Transcript API

Extract transcripts from YouTube videos and podcasts. Convert audio content into searchable, quotable text.

MCP Server·3 sections·1 min read

researchcontent

Install Prompt

Paste this into Claude Code to set it up:

I want to add the Transcript API MCP Server to my Claude Code setup.

IMPORTANT: Never use Read/Edit tools on ~/.claude.json. Use jq via Bash instead.

Run this command to add the MCP server:
```bash
jq '.mcpServers["transcript-api"] = {"type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "transcript-api-mcp"]}' ~/.claude.json > /tmp/claude-json-tmp && mv /tmp/claude-json-tmp ~/.claude.json
```

After adding, restart Claude Code. The server lets the agent extract transcripts from YouTube videos and podcasts by URL.

01What It Does

Turn video and audio into searchable text

A huge amount of valuable knowledge lives in YouTube videos, podcast episodes, and conference talks, but it is locked inside audio. The Transcript API MCP server extracts the full transcript from these sources and makes it available as plain text. Your agent can then summarize, search for specific topics, extract quotes, or use the content as research material for writing.

📺

YouTube TranscriptsExtract the full transcript from any YouTube video. Works with auto generated and manually uploaded captions in multiple languages.

🎙️

Podcast TranscriptsPull transcripts from podcast episodes. Convert long form audio discussions into text that the agent can analyze and reference.

✂️

Content ExtractionGet clean, timestamped text ready for summarization, quote extraction, topic analysis, or repurposing into written content.

02Setup

# Add to ~/.claude.json under mcpServers
"transcript-api": {
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "transcript-api-mcp"]
}

YouTube transcript extraction uses the publicly available caption data and does not require an API key. For podcast transcription or premium features, some providers may require authentication.

03Usage Patterns

📝

Content RepurposingExtract a conference talk or podcast transcript, then ask the agent to turn it into a blog post, social media thread, or newsletter section with proper attribution.

🔬

Video ResearchPull transcripts from multiple videos on a topic. The agent can analyze them together, extract key insights, compare perspectives, and compile a research summary.