youtube-summary

name	youtube-summary
description	Summarize a YouTube video from its transcript and save a concise note to the Obsidian vault. Use when user shares a YouTube URL and wants a summary, key takeaways, or notes from a video.
argument-hint	[youtube-url] [--no-save]
allowed-tools	Bash(cd *), Bash(uv run *), Read, Write
user-invocable	true

YouTube Summary: $ARGUMENTS

Fetch a YouTube video transcript, produce a concise summary, and save it as a note to the Obsidian vault inbox.

Arguments

• [youtube-url] — required. Any form: watch?v=, youtu.be/, /shorts/, /embed/, /live/.
• --no-save — print the summary to chat only; skip writing the vault note.

Default: print the summary AND save a note to the Obsidian vault.

---

Workflow

Phase 1: Fetch transcript

Run the script (DO NOT read it into context):

cd .claude/skills/youtube-summary/scripts && uv run python fetch_transcript.py --url "<youtube-url>"

Parse the JSON output:

• status — ok or error
• video_id, title, author, url
• duration_human, language, segment_count
• transcript — full plain text
• chapters — timestamped segments ([mm:ss] text) for citing moments
• error — message when status is error

If status is error, report the message and stop (see Error Handling).

Phase 2: Summarize (concise)

Base the summary ONLY on the transcript. No outside knowledge, no gap-filling.

• Read the full transcript and chapters.
• Distill the core thesis into a 1-2 sentence TL;DR.
• Extract 4-6 key points — the essential takeaways only, no padding.
• Cite the most important moments with [mm:ss] timestamps from chapters.
• Keep it tight: this is a concise note, not a transcript rewrite.

Phase 3: Output

Produce the note using output-template.md format. Use emojis, bullets, [[wikilinks]]. Print it to chat.

Phase 4: Save to vault (default)

Unless --no-save was passed, Write the note to:

/Users/marcin.skalski/Documents/Obsidian Vault/0_Inbox/YouTube - {sanitized-title}.md

• {sanitized-title} — the video title with / \ : * ? " < > | stripped, trimmed.
• If a file with that name already exists, append ({video_id}) before .md.
• Confirm the saved path in chat.

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Error Handling

Condition	Action
Invalid / unparseable URL	Report; ask for a valid YouTube URL
Transcripts disabled / none found	Report; suggest user supply a transcript manually
Video unavailable / private	Report status; stop
Non-English only transcript	Summarize anyway; note language in output
uv / network failure	Show stderr; suggest retry

Never invent video content when the transcript is missing.

---

Quality Checklist

• Every claim traceable to the transcript
• TL;DR is 1-2 sentences; key points are 4-6 bullets
• Key timestamps cited with [mm:ss]
• Emojis, bullets, wikilinks per repo conventions
• Title/author/duration from script, not guessed
• Note saved to vault inbox (unless --no-save); path confirmed