skills.rest
Zpankz
ZpankzCOMMUNITY
Explore all skills by this author →
GitHub

youtube-transcript

Download YouTube transcripts and captions from a provided URL.

7|3|Updated Jan 15, 2026
Search Tags:#transcript#subtitles#captions#youtube#transcription#yt-dlp
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Zpankz/mcp-skillset --skill youtube-transcript-zpankz
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: youtube-transcript
Source: https://github.com/Zpankz/mcp-skillset/tree/main/youtube-transcript
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Zpankz/mcp-skillset --skill youtube-transcript-zpankz

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Retrieving transcripts and captions from YouTube videos is often manual and inconsistent; this skill automates the process by fetching available subtitles or generating transcripts for a given YouTube URL, making it easier to review, study, or repurpose video content.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Subtitle retrieval: List and download manual or auto-generated subtitles for a video when available.
  • Transcription fallback: If subtitles are unavailable, optionally transcribe the audio with Whisper and produce a text transcript.
  • Post-processing: Convert subtitles to plain text, deduplicate and clean formatting for easy reading and analysis.
  • Use Case: A researcher wants a clean text transcript of a lecture video to extract key topics and quotes.

Quick Start

Use a YouTube URL to download the best available transcript or captions for that video.

Frequently Asked Questions about youtube-transcript

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I download YouTube transcripts and subtitles from a video URL?▼

To download YouTube transcripts, provide a video URL to fetch available subtitles. The skill checks for manual or auto-generated captions, prioritizing manual subtitles, and saves the output text for further use.

What is the best way to get plain text from YouTube subtitles?▼

The best way to get plain text from YouTube subtitles is through post-processing that converts and cleans subtitle formats. This process deduplicates content and removes formatting to produce an easy-to-read text transcript.

Can I transcribe YouTube audio when subtitles are unavailable?▼

Yes, you can transcribe YouTube audio when subtitles are unavailable by using Whisper as a fallback. This generates a text transcript directly from the video audio when no manual or auto-generated captions exist.

Does this transcript retrieval method require yt-dlp to fetch subtitles?▼

Yes, this transcript retrieval method requires yt-dlp to fetch subtitles. It uses yt-dlp to check subtitle availability and download available manual or auto-generated captions for the provided YouTube URL.

Why are my YouTube subtitles not working or downloading correctly?▼

YouTube subtitles might not work if no manual or auto-generated captions are available for the video. In these cases, the skill falls back to Whisper transcription to generate a transcript from the audio.

Related Skills

Explore More Content & Communication Skills→
cdeistopenedcdeistopened
9

youtube-downloader

Download YouTube subtitles with yt-dlp and convert VTT files to plain text.

Community
Intermediate
ZardLi1115ZardLi1115
4

youtube-content

Convert YouTube video transcripts into structured summaries, threads, blogs, chapters, and timestamped quotes.

Community
Intermediate
rm2thaddeusrm2thaddeus
4

youtube-transcript

Download YouTube video transcripts and captions using yt-dlp.

Community
Advanced
takusaotometakusaotome
5

yt-dlp-expert

Download videos, audio, and subtitles from supported platforms with yt-dlp.

Community
Advanced