video-transcript-downloader
yt-dlp downloads: video, audio, subtitles, transcripts, clips, playlists.
Source facts
- Repository
- steipete/agent-scripts
- Last source activity
- September 30, 2026 at 00:47
- Detected SKILL.md language
- English
- Stars
- 7,371
- Forks
- 649
Install options
The review-first prompt is selected by default. You can switch to a direct command or download a local copy.
Review the source files
Read SKILL.md and any companion files shown by SkillsMP before deciding whether to install.
File Explorer
5 filesShowing SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Source instructions · Read-only preview- name
- video-transcript-downloader
- description
- yt-dlp downloads: video, audio, subtitles, transcripts, clips, playlists.
# Video Transcript Downloader
`./scripts/vtd.js` can:
- Print a transcript as a clean paragraph (timestamps optional).
- Download video/audio/subtitles.
Transcript behavior:
- YouTube: fetch via `youtube-transcript-plus` when possible.
- Otherwise: pull subtitles via `yt-dlp`, then clean into a paragraph.
## Setup
```bash
cd ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/video-transcript-downloader && npm ci
```
CLI syntax:
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js --help
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --help
```
Subcommands support focused help without requiring `--url`.
## Transcript (default: clean paragraph)
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…'
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --lang en
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --timestamps
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --keep-brackets
```
## Download video / audio / subtitles
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js audio --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js subs --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads --lang en
```
## Formats (list + choose)
List available formats (format ids, resolution, container, audio-only, etc):
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://…'
```
Download a specific format id (example):
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --format 137+140
```
Prefer MP4 container without re-encoding (remux when possible):
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --remux-video mp4
```
## Notes
- Default transcript output is a single paragraph. Use `--timestamps` only when asked.
- Bracketed cues like `[Music]` are stripped by default; keep them via `--keep-brackets`.
- Pass extra `yt-dlp` args after `--` for `transcript` fallback, `download`, `audio`, `subs`, `formats`.
```bash
./scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://…' -- -v
```
## Troubleshooting (only when needed)
- Missing `yt-dlp` / `ffmpeg`:
```bash
brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg
```
- Verify:
```bash
yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1
```
View on GitHub