youtube-transcript

# YouTube Transcript Skill ## Purpose Fetch transcripts from YouTube videos for analysis, note-taking, research, or content extraction. Uses `uvx` to run `youtube-transcript-api` without requiring installation. ## When to Use Call this skill when: - User provides a YouTube URL (e.g., `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID`) - User asks to "get the transcript", "fetch YouTube transcript", or "transcribe this video" - User wants to analyze, summarize, or extract content from a YouTube video - User needs video content for research or documentation purposes ## Quick Reference **Basic usage:** ```bash # From full URL uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api VIDEO_ID --format text # Extract video ID from URL # https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvLdNkgO-N0 → LvLdNkgO-N0 ``` **Output formats:** - `--format text` - Plain text (recommended for reading/analysis) - `--format json` - JSON with timestamps - `--format srt` - SubRip subtitle format - `--format vtt` - WebVTT subtitle format **Language selection:** ```bash # Specific language uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api VIDEO_ID --languages en --format text # Multiple language preferences uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api VIDEO_ID --languages en,es,fr --format text ``` ## Video ID Extraction YouTube URLs come in various formats: | Format | Example | Video ID | |--------|---------|----------| | Standard | `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvLdNkgO-N0` | `LvLdNkgO-N0` | | Short | `https://youtu.be/LvLdNkgO-N0` | `LvLdNkgO-N0` | | Embed | `https://www.youtube.com/embed/LvLdNkgO-N0` | `LvLdNkgO-N0` | | Mobile | `https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LvLdNkgO-N0` | `LvLdNkgO-N0` | **Extract video ID with bash:** ```bash # From standard URL echo "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvLdNkgO-N0" | grep -oP '(?<=v=)[^&]*' # From short URL echo "https://youtu.be/LvLdNkgO-N0" | grep -oP '(?<=youtu.be/)[^?]*' # Universal (works for most formats) echo "URL" | sed -E 's/.*[?&v=|youtu.be\/]([a-zA-Z0-9_-]{11}).*/\1/' ``` ## Saving Transcripts Transcripts can be saved to appropriate vault locations based on use case: | Use Case | Location | Example | |----------|----------|---------| | Research material | `3-resources/transcripts/` | `3-resources/transcripts/youtube-VIDEOID-title.md` | | Project reference | `1-projects/PROJECT/references/` | `1-projects/my-project/references/video-transcript.md` | | Area knowledge | `2-areas/AREA/references/` | `2-areas/development/references/claude-code-tutorial.md` | | Archived content | `4-archives/transcripts/` | `4-archives/transcripts/2026-01-old-tutorial.md` | **Naming convention:** ``` youtube-[video-id]-brief-description.md ``` Examples: - `youtube-LvLdNkgO-N0-claude-code-advanced-techniques.md` - `youtube-dQw4w9WgXcQ-rickroll.md` ## Skill Behavior When invoked: ### 1. Extract Video ID Parse the provided URL to extract the 11-character video ID: ```bash VIDEO_ID=$(echo "$URL" | sed -E 's/.*[?&v=|youtu.be\/]([a-zA-Z0-9_-]{11}).*/\1/') ``` ### 2. Fetch Transcript Use uvx to fetch the transcript without installation: ```bash uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api "$VIDEO_ID" --format text ``` ### 3. Handle Output The output may be large (>50KB). Common approaches: **Option A: Display excerpt** Show first ~2000 characters and ask if user wants it saved **Option B: Save directly** If user asked to "save" or "create note", save to appropriate location **Option C: Summarize** If user asked for summary, use the transcript as context for analysis ### 4. Save to Vault (if requested) ```bash # Save with proper naming OUTPUT_FILE="3-resources/transcripts/youtube-${VIDEO_ID}-${BRIEF_TITLE}.md" # Add frontmatter cat > "$OUTPUT_FILE" <<EOF --- source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=${VIDEO_ID} fetched: $(date +%Y-%m-%d) type: youtube-transcript --- # ${VIDEO_TITLE} ${TRANSCRIPT_CONTENT} EOF ``` ### 5. Error Handling Common errors and solutions: | Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | "Subtitles are disabled" | Video has no transcript | Inform user, suggest alternatives | | "Video unavailable" | Invalid ID or region lock | Verify URL/ID | | "Could not retrieve transcript" | Language mismatch | Try `--languages en,auto` | ## Example Workflow ```bash # 1. User provides URL URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvLdNkgO-N0" # 2. Extract video ID VIDEO_ID=$(echo "$URL" | sed -E 's/.*[?&v=|youtu.be\/]([a-zA-Z0-9_-]{11}).*/\1/') # 3. Fetch transcript TRANSCRIPT=$(uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api "$VIDEO_ID" --format text) # 4. Save to vault cat > "3-resources/transcripts/youtube-${VIDEO_ID}-how-i-ai-claude-code.md" <<EOF --- source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=${VIDEO_ID} fetched: $(date +%Y-%m-%d) type: youtube-transcript title: "How I AI - Advanced Claude Code Techniques" --- # How I AI - Advanced Claude Code Techniques with John Lindquist ${TRANSCRIPT} EOF ``` ## Advanced Usage ### Timestamp Preservation Use JSON format to preserve timestamps for detailed analysis: ```bash uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api VIDEO_ID --format json | jq -r '.[] | "[\(.start | floor)]s: \(.text)"' ``` ### Batch Processing Process multiple videos: ```bash for video_id in VIDEO_ID1 VIDEO_ID2 VIDEO_ID3; do uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api "$video_id" --format text > "transcript-${video_id}.txt" done ``` ### Language Detection List available languages: ```bash uvx --from youtube-transcript-api youtube_transcript_api VIDEO_ID --list-transcripts ``` ## Related Tools - **yt-dlp**: Alternative tool for downloading videos and subtitles (can run via `uvx yt-dlp`) - **youtube-dl**: Older alternative (less maintained) - **WebFetch**: For general web content (doesn't work well for YouTube) ## Related Skills This skill complements other research and documentation workflows: - **Web clipping skills**: For capturing written content - **Note-taking skills**: For processing and summarizing transcripts - **Research skills**: For building knowledge bases from video content ## Common Use Cases 1. **Research Documentation**: Capture talks, tutorials, interviews for reference 2. **Content Analysis**: Extract key points from educational videos 3. **Meeting/Talk Notes**: Convert recorded presentations to searchable text 4. **Accessibility**: Create text versions of video content 5. **Quote Extraction**: Find specific statements or explanations ## Tips - First fetch downloads Python 3.14, subsequent runs are instant - Large transcripts (>50KB) should be saved to files rather than displayed - Auto-generated transcripts may have typos/errors - Manual transcripts (when available) are more accurate - Consider asking user where to save before creating files - Add metadata (title, date, source) to saved transcripts ## Skill Activation This skill activates when: - User provides a YouTube URL in their message - User explicitly requests a transcript: "get transcript from..." - User asks to analyze/summarize a YouTube video - User asks about YouTube transcript capabilities