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:

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:

# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.12"
# dependencies = [
#     "click",
#     "youtube_transcript_api",
# ]
# ///

Usage

Basic command format:

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):

python youtube_transcript.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"

2. Save transcript to file (without timestamps):

python youtube_transcript.py "https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ" -o transcript.txt --no-timestamps

3. Process an embed URL:

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.