diff --git a/cmd/generate_changelog/incoming/1827.txt b/cmd/generate_changelog/incoming/1827.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3b32505f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/generate_changelog/incoming/1827.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+### PR [#1827](https://github.com/danielmiessler/Fabric/pull/1827) by [ksylvan](https://github.com/ksylvan): Make YouTube API key optional in setup
+
+- Make YouTube API key optional in setup process
+- Change API key setup question to optional configuration
+- Add test for optional API key behavior
+- Ensure plugin configuration works without API key
diff --git a/internal/tools/youtube/youtube.go b/internal/tools/youtube/youtube.go
index 53dc47e4..9838ccfc 100644
--- a/internal/tools/youtube/youtube.go
+++ b/internal/tools/youtube/youtube.go
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func NewYouTube() (ret *YouTube) {
 		EnvNamePrefix:    plugins.BuildEnvVariablePrefix(label),
 	}
 
-	ret.ApiKey = ret.AddSetupQuestion("API key", true)
+	ret.ApiKey = ret.AddSetupQuestion("API key", false)
 
 	return
 }
diff --git a/internal/tools/youtube/youtube_optional_test.go b/internal/tools/youtube/youtube_optional_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3132b4cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tools/youtube/youtube_optional_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package youtube
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestNewYouTubeApiKeyOptional(t *testing.T) {
+	yt := NewYouTube()
+
+	if yt.ApiKey == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected API key setup question to be initialized")
+	}
+
+	if yt.ApiKey.Required {
+		t.Fatalf("expected YouTube API key to be optional, but it is marked as required")
+	}
+
+	if !yt.IsConfigured() {
+		t.Fatalf("expected YouTube plugin to be considered configured without an API key")
+	}
+}