Content
# YouTube Transcript Server
[](https://smithery.ai/server/@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript)
A Model Context Protocol server that enables retrieval of transcripts from YouTube videos. This server provides direct access to video captions and subtitles through a simple interface.
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/z429kk3te7"><img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/z429kk3te7/badge" alt="mcp-server-youtube-transcript MCP server" /></a>
### Installing via Smithery
To install YouTube Transcript Server for Claude Desktop automatically via [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript):
```bash
npx -y @smithery/cli install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript --client claude
```
## Components
### Tools
- **get_transcript**
- Extract transcripts from YouTube videos
- Inputs:
- `url` (string, required): YouTube video URL or video ID
- `lang` (string, optional, default: "en"): Language code for transcript (e.g., 'ko', 'en')
## Key Features
- Support for multiple video URL formats
- Language-specific transcript retrieval
- Detailed metadata in responses
## Configuration
To use with Claude Desktop, add this server configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcript": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"]
}
}
}
```
## Install via tool
[mcp-get](https://github.com/michaellatman/mcp-get) A command-line tool for installing and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
```shell
npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript
```
## Awesome-mcp-servers
[awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers) A curated list of awesome Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
## Development
### Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher
- npm or yarn
### Setup
Install dependencies:
```bash
npm install
```
Build the server:
```bash
npm run build
```
For development with auto-rebuild:
```bash
npm run watch
```
### Testing
```bash
npm test
```
### Debugging
Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. We recommend using the MCP Inspector for development:
```bash
npm run inspector
```
## Error Handling
The server implements robust error handling for common scenarios:
- Invalid video URLs or IDs
- Unavailable transcripts
- Language availability issues
- Network errors
## Usage Examples
1. Get transcript by video URL:
```typescript
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
lang: "en"
});
```
2. Get transcript by video ID:
```typescript
await server.callTool("get_transcript", {
url: "VIDEO_ID",
lang: "ko"
});
```
3. How to Extract YouTube Subtitles in Claude Desktop App
```
chat: https://youtu.be/ODaHJzOyVCQ?si=aXkJgso96Deri0aB Extract subtitles
```
## Security Considerations
The server:
- Validates all input parameters
- Handles YouTube API errors gracefully
- Implements timeouts for transcript retrieval
- Provides detailed error messages for troubleshooting
## License
This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
