← Back to all free guides
A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

Build A Free
AI Tutor From
Any YouTube Video

Two free Google tools and about five minutes. Drop in a YouTube video or a playlist’s worth of videos and get back an interactive app that explains the content, answers your questions and quizzes you.

YouTube is how most of us try to learn something new, and it’s one of the least effective ways to do it. You watch, you nod, and two days later most of it is gone.

Learning research has shown for decades that testing yourself beats rewatching or rereading. It’s called retrieval practice. This workflow takes the video you were already going to watch and turns it into something that makes you answer questions.

Credit where it’s due: I found this workflow in a Substack note by Gencay.

Build It In 3 Steps

01

Pick your videos

Pick something you actually want to learn. One video works. Several videos from the same playlist work even better, because more material makes a smarter tutor. Think a finance creator’s beginner series, a Claude Code tutorial series or a copywriting masterclass.

The videos need to be public and have captions (auto-generated captions count). Copy each link.

02

Add them to Gemini Notebook

NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook. Same tool, new name. Go to notebook.google.com, create a new notebook, click Add sources and paste your YouTube links. Add playlist videos one by one. The free plan holds up to 50 sources per notebook. (Google’s source rules)

It imports each video’s transcript, so you can already ask questions, make a study guide or get an audio overview. The real move is the next step.

03

Build the app in Gemini Canvas

Open gemini.google.com. Your notebook shows up in the menu under Notebooks, because the two apps sync. Open it, click Tools, choose Canvas and paste the prompt below.

Don’t see the notebook there? Start a normal chat, turn on Canvas and type @Gemini Notebook plus your notebook’s name in the prompt to connect it. (Google’s notebook help)

The Tutor App Prompt
Build me an interactive tutor app in Canvas that teaches me the topic in my notebook. Use only the notebook's sources (the YouTube transcripts) as the content. If something isn't covered there, say "not in the videos" instead of filling the gap. About me: - What I want to learn: [e.g. how index funds work / Claude Code basics / writing better hooks] - My level right now: [total beginner / know the basics / intermediate] - Why I'm learning it: [e.g. start investing this month / use it at work] The app should: 1. Open with a 30-second plain-English summary of the topic and a list of the main concepts, in the order the videos teach them. 2. Let me click through one concept at a time. For each: a short explanation, a real-world example, the video and rough spot it came from, and one check-for-understanding question I answer before moving on. 3. Have an ask-anything box that answers from the notebook only and tells me which video the answer came from. 4. End with a 10-question quiz (mix of multiple choice and short answer) with feedback after each answer. 5. Score me, list the concepts I missed, and give me a 5-minute review plan for those. Design: clean, mobile-friendly, feels like a tutor app, not a textbook. Clear headings, big tap targets, and a progress bar. Before you build, tell me in 3 bullets which concepts you found in the notebook so I can confirm you have the right material.
Share It

Once the app works, click Share & export at the top right of the Canvas panel, then Share, and copy the link. Anyone with it can use your tutor, so it’s perfect for a study group or a team. That link is public, so keep personal or work-confidential material out of anything you share. (Google’s Canvas help)

Use It Like A Tutor
  1. Start with the one you keep putting off. That video you saved months ago. Build the app this afternoon.
  2. Go in short sessions. 25 minutes at a time over a week beats one long cram.
  3. Spend your time where it’s hard. Skip what you know and stay on the concept you keep missing. That control is what rewatching never gives you.
  4. Retake the quiz a few days later. Ask Gemini to regenerate it with new questions on the concepts you missed.