diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d99b196..47da353 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ If you change this setting and it works well for you, please leave a comment on
 | `TZ_DATA_DIR`               | No        | `/etc/elixir_tzdata_data` | The container path where the timezone database is stored                                                                                  |
 | `BASE_ROUTE_PATH`           | No        | `/`                       | The base path for route generation. Useful when running behind certain reverse proxies - prefixes must be stripped.                       |
 | `YT_DLP_WORKER_CONCURRENCY` | No        | `2`                       | The number of concurrent workers that use `yt-dlp` _per queue_. Set to 1 if you're getting IP limited, otherwise don't touch it           |
+| `YT_DLP_VERSION`            | No        | `stable`                  | Controls yt-dlp updates: `stable`, `nightly`, `master`, `pinned`/`none` (disable), or a specific version like `2025.12.08`                |
 | `ENABLE_PROMETHEUS`         | No        | `false`                   | Setting to _any_ non-blank value will enable Prometheus. See [docs](https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat/wiki/Prometheus-and-Grafana) |
 
 ### Reverse Proxies
diff --git a/config/runtime.exs b/config/runtime.exs
index 5624bfe..e77252f 100644
--- a/config/runtime.exs
+++ b/config/runtime.exs
@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ config :pinchflat, Pinchflat.Repo,
 # Some users may want to increase the number of workers that use yt-dlp to improve speeds
 # Others may want to decrease the number of these workers to lessen the chance of an IP ban
 {yt_dlp_worker_count, _} = Integer.parse(System.get_env("YT_DLP_WORKER_CONCURRENCY", "2"))
+
+# Controls yt-dlp version management. Supported values:
+#   - "stable" (default) - updates to latest stable release daily
+#   - "nightly" - updates to latest nightly build daily
+#   - "master" - updates to latest master build daily
+#   - "pinned" or "none" - disables automatic updates entirely
+#   - A specific version like "2025.12.08" - pins to that exact version
+yt_dlp_version_channel = System.get_env("YT_DLP_VERSION", "stable")
+
+config :pinchflat,
+  yt_dlp_version_channel: yt_dlp_version_channel
+
 # Used to set the cron for the yt-dlp update worker. The reason for this is
 # to avoid all instances of PF updating yt-dlp at the same time, which 1)
 # could result in rate limiting and 2) gives me time to react if an update
diff --git a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/command_runner.ex b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/command_runner.ex
index f574d30..224f671 100644
--- a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/command_runner.ex
+++ b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/command_runner.ex
@@ -77,15 +77,22 @@ defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.CommandRunner do
   end
 
   @doc """
-  Updates yt-dlp to the latest version
+  Updates yt-dlp to the specified version channel or specific version.
+
+  The version_target can be:
+    - "stable" - updates to latest stable release (default)
+    - "nightly" - updates to latest nightly build
+    - "master" - updates to latest master build
+    - A specific version like "2025.12.08" - pins to that exact version
 
   Returns {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}
   """
   @impl YtDlpCommandRunner
-  def update do
+  def update(version_target \\ "stable") do
     command = backend_executable()
+    args = build_update_args(version_target)
 
-    case CliUtils.wrap_cmd(command, ["--update"]) do
+    case CliUtils.wrap_cmd(command, args) do
       {output, 0} ->
         {:ok, String.trim(output)}
 
@@ -94,6 +101,11 @@ defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.CommandRunner do
     end
   end
 
+  defp build_update_args("stable"), do: ["--update"]
+  defp build_update_args("nightly"), do: ["--update-to", "nightly"]
+  defp build_update_args("master"), do: ["--update-to", "master"]
+  defp build_update_args(specific_version), do: ["--update-to", "yt-dlp/yt-dlp@#{specific_version}"]
+
   defp generate_output_filepath(addl_opts) do
     case Keyword.get(addl_opts, :output_filepath) do
       nil -> FSUtils.generate_metadata_tmpfile(:json)
diff --git a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/update_worker.ex b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/update_worker.ex
index 2d9b43f..abdb81e 100644
--- a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/update_worker.ex
+++ b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/update_worker.ex
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.UpdateWorker do
-  @moduledoc false
+  @moduledoc """
+  Handles automatic yt-dlp updates based on the YT_DLP_VERSION environment variable.
+
+  Supported values for YT_DLP_VERSION:
+    - "stable" (default) - updates to latest stable release daily
+    - "nightly" - updates to latest nightly build daily
+    - "master" - updates to latest master build daily
+    - "pinned" or "none" - disables automatic updates entirely
+    - A specific version like "2025.12.08" - pins to that exact version
+  """
 
   use Oban.Worker,
     queue: :local_data,
@@ -23,14 +32,22 @@ defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.UpdateWorker do
   Updates yt-dlp and saves the version to the settings.
 
   This worker is scheduled to run via the Oban Cron plugin as well as on app boot.
+  The update behavior is controlled by the YT_DLP_VERSION environment variable.
 
   Returns :ok
   """
   @impl Oban.Worker
   def perform(%Oban.Job{}) do
-    Logger.info("Updating yt-dlp")
+    version_setting = get_version_setting()
 
-    yt_dlp_runner().update()
+    case version_setting do
+      setting when setting in ["pinned", "none"] ->
+        Logger.info("yt-dlp auto-update disabled (YT_DLP_VERSION=#{setting})")
+
+      version_target ->
+        Logger.info("Updating yt-dlp to #{version_target}")
+        yt_dlp_runner().update(version_target)
+    end
 
     {:ok, yt_dlp_version} = yt_dlp_runner().version()
     Settings.set(yt_dlp_version: yt_dlp_version)
@@ -38,6 +55,13 @@ defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.UpdateWorker do
     :ok
   end
 
+  @doc """
+  Returns the configured yt-dlp version setting from environment.
+  """
+  def get_version_setting do
+    Application.get_env(:pinchflat, :yt_dlp_version_channel, "stable")
+  end
+
   defp yt_dlp_runner do
     Application.get_env(:pinchflat, :yt_dlp_runner)
   end
diff --git a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/yt_dlp_command_runner.ex b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/yt_dlp_command_runner.ex
index e5c770e..91f1e9d 100644
--- a/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/yt_dlp_command_runner.ex
+++ b/lib/pinchflat/yt_dlp/yt_dlp_command_runner.ex
@@ -10,4 +10,5 @@ defmodule Pinchflat.YtDlp.YtDlpCommandRunner do
   @callback run(binary(), atom(), keyword(), binary(), keyword()) :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary(), integer()}
   @callback version() :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}
   @callback update() :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}
+  @callback update(binary()) :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}
 end