| name | youtube-summarizer |
| description | Automatically fetch YouTube transcripts, generate structured summaries, and send full transcripts to messaging platforms. Use when a request includes YouTube URLs and needs metadata, key insights, or downloadable transcripts. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| tags | ["youtube","transcription","summarization","video"] |
YouTube Summarizer Skill
Automatically fetch transcripts from YouTube videos, generate structured summaries, and deliver full transcripts to messaging platforms.
When to Use
Activate this skill when:
- User shares a YouTube URL (youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, youtube.com/shorts)
- User asks to summarize or transcribe a YouTube video
- User requests information about a YouTube video's content
Quick Method: Use summarize CLI
The summarize CLI already handles YouTube videos:
summarize "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --youtube auto
This is the preferred method for YouTube summarization.
With model selection
summarize "https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID" --model google/gemini-3-flash-preview --youtube auto
Length options
summarize "URL" --youtube auto --length short
summarize "URL" --youtube auto --length long
summarize "URL" --youtube auto --length xl
Alternative: MCP YouTube Transcript Server
For more control, use the MCP server directly:
Setup (if not installed)
cd /root/clawd
git clone https://github.com/kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript.git
cd mcp-server-youtube-transcript
npm install && npm run build
Fetch Transcript
cd /root/clawd/mcp-server-youtube-transcript && node --input-type=module -e "
import { getSubtitles } from './dist/youtube-fetcher.js';
const result = await getSubtitles({ videoID: 'VIDEO_ID', lang: 'en' });
console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
" > /tmp/yt-transcript.json
URL Patterns
Extract video ID from these patterns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_IDhttps://youtu.be/VIDEO_IDhttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID- Direct video ID:
VIDEO_ID (11 characters)
Summary Template
When generating summaries manually, use this format:
📹 **Video:** [title]
👤 **Channel:** [author] | 👁️ **Views:** [views] | 📅 **Published:** [date]
**🎯 Main Thesis:**
[1-2 sentence core argument/message]
**💡 Key Insights:**
- [insight 1]
- [insight 2]
- [insight 3]
- [insight 4]
- [insight 5]
**📝 Notable Points:**
- [additional point 1]
- [additional point 2]
**🔑 Takeaway:**
[Practical application or conclusion]
Quality Guidelines
- Be concise: Summary should be scannable in 30 seconds
- Be accurate: Don't add information not in the transcript
- Be structured: Use consistent formatting
- Adjust for length:
- Short videos (<5 min): Brief summary
- Long videos (>30 min): More detailed breakdown
Error Handling
If transcript fetch fails:
- Check if video has captions enabled
- Try with
lang: 'en' fallback
- Inform user that transcript is not available
If video ID extraction fails:
- Ask user to provide the full YouTube URL or video ID
Environment Variables (for MCP server)
If using APIFY fallback:
export APIFY_API_TOKEN="..."
Store in 1Password: op://Jarvis/Apify API/credential
