video-to-zettelkasten

name	video-to-zettelkasten
effort	high
description	Decompose YouTube videos into atomic Zettelkasten permanent notes in the Obsidian vault. Invoke with `/video-to-zettelkasten <youtube-url>` or when user says "ZK this video", "atomize this video", "extract notes from this video". Downloads transcript via yt-dlp, extracts concepts, and creates interlinked permanent notes plus a literature note.

Video to Zettelkasten

Decompose a YouTube video's transcript into atomic, interlinked permanent notes following Zettelkasten methodology. Uses yt-dlp to fetch the transcript and video metadata, then produces permanent notes in 3_Permanent Notes/ plus a literature note in 2_Literature Notes/.

Read references/vault-standards.md for Obsidian vault formatting standards before creating any notes.

Workflow

Phase 1: Fetch Transcript and Metadata

Skip if already fetched: If a cleaned /tmp/yt-zk-<id>.en.txt already exists for this video (e.g. the user came from /video-transcript), Read it and the metadata you already have, then jump to Phase 2. Only run the steps below when no transcript is on disk.

1. Download metadata — Pipe through jq to keep only what you need (the raw JSON includes ~1MB of format/storyboard noise):

   yt-dlp --dump-json --no-download "<url>" | jq '{title, uploader, channel, upload_date, duration, webpage_url, id, description: (.description | .[0:500])}'
   

2. Download transcript — Fetch manual and auto-generated subs in one call; yt-dlp writes whichever exist:

   yt-dlp --write-subs --write-auto-subs --sub-langs "en" --skip-download --sub-format vtt -o "/tmp/yt-zk-%(id)s" "<url>"
   

   Most channels (especially tech/educational) only have auto-subs. Manual subs are rare.

3. Clean the transcript with the bundled script — Run:

   python3 /Users/joec/.claude/skills/video-to-zettelkasten/scripts/clean-vtt.py /tmp/yt-zk-<id>.en.vtt
   

   This writes a cleaned .txt next to the .vtt and prints the word count. Then use the Read tool on the cleaned .txt file — do not pipe it through cat/sed/head.

4. Check for existing notes — Search the vault:

   • Grep for the video title across **/*.md
   • Glob for filename matches in 2_Literature Notes/ and 3_Permanent Notes/

Phase 2: Analyze and Propose Structure

Present video context to the user:

• Video title, channel, duration, upload date
• Brief summary of what the transcript covers (2-3 sentences)

Extract concepts at two tiers:

Tier 1 - Core Concepts (always extract)

• The video's central ideas, frameworks, or arguments
• Ideas that stand alone as reusable mental models
• Typically 2-4 notes per video

Tier 2 - Supporting Ideas (extract when the video has depth)

• Taxonomies, examples, or methods that enrich the core concepts
• Actionable procedures or decision frameworks
• Typically 1-3 notes per video

For long-form content (lectures, deep dives over 30 minutes), also consider:

Tier 3 - Tactical Methods (only for substantial videos)

• Step-by-step methods, checklists, or frameworks for action
• Typically 1-2 notes

Present the proposed structure to the user before creating notes. Show:

• Proposed note titles organized by tier
• One-line description of what each captures
• Estimated total note count

Wait for user approval before proceeding.

Auto-mode exception: If auto mode is active (a ## Auto Mode Active system reminder is present), skip the approval gate. Present the proposed structure inline and proceed with the writes in the same turn.

Phase 3: Create Permanent Notes

For each approved note, write to 3_Permanent Notes/ following this structure:

---
tags:
  - type/note
  - domain-tag-1
  - domain-tag-2
created: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
updated: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
---

# [Concept Title]

[1-3 sentence definition/summary of the concept distilled to its essence]

## [Core content sections - vary by concept type]

[Use tables, blockquotes, lists as appropriate. Prefer tables for comparisons.
Use blockquotes for memorable quotes from the speaker.
Keep content dense but scannable.]

## Questions
- [Open questions connecting this concept to the reader's world]
- [Areas for further exploration]
- [How does this relate to other domains?]

## Terms
- [[Related Concept Note]]
- [[Another Related Note]]

## References
- [[videox - Video Title]] - Channel Name
- [Other sources if applicable]

Content principles:

• Atomic: One concept per note. If you're writing "and also..." it's probably two notes.
• Evergreen: Write as timeless knowledge, not "the speaker says at 14:32..."
• Dense: Use tables for structured comparisons. Use blockquotes for the speaker's best lines. No filler.
• Interlinked: Every note should link to 2-5 other notes from the same video. Use [[wiki-links]] for notes that exist and [[Proposed Title]] for ones being created in the same batch.
• Aliased links: Use [[Full Title|Short Display]] when the full title is unwieldy inline.
• Questioning: End with 2-4 genuine questions that connect the concept to the reader's domain or to other sources in the vault.

What NOT to include:

• Timestamps or "the speaker says" framing
• Exhaustive examples (pick 2-3 best ones)
• Content that merely recaps the video narrative without extracting a reusable idea

Phase 4: Create Literature Note

Write to 2_Literature Notes/videox - [Title].md:

---
tags:
  - type/literature
  - video
  - youtube
  - domain-tag-1
  - domain-tag-2
created: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
updated: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
source: "[video-url]"
channel: "[channel-name]"
duration: "[HH:MM:SS]"
upload_date: "[YYYY-MM-DD]"
---

# [Video Title]

**Channel:** [[Channel Name]]
**Duration:** X minutes
**URL:** [link]

## Summary
[3-5 sentence summary of the video's content and main argument]

## Core Concepts

### Tier 1
- [[Permanent Note Title]] — one-line description
- [[Another Note]] — one-line description

### Tier 2
- [[Supporting Note]] — one-line description

## Key Moments
[Chronological highlights from the transcript — not every section, just the most valuable points with brief context]

## Terms
- [[Permanent Note 1]]
- [[Permanent Note 2]]

## References
- Related works or sources mentioned in the video

If updating existing literature note: Add or update Core Concepts section, wiki-links, and Terms. Do NOT remove existing content.

Phase 5: Verify Cross-Links

After all notes are created:

• Confirm every permanent note links back to the literature note
• Confirm every permanent note links to at least 2 sibling permanent notes
• Confirm the literature note's Core Concepts section lists all permanent notes by tier
• Search the vault for existing permanent notes on related topics and suggest cross-links to user

Phase 6: Cleanup

Remove temporary files from /tmp/:

rm -f /tmp/yt-zk-*

Example Invocations

• /video-to-zettelkasten https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
• "ZK this video https://youtu.be/abc123"
• "Extract notes from this talk" (with URL in message)