YouTube Transcript Server
About
A Model Context Protocol server that enables retrieval of transcripts from YouTube videos. It provides direct access to video captions and subtitles through a simple tool interface, supporting multiple video URL formats and language-specific transcript retrieval.
Details
- License
- MIT license
Explore
- Support for multiple video URL formats
- Language-specific transcript retrieval
- Detailed metadata in responses
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
YouTube Transcript ServerCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
To use with Claude Desktop, add this server configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcript": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"]
}
}
}
To install YouTube Transcript Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript --client claude
mcp-get A command-line tool for installing and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
``shell ``
npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript
typescript
1. Get transcript by video URL:
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
lang: "en"
});
typescript
2. Get transcript by video ID:
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "VIDEO_ID",
lang: "ko"
});
3. How to Extract YouTube Subtitles in Claude Desktop App
chat: https://youtu.be/ODaHJzOyVCQ?si=aXkJgso96Deri0aB Extract subtitles
url
(string, required): YouTube video URL or video ID
lang
(string, optional, default: "en"): Language code for transcript (e.g., 'ko', 'en')
- get_transcript
- Extract transcripts from YouTube videos
- Inputs:
- url (string, required): YouTube video URL or video ID
- lang (string, optional, default: "en"): Language code for transcript (e.g., 'ko', 'en')
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube transcript server": {
"williamvd4_mcp-server-youtube-transcript": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli",
"install",
"@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript",
"--client",
"claude"
]
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"williamvd4_mcp-server-youtube-transcript": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli",
"install",
"@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript",
"--client",
"claude"
]
}
}A Model Context Protocol server that enables retrieval of transcripts from YouTube videos. This server provides direct access to video captions and subtitles through a simple interface.
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/z429kk3te7"></a>
Installing via Smithery
To install YouTube Transcript Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript --client claude
Components
Tools
- get_transcript
- Extract transcripts from YouTube videos
- Inputs:
- url (string, required): YouTube video URL or video ID
- lang (string, optional, default: "en"): Language code for transcript (e.g., 'ko', 'en')
Key Features
- Support for multiple video URL formats
- Language-specific transcript retrieval
- Detailed metadata in responses
Configuration
To use with Claude Desktop, add this server configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcript": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"]
}
}
}
Install via tool
mcp-get A command-line tool for installing and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
``shell
npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript
Awesome-mcp-servers
awesome-mcp-servers A curated list of awesome Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
Development
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher
- npm or yarn
Setup
Install dependencies:
bash
npm install
Build the server:
npm run build
For development with auto-rebuild:
npm run watch
Testing
npm test
Debugging
Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. We recommend using the MCP Inspector for development:
npm run inspector
Error Handling
The server implements robust error handling for common scenarios:
- Invalid video URLs or IDs
- Unavailable transcripts
- Language availability issues
- Network errors
Usage Examples
1. Get transcript by video URL:
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
lang: "en"
});
2. Get transcript by video ID:
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "VIDEO_ID",
lang: "ko"
});
3. How to Extract YouTube Subtitles in Claude Desktop App
chat: https://youtu.be/ODaHJzOyVCQ?si=aXkJgso96Deri0aB Extract subtitles
``
Security Considerations
The server:
- Validates all input parameters
- Handles YouTube API errors gracefully
- Implements timeouts for transcript retrieval
- Provides detailed error messages for troubleshooting
License
This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
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