youtube-transcript

Extract transcripts from YouTube videos with optional timestamps.

intellectronica/agent-skillsUpdated Apr 8, 2026

Works with

Claude CodeCursorClineWindsurfCodexGooseGitHub CopilotZed

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Install Skill

Run in your terminal

$npx skills add https://github.com/intellectronica/agent-skills --skill youtube-transcript

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this week

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What it does

  • Accepts multiple URL formats (youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, embed links, or raw video IDs) and outputs plain text or timestamped format

  • Fetches auto-generated or manually added captions, whichever is available; requires captions to be enabled on the video

  • Outputs to a file named VIDEO_ID-transcript.txt by default, or to a user-specified file path

  • When timestamps are omitted, reorganizes caption segments into comp

Category

Productivity

Last updated

Apr 8, 2026

Installation Guide

How to use youtube-transcript on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your machine
  • Node.js 16+ with npm — verify with node --version
  • Active project directory where you want to add youtube-transcript
2

Run the install command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/intellectronica/agent-skills --skill youtube-transcript

Fetches youtube-transcript from intellectronica/agent-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI shows a list of agents. Use arrow keys and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ────────────────
│ · Cline · Codex · Goose · Windsurf
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ · Cursor · Aider · Continue
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/youtube-transcript

Restart Cursor to activate youtube-transcript. Access via /youtube-transcript in your agent's command palette.

Security Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your environment. Always review source, verify the publisher, and test in isolation before production.

Documentation

YouTube Transcript

Extract transcripts from YouTube videos using the youtube-transcript-api.

Usage

Run the script with a YouTube URL or video ID:

uv run scripts/get_transcript.py "VIDEO_URL_OR_ID"

With timestamps:

uv run scripts/get_transcript.py "VIDEO_URL_OR_ID" --timestamps

Defaults

  • Without timestamps (default): Plain text, one line per caption segment
  • With timestamps: [MM:SS] text format (or [HH:MM:SS] for longer videos)

Supported URL Formats

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
  • https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
  • https://youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
  • Raw video ID (11 characters)

Output

  • CRITICAL: YOU MUST NEVER MODIFY THE RETURNED TRANSCRIPT
  • If the transcript is without timestamps, you SHOULD clean it up so that it is arranged by complete paragraphs and the lines don't cut in the middle of sentences.
  • If you were asked to save the transcript to a specific file, save it to the requested file.
  • If no output file was specified, use the YouTube video ID with a -transcript.txt suffix.

Notes

  • Fetches auto-generated or manually added captions (whichever is available)
  • Requires the video to have captions enabled
  • Falls back to auto-generated captions if manual ones aren't available

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Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Steps

  1. 1Install product management skill
  2. 2Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use when

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid when

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Related Skills

Reviews

4.745 reviews
  • M
    Meera AbebeDec 16, 2024

    youtube-transcript fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • W
    William NdlovuDec 16, 2024

    Registry listing for youtube-transcript matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • S
    Shikha MishraDec 12, 2024

    youtube-transcript is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • D
    Diya SethiDec 12, 2024

    We added youtube-transcript from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • A
    Arya ChoiNov 7, 2024

    I recommend youtube-transcript for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • C
    Charlotte PerezNov 7, 2024

    youtube-transcript reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Y
    Yash ThakkerNov 3, 2024

    Useful defaults in youtube-transcript — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • A
    Arya PerezOct 26, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: youtube-transcript is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • A
    Alexander RamirezOct 26, 2024

    youtube-transcript is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • D
    Dhruvi JainOct 22, 2024

    Registry listing for youtube-transcript matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

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