mcp-youtube-transcripts

# YouTube Transcript Extractor A command-line tool that extracts transcripts from YouTube videos, supporting various URL formats and outputting transcripts with optional timestamps. Built with Python and using script dependencies management. ## Features - Extract transcripts from YouTube videos using URLs or video IDs - Support for multiple YouTube URL formats: - Standard watch URLs (youtube.com/watch?v=...) - Shortened URLs (youtu.be/...) - Embed URLs (youtube.com/embed/...) - Configurable timestamp inclusion in HH:MM:SS format - Flexible output options (file or stdout) - Comprehensive error handling for common scenarios ## Installation This tool uses the script dependencies specification format: ```bash git clone https://github.com/tlofreso/mcp-youtube-transcripts.git cd mcp-youtube-transcripts ``` The script's dependencies are automatically managed through the script header: ```python # /// script # requires-python = ">=3.12" # dependencies = [ # "click", # "youtube_transcript_api", # ] # /// ``` ## Usage Basic command format: ```bash python youtube_transcript.py <youtube-url> [options] ``` ### Options - `-o, --output`: Specify output file path (default: stdout) - `--timestamps/--no-timestamps`: Include/exclude timestamps (default: include) ### Examples 1. Extract transcript to console (with timestamps): ```bash python youtube_transcript.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" ``` 2. Save transcript to file (without timestamps): ```bash python youtube_transcript.py "https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ" -o transcript.txt --no-timestamps ``` 3. Process an embed URL: ```bash python youtube_transcript.py "https://www.youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ" ``` ### Output Format With timestamps (default): ``` [00:00:00] First line of the transcript [00:00:03] Second line of the transcript [00:00:07] Third line of the transcript ``` Without timestamps: ``` First line of the transcript Second line of the transcript Third line of the transcript ``` ## Error Handling The tool provides clear error messages for common scenarios: - Transcripts disabled for the video - Invalid or malformed YouTube URLs - Network connectivity issues - File permission problems - Missing or invalid video IDs ## Requirements - Python 3.12 or higher - Automatically installed dependencies: - click: For command-line interface - youtube_transcript_api: For fetching transcripts ## Contributing Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests. ## License This project is open source and available under the MIT License.