Log inSubmit server
Youtube Transcript MCP logo

Youtube Transcript MCP

by @fabriqa.ai

Retrieve caption transcripts from YouTube videos with language and timestamp controls through MCP.

InstallRepositoryWebsite
Full README Compare alternatives Embed widget Claim this listing

Install Youtube Transcript MCP

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fabriqa-ai-youtube-transcript-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

The install command started, but didn't respond the way we expected when we tried to talk to it.

npx -y @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest

initialize succeeded but no response to tools/list.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked Today.

Overview

@fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp retrieves YouTube transcripts for use in Claude Code and Claude Desktop. It accepts standard YouTube URLs or an 11-character video ID, with options for transcript language and timestamp inclusion. Use it to summarize talks, search lectures for topics, extract quotes, or turn captioned videos into readable text. A separate tool lists the transcript languages available for a video.

Use cases

  • Summarize technical talks and lectures
  • Search videos for mentions of specific topics
  • Extract quotes from interviews and panels
  • Review educational content as searchable text
  • Analyze transcripts in a Claude Code sub-agent

Key features

  • Retrieve transcripts from YouTube URLs or video IDs
  • List available transcript languages
  • Request a specific transcript language
  • Include or omit timestamps
  • Handle common YouTube URL formats
  • Return transcript-focused output without extra video metadata

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 22h ago via OSV.dev · @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars15Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads376Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit10mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveStarted but did not complete the MCP handshake in our test.

How Youtube Transcript MCP works

What @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp does

@fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp exposes YouTube transcript retrieval through the Model Context Protocol. It is intended for workflows where an AI assistant needs the text of a captioned video rather than video metadata or a downloaded media file. The returned transcript can then be summarized, searched, quoted, or analyzed by the connected client.

The package accepts common YouTube links, including standard watch URLs, shortened youtu.be links, mobile URLs, and direct 11-character video IDs. It can request a particular language when that language is available and can return text with or without timestamps.

Tools and capabilities

The server provides two tools:

  • get-transcript retrieves a video's transcript. Its required url parameter accepts a YouTube URL or video ID. The optional lang parameter selects a language such as en, es, or fr; without it, the video's default language is used. The include_timestamps option controls whether timestamps are included and defaults to true.
  • get-transcript-languages checks which transcript languages are available for a specified video. It accepts the same URL or video ID style as the transcript tool.

The server focuses on transcript content, which avoids loading unrelated video metadata. Timestamp-free output can reduce the amount of context consumed when processing long videos.

Setup and configuration

Install the package globally with npm:

Terminal
npm install -g @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp

For a source installation, clone the repository, enter its directory, and run npm install.

Claude Code can register the package with npx. A user-scoped configuration makes it available across projects:

Terminal
claude mcp add --scope user youtube-transcript npx @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest

Use --scope local for a project-specific configuration instead. The package also includes an update script that can add the server to Claude's configuration:

Terminal
npx @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp/update-config.js

For Claude Desktop, add an mcpServers entry to the platform-specific Claude Desktop configuration file:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-transcript": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Restart the client after configuration so the tools become available.

Limitations and notes

Transcript retrieval depends on captions being available for the selected YouTube video. Invalid URLs and videos without transcripts are handled with errors rather than producing transcript content. Requested languages also need to be available for the video. The server retrieves transcript text; it is not described as a video downloader or a general YouTube metadata client.

For long videos, omitting timestamps can produce a smaller result. The package's example notes that a 60-minute transcript may be about 19,000 tokens without timestamps compared with about 30,000 with them. Claude Code users can also place transcript analysis in a dedicated sub-agent workflow to keep large transcript content out of the main conversation.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Youtube Transcript MCP

@fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp is an MCP server that connects an MCP client to YouTube transcript data. Its main tools retrieve a video's transcript and list available transcript languages, accepting common YouTube URLs or direct video IDs with optional language and timestamp controls.

Install it with `npm install -g @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp`, then register it with Claude Code using `claude mcp add` and `npx`. You can also clone the repository and run `npm install` for a source installation.

Set `include_timestamps` to `false` when calling `get-transcript`. The tool accepts a YouTube URL or video ID and returns transcript text without timestamp markers, which can reduce context usage for long videos.

Call `get-transcript-languages` with the video's YouTube URL or 11-character video ID. The tool reports the transcript languages available for that video before you request a specific language.

Yes, it can be configured in Claude Desktop by adding an `mcpServers` entry that runs `npx @fabriqa.ai/youtube-transcript-mcp@latest`. Restart Claude Desktop after editing its configuration file.

Related MCP servers

All in Social Media All alternatives
Add a badge to your READMEShow it’s listed — live SVG, Markdown or HTML.

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:
Live Dynamic SVG PreviewYoutube Transcript MCP AllMCPs Directory Badge
Markdown (GitHub README)
[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/fabriqa-ai-youtube-transcript-mcp?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/fabriqa-ai-youtube-transcript-mcp)
HTML Embed
<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/fabriqa-ai-youtube-transcript-mcp"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/fabriqa-ai-youtube-transcript-mcp?style=directory" alt="Youtube Transcript MCP on AllMCPs" /></a>