Download Anything

  (6) download torrents or magnet links, (7) find free stock assets (images, video, audio, fonts),
  (8) search Chinese cloud drives for resources, or (9) any task involving finding or downloading
  digital content from the internet.
---

# Download Anything

Find it. Download it. Any resource, any format.

## Toolkit

```bash
# Install all tools at once
bash scripts/install-toolkit.sh
```

| Tool | Install | Purpose |
|------|---------|---------|
| `yt-dlp` | `brew install yt-dlp` | Video/audio from 1800+ sites |
| `aria2c` | `brew install aria2` | Multi-thread downloads, torrents |
| `gallery-dl` | `pip3 install gallery-dl` | Batch image/media, 170+ sites |
| `spotdl` | `pip3 install spotdl` | Spotify playlists → local files |
| `wget` | `brew install wget` | Recursive downloads, site mirroring |
| `curl` | pre-installed | HTTP requests, API calls |
| `ffmpeg` | `brew install ffmpeg` | Media conversion |
| `jq` | `brew install jq` | JSON parsing for automation |

## Decision Tree

| Want to download... | Tool / Approach |
|---------------------|----------------|
| YouTube / social media video | `scripts/dl-video.sh URL` (auto-detects Bilibili cookies) |
| Audio from any video URL | `scripts/dl-audio.sh URL` |
| Spotify playlist/album/track | `spotdl URL` |
| Images from gallery/artist page | `scripts/dl-gallery.sh URL` |
| A direct file URL (fast) | `scripts/dl-file.sh URL` (aria2, 16 connections) |
| A torrent or magnet link | `scripts/dl-torrent.sh "magnet:..."` |
| Subtitles for a video | `scripts/dl-subtitle.sh QUERY` |
| An ebook or paper | → [references/ebooks.md](references/ebooks.md) |
| A movie or TV show | → [references/video.md](references/video.md) |
| Music / game soundtracks / OST | → [references/music.md](references/music.md) |
| Software or app | → [references/software.md](references/software.md) |
| Stock images/video/audio/fonts | → [references/media-assets.md](references/media-assets.md) |
| Chinese cloud drive resources | → [references/cloud-search.md](references/cloud-search.md) |
| Online courses | → [references/education.md](references/education.md) |
| Something else / not sure | → [references/search-techniques.md](references/search-techniques.md) |

## Scripts

All in `scripts/`. Each does one thing. Compose as needed.

| Script | What it does | Key args |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| `install-toolkit.sh` | Install all CLI tools | — |
| `dl-video.sh URL [QUALITY]` | Download video (auto cookies for Bilibili) | `best`/`1080`/`720`/`480` |
| `dl-audio.sh URL [FORMAT]` | Extract audio | `mp3`/`opus`/`flac`/`best` |
| `dl-file.sh URL [OUTPUT]` | Fast multi-thread download | 16 connections via aria2 |
| `dl-gallery.sh URL [DIR] [ARGS...]` | Batch download images | extra args passed to gallery-dl |
| `dl-torrent.sh MAGNET [DIR]` | Download torrent/magnet | via aria2 |
| `dl-subtitle.sh QUERY [LANG]` | Search & download subtitles | `en`/`zh`/`ja` etc. |

## Quick One-Liners

```bash
# Best quality video
yt-dlp -f "bv*+ba/b" "URL"

# 1080p video + subtitles
yt-dlp -f "bv[height<=1080]+ba/b" --write-subs --sub-langs "en,zh" "URL"

# Extract audio as MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "URL"

# Download YouTube playlist
yt-dlp --yes-playlist "URL"

# Fast file download (16 connections)
aria2c -x16 -s16 -k1M "URL"

# Download magnet
aria2c --seed-time=0 "magnet:?xt=..."

# Batch images from gallery
gallery-dl "URL"

# Spotify album → local MP3s
spotdl "SPOTIFY_URL"

# All PDFs from a page
wget -r -l1 -A "*.pdf" "URL"

# Video metadata as JSON (automation)
yt-dlp -j "URL"

# Get direct URL without downloading
yt-dlp -g "URL"
```

## Agent Automation Patterns

**Video pipeline:** `yt-dlp -j URL` → parse JSON → select format → `yt-dlp -f FORMAT URL -o OUTPUT`

**Ebook search:** Search Anna's Archive / Z-Library / 鸠摩搜书 → get download page → extract link → `aria2c`

**Bulk media:** `gallery-dl --dump-json URL` → review items → `gallery-dl -d OUTPUT URL`

**Music:** `spotdl SPOTIFY_URL` (auto YouTube match + metadata) or `yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 YOUTUBE_URL`

## Domain Instability

Many resource sites rotate domains. When a URL fails:
1. Search: `[site name] mirror 2026` or `[站名] 最新地址`
2. Check Reddit/Twitter for community mirror lists
3. Anna's Archive = most resilient ebook meta-search
4. For Chinese cloud search: check 网盘之家导航 for latest links

## References

| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| [ebooks.md](references/ebooks.md) | Ebook sites, academic papers, audiobooks, manga, Chinese books |
| [video.md](references/video.md) | Torrent sites, DDL, subtitles, anime, Chinese video |
| [music.md](references/music.md) | Free music, download tools, Chinese music, podcasts |
| [software.md](references/software.md) | Software archives, package managers, Chinese sites |
| [media-assets.md](references/media-assets.md) | Stock images, video, audio, fonts |
| [cloud-search.md](references/cloud-search.md) | Chinese cloud drive search (百度/阿里/夸克) |
| [education.md](references/education.md) | Free courses and MOOCs |
| [tools-reference.md](references/tools-reference.md) | Detailed CLI syntax and advanced flags |
| [search-techniques.md](references/search-techniques.md) | Google dorks, search strategies |