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# Transcript Fetch video transcripts via [TranscriptAPI.com](https://transcriptapi.com). ## Setup If `$TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` is not set, help the user create an account (100 free credits, no card): **Step 1 — Register:** Ask user for their email. ```bash node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js register --email USER_EMAIL ``` → OTP sent to email. Ask user: _"Check your email for a 6-digit verification code."_ **Step 2 — Verify:** Once user provides the OTP: ```bash node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js verify --token TOKEN_FROM_STEP_1 --otp CODE ``` > API key saved to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`. See **File Writes** below for details. Existing file is backed up before modification. Manual option: [transcriptapi.com/signup](https://transcriptapi.com/signup) → Dashboard → API Keys. ## File Writes The verify and save-key commands save the API key to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` (sets `skills.entries.transcriptapi.apiKey` and `enabled: true`). **Existing file is backed up to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak` before modification.** To use the API key in terminal/CLI outside the agent, add to your shell profile manually: `export TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY=<your-key>` ## GET /api/v2/youtube/transcript ```bash curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\ ?video_url=VIDEO_URL&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` | Param | Required | Default | Values | | ------------------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------------------- | | `video_url` | yes | — | YouTube URL or 11-char video ID | | `format` | no | `json` | `json`, `text` | | `include_timestamp` | no | `true` | `true`, `false` | | `send_metadata` | no | `false` | `true`, `false` | Accepts: full URLs (`youtube.com/watch?v=ID`), short URLs (`youtu.be/ID`), shorts (`youtube.com/shorts/ID`), or bare video IDs. **Default:** Always use `format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true` unless user specifies otherwise. **Response** (`format=json`): ```json { "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en", "transcript": [ { "text": "We're no strangers to love", "start": 18.0, "duration": 3.5 }, { "text": "You know the rules and so do I", "start": 21.5, "duration": 2.8 } ], "metadata": { "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up", "author_name": "Rick Astley", "author_url": "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstley", "thumbnail_url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg" } } ``` **Response** (`format=text`): ```json { "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en", "transcript": "[00:00:18] We're no strangers to love\n[00:00:21] You know the rules...", "metadata": {...} } ``` ## Errors | Code | Meaning | Action | | ---- | ------------- | ----------------------------------- | | 401 | Bad API key | Check key or re-setup | | 402 | No credits | Top up at transcriptapi.com/billing | | 404 | No transcript | Video may not have captions enabled | | 408 | Timeout | Retry once after 2s | | 429 | Rate limited | Wait and retry | ## Tips - For long videos, summarize key points first, offer full transcript on request. - Use `format=json` when you need precise timestamps for quoting specific moments. - Use `include_timestamp=false` for clean text suitable for translation or analysis. - 1 credit per successful request. Errors don't cost credits. - Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min.