YouTube Transcript
An MCP server designed to fetch transcripts for YouTube videos. It enables AI tools to access video text content for tasks like summarization, analysis, and key takeaway extraction.
What is YouTube Transcript?
YouTube Transcript is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server designed to fetch transcripts for youtube videos. it enables ai tools to access video text content for tasks like summarization, analysis, and key takeaway extraction.
An MCP server designed to fetch transcripts for YouTube videos. It enables AI tools to access video text content for tasks like summarization, analysis, and key takeaway extraction.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- An MCP server designed to fetch transcripts for YouTube vide
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx yttConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use YouTube Transcript
The ytt-mcp server is a lightweight Python MCP server that fetches transcripts from YouTube videos, enabling AI assistants to read and process video content as plain text. It connects to YouTube's transcript API and returns the full spoken text of any video that has captions available, making it possible for Claude to summarize, analyze, extract key points, or answer questions about video content without the user needing to watch it. This is especially useful for research, note-taking, and content workflows involving YouTube lectures, interviews, or tutorials.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+ installed
- uv package manager installed (pip install uv or curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Raycast with AI support
- Internet access to reach YouTube's transcript API
Install the server via uvx
uvx installs and runs ytt-mcp in an isolated environment without requiring a manual pip install. This is the recommended one-command setup.
uvx ytt-mcpConfigure Claude Desktop
Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json. No environment variables are required — just the command and args.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ytt-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["ytt-mcp"]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop
Save the config file and restart Claude Desktop. The ytt-mcp server will be started automatically when Claude needs it.
Test with a YouTube URL
Paste a YouTube video URL into Claude and ask it to fetch the transcript. The server supports any video that has auto-generated or manually uploaded captions.
(Optional) Debug with fastmcp dev
During development, use the fastmcp inspector to test the server locally in a browser interface before connecting it to a client.
uv run fastmcp dev ytt_mcp.pyYouTube Transcript Examples
Client configuration (Claude Desktop)
Minimal configuration for Claude Desktop — no API keys or environment variables needed.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ytt-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["ytt-mcp"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Provide a YouTube URL and ask Claude to process the transcript in various ways.
- "Fetch the transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ and give me a summary"
- "What are the three main points made in this YouTube video: [URL]?"
- "Extract all the action items mentioned in this tutorial video: [URL]"
- "Translate the key ideas from this lecture into bullet points: [URL]"
- "Does the speaker in this video mention any specific tools or frameworks? [URL]"Troubleshooting YouTube Transcript
Transcript fetch fails or returns empty for a video
Not all YouTube videos have transcripts available. Videos with disabled captions or that are very new may not have a transcript yet. Try a video that shows a 'CC' button in the YouTube player to confirm captions exist.
uvx command not found after installation
Install uv first using 'pip install uv' or the official shell script (curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh). After installation, ensure ~/.local/bin or the uv install path is on your PATH and restart your terminal.
Server starts but Claude does not use it for YouTube URLs
Claude does not automatically invoke MCP tools — you must explicitly ask it to fetch the transcript. Include the full YouTube URL in your prompt and say 'fetch the transcript' or 'use ytt-mcp to get the transcript of this video'.
Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Transcript
What is YouTube Transcript?
YouTube Transcript is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server designed to fetch transcripts for youtube videos. it enables ai tools to access video text content for tasks like summarization, analysis, and key takeaway extraction. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install YouTube Transcript?
Follow the installation instructions on the YouTube Transcript GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with YouTube Transcript?
YouTube Transcript works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is YouTube Transcript free to use?
Yes, YouTube Transcript is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
YouTube Transcript Alternatives — Similar Search & Data Extraction Servers
Looking for alternatives to YouTube Transcript? Here are other popular search & data extraction servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
TrendRadar
★ 58.0kA real-time hotspot monitoring and news aggregation assistant that provides AI-powered analysis of trending topics across multiple platforms via the Model Context Protocol. It enables users to track news and receive automated notifications through va
Scrapling
★ 52.7k🕷️ An adaptive Web Scraping framework that handles everything from a single request to a full-scale crawl!
PDF Math Translate
★ 33.9k[EMNLP 2025 Demo] PDF scientific paper translation with preserved formats - 基于 AI 完整保留排版的 PDF 文档全文双语翻译，支持 Google/DeepL/Ollama/OpenAI 等服务，提供 CLI/GUI/MCP/Docker/Zotero
GPT Researcher
★ 27.2kAn autonomous agent that conducts deep research on any data using any LLM providers
Agent Reach
★ 20.1kGive your AI agent eyes to see the entire internet. Read & search Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili, XiaoHongShu — one CLI, zero API fees.
Xiaohongshu
★ 13.7kMCP for xiaohongshu.com
Browse More Search & Data Extraction MCP Servers
Explore all search & data extraction servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up YouTube Transcript in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
Ready to use YouTube Transcript?
Browse our complete directory of 33,000+ MCP servers, read setup guides for your editor, and start building with the Model Context Protocol.