transcribe

# Transcribe Generate SRT subtitle files + readable text from audio/video using ElevenLabs Scribe v2. ## Quick Start ```bash cd ~/.claude/skills/transcribe/scripts # Basic transcription (generates both SRT + readable .md) npx ts-node transcribe.ts -i /path/to/video.mp4 -o /path/to/output.srt # Specify language npx ts-node transcribe.ts -i /path/to/video.mp4 -o /path/to/output.srt -l he # Only readable text (skip SRT) npx ts-node transcribe.ts -i /path/to/meeting.m4a -o /path/to/output.srt --no-srt # Shorter timestamp intervals (every 2 minutes) npx ts-node transcribe.ts -i /path/to/video.mp4 -o /path/to/output.srt --timestamp-interval 120 # Disable speaker diarization npx ts-node transcribe.ts -i /path/to/video.mp4 -o /path/to/output.srt --no-speakers ``` ## Output Files The script **always** generates: 1. `.srt` - Standard subtitle file (for embedding) 2. `.md` - Readable text with speakers + timestamps every ~5 min Optional: 3. `_transcript.json` - Raw word-level data (with `--json`) ## Options | Option | Short | Default | Description | |--------|-------|---------|-------------| | `--input` | `-i` | (required) | Input audio/video file | | `--output` | `-o` | (required) | Output SRT file path | | `--language` | `-l` | auto | Language code (en, he, ar, etc.) | | `--max-words` | | 5 | Max words per subtitle entry | | `--max-duration` | | 3.0 | Max seconds per subtitle entry | | `--max-chars` | | 70 | Max characters per subtitle entry | | `--timing-offset` | | 0.25 | Timing offset in seconds | | `--json` | | false | Also output raw transcript JSON | | `--no-srt` | | false | Skip SRT, only generate text | | `--no-speakers` | | false | Disable speaker diarization | | `--timestamp-interval` | | 300 | Seconds between timestamps in text (5 min) | ## Language Codes - `en` - English - `he` - Hebrew - `ar` - Arabic - `es` - Spanish - `fr` - French - `de` - German - `ru` - Russian - `zh` - Chinese - `ja` - Japanese - (or omit for auto-detection) ## Readable Text Format The `.md` file includes: - **Header** with filename, date, duration - **Speaker labels** (דובר 1, דובר 2...) when diarization detects speaker changes - **Timestamps** every ~5 minutes (configurable) - **Paragraphs** broken naturally at sentence boundaries Example: ```markdown # תמלול: meeting.m4a **תאריך:** 27.1.2026 **משך:** 45:32 --- **דובר 1:** שלום לכולם, אני רוצה להתחיל את הפגישה... **דובר 2:** בסדר, בוא נדבר על הנושא הראשון... **[5:00]** **דובר 1:** עכשיו נעבור לחלק השני... ``` ## Translation If target language differs from audio language: 1. Transcribe first (get original language SRT) 2. Read the SRT, translate each entry preserving timestamps 3. Write translated SRT file No API needed - translate directly. ## Post-Transcription Refinement (Claude's Job) After generating the raw SRT, **always refine it semantically**. The transcription API chunks by time intervals, not meaning - this creates awkward splits like: ``` 1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:01,922 anything a human being can 2 00:00:02,002 --> 00:00:03,320 do, your Claude bot can ``` The word "do" belongs with the previous sentence! **Always regroup by semantic meaning:** ### Refinement Rules 1. **Complete sentences/clauses together** - Never split subject from verb, verb from object 2. **Move orphaned words** - If a line starts with a word that completes the previous thought, merge it 3. **Punctuation guides splits** - Periods, question marks, exclamations are natural break points 4. **Preserve parallel structure** - Keep matching phrases together (e.g., "if X can do it, Y can do it") 5. **Emphasis stays standalone** - Repeated words for emphasis ("Anything. Anything!") get their own line 6. **Action chains can split** - Lists of actions can be separate lines if they're complete thoughts ### Refinement Process 1. Read the raw SRT 2. Concatenate all text to see full content 3. Identify natural sentence/clause boundaries 4. Redistribute words into semantic groups 5. Adjust timestamps: line starts at first word's time, ends at last word's time + small buffer 6. Write refined SRT ### Example Before/After **Before (raw):** ``` 1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:01,922 anything a human being can 2 00:00:02,002 --> 00:00:03,320 do, your Claude bot can 3 00:00:03,341 --> 00:00:06,282 do. Anything. Anything! ``` **After (refined):** ``` 1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:02,100 anything a human being can do, 2 00:00:02,100 --> 00:00:03,500 your Claude bot can do. 3 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,100 Anything. Anything! ``` **Always apply this refinement after transcription. The user expects semantically coherent subtitles.** ## Environment API key stored in `scripts/.env`: ``` ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your_key_here ```