About
Why I built LessonCues
Why it exists
For years I sent people YouTube links with a note like “watch from 4:12, the good part ends around 5:30.” Nobody ever stops at 5:30. YouTube once had a Clip feature for exactly this, and it has been retired.
So I built my own: pick a start and an end, and share a link that plays just that moment. Then it grew. Clips got practice controls, so you can slow a part down, loop it and pause between repeats, because that’s how you really learn a phrase, a riff or a technique. And clips became lessons, so a teacher can put moments from different videos in order and present them in class.
What I stick to
Nothing is downloaded
Every clip plays in YouTube’s official player, so creators keep their views and credit. I store the video ID and your start and end times, never video or audio.
Watching is free
Anyone can watch a shared clip or lesson without an account, and watching will always be free.
Your data is yours
Analytics load only if you accept cookies, and stay off on pages with videos made for kids. You can download or delete everything linked to your account from your Account page.
Who builds it
Mohammed Shammas (Oliyath)
I’m a Senior Software Engineer with more than two decades of experience at multinational companies. LessonCues is my personal project.
In 2016 I founded Check4Spam, a community fact-checking platform that fights viral misinformation in India.
Music is a big part of my life. I’m trained in Hindustani classical music, and I perform and compose ghazals, rooted in the musical culture of Thalassery, Kerala. Learning music mostly means repeating a small phrase until it’s right, and that’s what the practice controls here are for. As a junior I also played cricket and table tennis at Kerala state level.
From YouTube Clips to LessonCues
LessonCues started out as “YouTube Clips” at youtubeclips.in. In September 2026 I renamed it and moved it to lessoncues.com, because YouTube’s branding rules don’t allow its name in the name of an app. Clips and lessons saved to accounts before the rename are still here, on lessoncues.com.
Say hello
Ideas, bugs, or a story about how you use it: I read everything. Get in touch.
LessonCues is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or Google.