YouTube Full
Complete YouTube toolkit via TranscriptAPI.com. Everything in one skill.
Setup
If $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY is not set, help the user create an account (100 free credits, no card):
Step 1 — Register: Ask user for their email.
node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js register --email USER_EMAIL
→ OTP sent to email. Ask user: "Check your email for a 6-digit verification code."
Step 2 — Verify: Once user provides the OTP:
node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js verify --token TOKEN_FROM_STEP_1 --otp CODE
API key saved to your shell profile and agent config. Ready to use.
Manual option: transcriptapi.com/signup → Dashboard → API Keys.
API Reference
Full OpenAPI spec: transcriptapi.com/openapi.json — consult this for the latest parameters and schemas.
Transcript — 1 credit
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_URL&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
| Param |
Required |
Default |
Values |
video_url |
yes |
— |
YouTube URL or 11-char video ID |
format |
no |
json |
json, text |
include_timestamp |
no |
true |
true, false |
send_metadata |
no |
false |
true, false |
Response (format=json):
{
"video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"language": "en",
"transcript": [{ "text": "...", "start": 18.0, "duration": 3.5 }],
"metadata": { "title": "...", "author_name": "...", "author_url": "..." }
}
Search — 1 credit
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/search?q=QUERY&type=video&limit=20" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/search?q=QUERY&type=channel&limit=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
| Param |
Required |
Default |
Validation |
q |
yes |
— |
1-200 chars |
type |
no |
video |
video, channel |
limit |
no |
20 |
1-50 |
Channels
All channel endpoints accept channel — an @handle, channel URL, or UC... channel ID. No need to resolve first.
Resolve handle — FREE
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve?input=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Response: {"channel_id": "UC...", "resolved_from": "@TED"}
Latest 15 videos — FREE
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Returns exact viewCount and ISO published timestamps.
All channel videos — 1 credit/page
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?channel=@NASA" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?continuation=TOKEN" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Provide exactly one of channel or continuation. Response includes continuation_token and has_more.
Search within channel — 1 credit
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/search\
?channel=@TED&q=QUERY&limit=30" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Playlists — 1 credit/page
Accepts playlist — a YouTube playlist URL or playlist ID.
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/playlist/videos?playlist=PL_ID" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/playlist/videos?continuation=TOKEN" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Valid ID prefixes: PL, UU, LL, FL, OL. Response includes playlist_info, results, continuation_token, has_more.
Credit Costs
| Endpoint |
Cost |
| transcript |
1 |
| search |
1 |
| channel/resolve |
free |
| channel/latest |
free |
| channel/videos |
1/page |
| channel/search |
1 |
| playlist/videos |
1/page |
Validation Rules
| Field |
Rule |
channel |
@handle, channel URL, or UC... ID |
playlist |
Playlist URL or ID (PL/UU/LL/FL/OL prefix) |
q |
1-200 chars |
limit |
1-50 |
Errors
| Code |
Meaning |
Action |
| 401 |
Bad API key |
Check key |
| 402 |
No credits |
transcriptapi.com/billing |
| 404 |
Not found |
Resource doesn't exist or no captions |
| 408 |
Timeout |
Retry once after 2s |
| 422 |
Validation error |
Check param format |
| 429 |
Rate limited |
Wait, respect Retry-After |
Typical Workflows
Research workflow: search → pick videos → fetch transcripts
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/search\
?q=machine+learning+explained&limit=5" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Channel monitoring: latest (free) → transcript
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min. Starter ($5/mo): 1,000 credits.
