ErrVideoNotFound = errors.New("youtube: video not found")
+
 // defaultBaseURL is the YouTube Data API v3 root. Overridable via Config.BaseURL
 // (tests point it at an httptest server).
 const defaultBaseURL = "https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3"
@@ -244,6 +249,37 @@ func (a *Adapter) NewVideos(ctx context.Context, sub domain.Subscription) ([]dom
 	return videos, nil
 }
 
+// VideoByID fetches a single video's metadata (videos.list, snippet) for an
+// arbitrary video id — including channels the user does not follow (paste-a-URL,
+// Feature 2). This is a Data API call (1 quota unit), NOT the rate-limited
+// caption path, so it is not gated: only the later transcript fetch goes through
+// globalFetchGate. UserID is set on the result and SubscriptionID is left empty
+// (a pasted video has no subscription parent). Returns ErrVideoNotFound when the
+// id resolves to no video.
+func (a *Adapter) VideoByID(ctx context.Context, userID, videoID string) (domain.Video, error) {
+	client, err := a.httpClient(ctx, a.cfg.TokenSecretRef)
+	if err != nil {
+		return domain.Video{}, err
+	}
+	q := url.Values{"part": {"snippet"}, "id": {videoID}}
+	var resp videoListResponse
+	if err := a.getJSON(ctx, client, "/videos", q, &resp); err != nil {
+		return domain.Video{}, fmt.Errorf("video by id %q: %w", videoID, err)
+	}
+	if len(resp.Items) == 0 {
+		return domain.Video{}, fmt.Errorf("video %q: %w", videoID, ErrVideoNotFound)
+	}
+	it := resp.Items[0]
+	return domain.Video{
+		UserID:          userID,
+		Provider:        domain.ProviderYouTube,
+		ProviderVideoID: videoID,
+		Title:           it.Snippet.Title,
+		URL:             "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=" + videoID,
+		PublishedAt:     it.Snippet.PublishedAt,
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // uploadsPlaylistID derives a channel's uploads playlist id at zero API cost:
 // a standard channel id "UCxxxx" maps to uploads playlist "UUxxxx". Returns
 // ok=false for ids that don't follow this convention (caller falls back to
@@ -342,6 +378,15 @@ type playlistItemListResponse struct {
 	} `json:"items"`
 }
 
+type videoListResponse struct {
+	Items []struct {
+		Snippet struct {
+			Title       string    `json:"title"`
+			PublishedAt time.Time `json:"publishedAt"`
+		} `json:"snippet"`
+	} `json:"items"`
+}
+
 type channelListResponse struct {
 	Items []struct {
 		ContentDetails struct {