youtube-processor

name	youtube-processor
description	Process YouTube videos into summarized Obsidian notes. Use when given a YouTube URL to summarize, extract insights, or turn videos into notes. Triggers on "summarize this video", "process this YouTube", "what's this video about", or any YouTube URL shared for processing.
allowed-tools	Read, Bash, Write, Glob, WebFetch

YouTube Processor

What This Does

Takes a YouTube URL, extracts the transcript, and you (Claude) summarize it. Outputs Obsidian-ready markdown. Zero friction: share a link, get actionable notes.

When to Use

• "Summarize this video: [URL]"
• "Turn this YouTube into notes"
• "What's this video about?"
• "Process this for my newsletter"
• Any YouTube URL shared for processing

Location

This skill's tools live at:

/Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools/

How It Works

Step 1: Python extracts the transcript (no API key needed) Step 2: You (Claude) summarize using your intelligence + context Step 3: You write the Obsidian-formatted output

This approach means you can use mission-context, newsletter-coach, and other skills during summarization.

---

Instructions

Which Method to Use

Environment	Method
Claude Code	Local Python script (Step 1a)
Claude.ai / Mac Client	API via WebFetch (Step 1b)

---

Step 1a: Extract Transcript (Claude Code)

Run the Python tool to get the transcript:

cd /Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools && \
python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]"

For JSON output (easier to parse):

python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]" --json

Step 1b: Extract Transcript (Claude.ai / Mac Client)

Use the API endpoint via WebFetch:

WebFetch: https://youtube-processor-eight.vercel.app/transcript?url=[VIDEO_URL]

The API returns JSON:

{
  "success": true,
  "video_id": "abc123",
  "language": "en",
  "transcript": "...",
  "char_count": 5000,
  "word_count": 850
}

Example prompt for WebFetch: "Extract the transcript text from the response"

---

Step 2: Summarize the Transcript

Once you have the transcript, summarize it based on what the user needs:

Quick Summary:

• Headline (1 sentence)
• Key points (3-5 bullets)
• Main takeaway

Detailed Analysis:

• Headline summary
• Key points with context
• Main takeaways
• Action items mentioned
• How this relates to Ed's work (if relevant)

Newsletter Mining:

• Hook ideas for an article
• Core insight/framework
• Story beats for anecdotes
• Takeaways for readers
• Newsletter angle for The Little Blue Report

Step 3: Format for Obsidian

Create markdown with this structure:

---
source: YouTube
video_id: [ID]
url: [URL]
processed: [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM]
tags: [youtube, video-notes]
---

# [Video Title or Topic]

**Link**: [URL]
**Processed**: [Date]

## Summary

[Your summary here]

---

## Full Transcript

[The transcript]

---

_Generated by youtube-processor skill_

Step 4: Save (Optional)

Save to Ed's Zettelkasten:

/Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/

Filename format: YT - [Topic] - YYYY-MM-DD.md

---

Error Handling

Error	Meaning	What to Do
"Transcripts disabled"	Creator turned off captions	Video can't be processed
"No transcript found"	No English captions available	Try a different video
"Video unavailable"	Private, deleted, or age-restricted	Check the URL

---

Examples

Example 1: Quick Summary

User says:

Summarize this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

You do:

1. Run: python3 get_transcript.py --url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
2. Read the transcript output
3. Provide a summary to the user

Example 2: Save to Obsidian

User says:

Turn this video into notes and save it: [URL]

You do:

1. Extract transcript with the Python tool
2. Summarize the content
3. Format as Obsidian markdown
4. Use Write tool to save to Zettelkasten
5. Confirm: "Saved to [filepath]"

Example 3: Newsletter Mining

User says:

I want to write about this video for the newsletter: [URL]

You do:

1. Extract transcript
2. Analyze for newsletter angles (hooks, insights, story beats)
3. Present the angles
4. Offer to hand off to newsletter-coach skill

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Integration Points

• newsletter-coach: After extracting video insights, hand off for article development
• mission-context: Use Ed's voice and style when summarizing
• task-clarity-scanner: Action items from videos can be added to daily notes

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Dependencies

The Python tool requires:

youtube-transcript-api

Install if needed:

pip3 install youtube-transcript-api

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Version History

Version	Date	Changes
1.1	2026-01-03	Added Vercel API for Claude.ai/Mac client support
1.0	2026-01-02	Initial build with transcript extraction

Notes & Learnings

• youtube-transcript-api works without API keys
• Most videos have auto-generated English captions
• Claude doing the summarization is better than Python calling the API (can use context)
• ~3-5 second transcript extraction for typical videos