[PluralSight] ERROR: Unable to download JSON metadata: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden

[Culpable]

Make sure you are using the latest version: run youtube-dl --version and ensure your version is 2018.01.18. If it's not, read this FAQ entry and update. Issues with outdated version will be rejected.

• I've verified and I assure that I'm running youtube-dl 2018.01.18

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• At least skimmed through the README, most notably the FAQ and BUGS sections
• Searched the bugtracker for similar issues including closed ones

What is the purpose of your issue?

• Bug report (encountered problems with youtube-dl)
• Site support request (request for adding support for a new site)
• Feature request (request for a new functionality)
• Question
• Other

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The following sections concretize particular purposed issues, you can erase any section (the contents between triple ---) not applicable to your issue

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If the purpose of this issue is a bug report, site support request or you are not completely sure provide the full verbose output as follows:

Add the -v flag to your command line you run youtube-dl with (youtube-dl -v <your command line>), copy the whole output and insert it here. It should look similar to one below (replace it with your log inserted between triple ```):

[debug] System config: []
[debug] User config: []
[debug] Custom config: []
[debug] Command-line args: [u'-v', u'--cookies', u'cookies.txt', u'-o', u'/Users/Satsu/Desktop/+Music/YoutubeDL/Pluralsight/%(playlist)s/%(chapter_number)02d - %(chapter)s/%(playlist_index)02d - %(title)s.%(ext)s', u'--min-sleep-interval', u'71', u'--max-sleep-interval', u'92', u'--verbose', u'https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/java-fundamentals-exception-handling/table-of-contents']
[debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs utf-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8
[debug] youtube-dl version 2018.01.18
[debug] Python version 2.7.10 (CPython) - Darwin-17.3.0-x86_64-i386-64bit
[debug] exe versions: avconv 12.2, avprobe 12.2, ffmpeg 3.4, ffprobe 3.4, rtmpdump 2.4
[debug] Proxy map: {}
[pluralsight:course] java-fundamentals-exception-handling: Downloading course JSON
[pluralsight:course] java-fundamentals-exception-handling: Downloading JSON metadata
ERROR: Unable to download JSON metadata: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden (caused by HTTPError()); please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update. Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output.
  File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 517, in _request_webpage
    return self._downloader.urlopen(url_or_request)
  File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 2198, in urlopen
    return self._opener.open(req, timeout=self._socket_timeout)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/urllib2.py", line 437, in open
    response = meth(req, response)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/urllib2.py", line 550, in http_response
    'http', request, response, code, msg, hdrs)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/urllib2.py", line 475, in error
    return self._call_chain(*args)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/urllib2.py", line 409, in _call_chain
    result = func(*args)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/urllib2.py", line 558, in http_error_default
    raise HTTPError(req.get_full_url(), code, msg, hdrs, fp)
...
<end of log>

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Description of your issue, suggested solution and other information

Hello World,

I'm trying to debug the aforementioned issue. I've had no problems in the past downloading files from pluralsight. Typically the only maintenance that is required is updating the cookies.txt file using the recommended chrome app.

Today, this is not working. I have tried:

• Updating (and restarting) youtubedl
• Updating the cookies file
• Changing the course which I download
• Opening the first video in the course and then updating the cookies
• Using a VPN

None of the above have worked. Any help would be much appreciated! This is what I type into my command line:

youtube-dl --cookies cookies.txt -o '/Users/Satsu/Desktop/+Music/YoutubeDL/Pluralsight/%(playlist)s/%(chapter_number)02d - %(chapter)s/%(playlist_index)02d - %(title)s.%(ext)s' --min-sleep-interval 71 --max-sleep-interval 92 --verbose https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/java-fundamentals-exception-handling/table-of-contents