youtube-channels

# YouTube Channels YouTube channel tools 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, generate a secure password. ```bash node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js register --email USER_EMAIL --password SECURE_PASS --json ``` → OTP sent to email. Ask user: _"Check your email for a 6-digit verification code."_ ⚠️ **SAVE THE PASSWORD** — you need it again in Step 2! **Step 2 — Verify:** Once user provides the OTP (use SAME password from Step 1): ```bash node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js verify --email USER_EMAIL --password SECURE_PASS --otp CODE --json ``` → Returns `api_key` (starts with `sk_`). **Step 3 — Save:** Store the key (auto-configures agent + shell): ```bash node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js save-key --key API_KEY --json ``` → Ready to use. Agent runtime picks up the key automatically. Manual option: [transcriptapi.com/signup](https://transcriptapi.com/signup) → Dashboard → API Keys. ## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve — FREE Convert @handle, URL, or UC... ID to canonical channel ID. ```bash curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve?input=@mkbhd" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` | Param | Required | Validation | | ------- | -------- | --------------------------------------- | | `input` | yes | 1-200 chars — @handle, URL, or UC... ID | **Response:** ```json { "channel_id": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "resolved_from": "@mkbhd" } ``` If input is already `UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}`, returns immediately. ## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/latest — FREE Latest 15 videos via RSS with exact stats. ```bash curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` | Param | Required | Validation | | ------------ | -------- | ---------------------------------------- | | `channel_id` | yes | `^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$` (24 chars total) | **Response:** ```json { "channel": { "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "title": "MKBHD", "author": "MKBHD", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "published": "2008-03-21T00:00:00Z" }, "results": [ { "videoId": "abc123xyz00", "title": "Latest Video Title", "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "author": "MKBHD", "published": "2026-01-30T16:00:00Z", "updated": "2026-01-31T02:00:00Z", "link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123xyz00", "description": "Full video description...", "thumbnail": { "url": "https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/.../hqdefault.jpg" }, "viewCount": "2287630", "starRating": { "average": "4.92", "count": "15000", "min": "1", "max": "5" } } ], "result_count": 15 } ``` Great for monitoring channels — free and gives exact view counts + ISO timestamps. ## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/videos — 1 credit/page Paginated list of ALL channel uploads (100 per page). ```bash # First page curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" # Next pages curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?continuation=TOKEN" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` | Param | Required | Validation | | -------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------ | | `channel_id` | conditional | `^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$` (first page) | | `continuation` | conditional | non-empty (next pages) | Provide exactly one of `channel_id` or `continuation`, not both. **Response:** ```json { "results": [{ "videoId": "abc123xyz00", "title": "Video Title", "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "channelTitle": "MKBHD", "channelHandle": "@mkbhd", "lengthText": "15:22", "viewCountText": "3.2M views", "thumbnails": [...], "index": "0" }], "playlist_info": {"title": "Uploads from MKBHD", "numVideos": "1893", "ownerName": "MKBHD"}, "continuation_token": "4qmFsgKlARIYVVV1...", "has_more": true } ``` Keep calling with `continuation` until `has_more: false`. ## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/search — 1 credit Search within a specific channel. ```bash curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/search\ ?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID&q=iphone+review&limit=30" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` | Param | Required | Validation | | ------------ | -------- | ----------------------- | | `channel_id` | yes | `^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$` | | `q` | yes | 1-200 chars | | `limit` | no | 1-50 (default 30) | ## Typical workflow ```bash # 1. Resolve handle to ID (free) curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve?input=@mkbhd" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" # 2. Check latest uploads (free) curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" # 3. Get transcript of recent video curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\ ?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" ``` ## Errors | Code | Action | | ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 400 | Invalid param combination (both or neither channel_id/continuation) | | 402 | No credits — transcriptapi.com/billing | | 404 | Channel not found | | 408 | Timeout — retry once | | 422 | Invalid channel_id format | Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min. Free endpoints (resolve, latest) require auth but don't consume credits.