name: youtube-transcript
description: Extract transcripts/subtitles from YouTube videos. Use when the user wants to get the transcript, captions, or subtitles from a YouTube video URL or video ID.
user_invocable: false---

YouTube Transcript Extractor

Extract transcripts from YouTube videos using yt-dlp (primary) with youtube-transcript-api as fallback.

When to Use

• User asks for transcript/subtitles from a YouTube video
• User wants to analyze or summarize video content
• User provides a YouTube URL or video ID

Quick Start

uv run ~/skills/youtube-transcript/extract_transcript.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Options

Examples

# Basic
uv run ~/skills/youtube-transcript/extract_transcript.py dQw4w9WgXcQ

# Clean output, save to file
uv run ~/skills/youtube-transcript/extract_transcript.py VIDEO_ID --clean -o /tmp/transcript.txt

# Use browser cookies for auth (if bot detection triggers)
uv run ~/skills/youtube-transcript/extract_transcript.py VIDEO_ID --browser chrome

YouTube Bot Detection (Common Issue)

YouTube aggressively blocks scripted access. If you see "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot":

Option 1: Use Browser Cookies

uv run ~/skills/youtube-transcript/extract_transcript.py VIDEO_ID --browser chrome

Note: Requires the browser to have an active YouTube/Google login. May fail if:
- Browser cookies are encrypted (Chrome on macOS)
- Browser is sandboxed (Safari)

Option 2: Export Cookies Manually

1. Install browser extension: "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY" or similar
2. Visit YouTube while logged in
3. Export cookies to file
4. Use: --cookies /path/to/cookies.txt

Option 3: Use Browser Automation (Nuclear Option)

If all else fails, use Claude in Chrome or similar browser automation to:
1. Navigate to video
2. Open transcript panel (click "..." → "Show transcript")
3. Extract text from the page

Requirements

• deno — Required by yt-dlp for YouTube. Install: brew install deno
• yt-dlp — Auto-installed by uv run
• youtube-transcript-api — Auto-installed by uv run

How It Works

1. yt-dlp (primary) — Downloads VTT subtitles directly. More reliable but requires deno runtime and may need authentication.

2. youtube-transcript-api (fallback) — Python API for transcripts. Often blocked by YouTube on cloud/VPN IPs.

Known Limitations

• YouTube actively blocks scripted access — authentication often required
• Age-restricted videos may not be accessible
• Some videos have transcripts disabled by uploader
• Auto-generated transcripts may contain errors
• Cloud server IPs are frequently blocked