Youtube Transcript
YouTube Transcript extracts text transcripts from YouTube videos using the youtube-transcript-api library, serving users who need written versions of video content. It accepts YouTube URLs or video IDs and returns transcripts with optional timestamps, supporting multiple URL formats and automatically falling back to auto-generated captions when manual ones aren't available. The skill solves the problem of accessing video content in text form for accessibility, searchability, and reference purposes.
- installs
- 3.4K
- GitHub stars
- 298
- last updated
- Aug 21, 2026
Install
$ npx -y skills add intellectronica/agent-skills --skill youtube-transcript --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Files
YouTube Transcript
Extract transcripts from YouTube videos using the youtube-transcript-api.
Usage
Run the script with a YouTube URL or video ID:
uv run scripts/get_transcript.py "VIDEO_URL_OR_ID"
With timestamps:
uv run scripts/get_transcript.py "VIDEO_URL_OR_ID" --timestamps
Defaults
- Without timestamps (default): Plain text, one line per caption segment
- With timestamps:
[MM:SS] textformat (or[HH:MM:SS]for longer videos)
Supported URL Formats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_IDhttps://youtu.be/VIDEO_IDhttps://youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID- Raw video ID (11 characters)
Output
- CRITICAL: YOU MUST NEVER MODIFY THE RETURNED TRANSCRIPT
- If the transcript is without timestamps, you SHOULD clean it up so that it is arranged by complete paragraphs and the lines don't cut in the middle of sentences.
- If you were asked to save the transcript to a specific file, save it to the requested file.
- If no output file was specified, use the YouTube video ID with a
-transcript.txtsuffix.
Notes
- Fetches auto-generated or manually added captions (whichever is available)
- Requires the video to have captions enabled
- Falls back to auto-generated captions if manual ones aren't available
Sponsors
Details
- Repository
- github.com/intellectronica/agent-skills
- Category
- AI & Agent Building
