YouTube Research MCP vs YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP
A side-by-side look at the YouTube Research MCP and YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose YouTube Research MCP for social media work as a local process; choose YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP for social media as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose YouTube Research MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
research-video, research-videos, search-videos.
Choose YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media | Social Media |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 48/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 26 | 27 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 14 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View YouTube Research MCP | View YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP |
Tools & capabilities
YouTube Research MCP tools 14
research-videoGet citation-ready transcript evidence from a URL or video ID without an API keyresearch-videosCompare timestamp-linked evidence across 2–5 videos without an API keysearch-videosSearch for YouTube videos with advanced filtering optionsget-video-commentsGet comments for a specific videoget-video-transcriptGet transcript for a specific video with optional languageenhanced-transcriptAdvanced transcript extraction with filtering, search, and multi-video capabilitiesget-key-momentsExtract key moments with timestamps from a video transcript for easier navigationget-segmented-transcriptDivide a video transcript into segments for easier analysisget-video-statsGet statistical information for a specific videoget-channel-statsGet subscriber count, view count, and other channel statisticscompare-videosCompare statistics across multiple videosget-trending-videosRetrieve trending videos by region and category- +2 more on the listing page
YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
YouTube Research MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-research-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@coyasong/youtube-mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}
YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcript-youtube-search-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"ajv-cli@5"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
YouTube Research MCP is categorized under Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP belongs to Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick YouTube Research MCP for social media work and YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP for social media.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
YouTube Research MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add youtube-research-mcp and youtube-transcript-youtube-search-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, YouTube Research MCP has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 26 GitHub stars. YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP has 48/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 27 GitHub stars.