YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP for AI Agents

The fastest YouTube transcript + YouTube search MCP for AI agents. Try for free.
12 tools: transcripts, video & channel metadata, video search, channel browsing, in-channel search, playlist extraction, and new-upload polling, for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, and 20+ clients.

Powering 15M+ transcripts every month · 500K+ transcripts processed daily · 49ms median response time Trusted in production by youtubetotranscript.com (~11M/mo) and recapio.com (~2.8M/mo).

Why TranscriptAPI MCP

Most YouTube MCP servers do one thing: pull a single transcript. TranscriptAPI MCP is a full toolkit: transcripts, video search, channel search, channel browsing, playlist extraction, and free RSS-based upload tracking, all from one remote endpoint, all designed for AI agents.

	TranscriptAPI MCP	Typical YouTube MCP
Hosting	✅ Remote (no local install)	❌ Local stdio install
Tools	✅ 12 tools	❌ 1 (transcript only)
YouTube search	✅ Yes	❌ No
Channel & playlist extraction	✅ Yes	❌ No
Latest-uploads monitoring (free)	✅ Yes	❌ No
OAuth 2.1 + API key auth	✅ Both	❌ Usually neither
Production scale (15M+ req/mo)	✅ Yes	❌ Hobbyist scrapers
Works on mobile Claude & web Claude	✅ Yes	❌ No
Agent-friendly error messages	✅ Yes	❌ Bare HTTP codes

Quick taste:

txt

Find @NASA's three most-viewed videos about the Moon landing,
get the transcript of each, and write a 5-bullet comparison.

That single prompt uses 3 of our 12 tools (search_youtube, search_channel_videos, get_youtube_transcript) without you writing a line of code.

🧩 Install as an Agent Plugin _{· easiest}

This repository root is a conformant Agent Plugins 1.0.0 package: the portable format published 2026-08-06 and supported by ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Kiro and VS Code. One install gets you the MCP server and a bundled youtube skill that teaches your agent when to use each tool and how not to waste credits.

text

plugin.json                    # Agent Plugins 1.0.0 manifest
mcp.json                       # hosted MCP server, streamable-http, OAuth (no keys)
skills/youtube/SKILL.md        # when + how to use the 12 tools
.cursor-plugin/plugin.json     # Cursor plugin manifest, same MCP + skill (+ marketplace.json)

VS Code: Command Palette → Chat: Install Plugin From Source, then paste:

txt

https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-mcp

Or register a local clone in settings.json:

json

"chat.pluginLocations": { "/absolute/path/to/youtube-mcp": true }

Cursor: Customize in the sidebar → find the plugin → Install. For a local clone:

bash

git clone https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-mcp ~/.cursor/plugins/local/transcriptapi

Then Developer: Reload Window.

Add to Cursor: MCP server only, no clone. Paste this deeplink into your browser:

txt

cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=transcriptapi&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3RyYW5zY3JpcHRhcGkuY29tL21jcCJ9

ChatGPT, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Kiro, any other client: point your client's plugin mechanism at this repository, or at a local clone. Agent Plugins 1.0.0 standardizes the package format, not installation, so each client owns its own install flow.

30-second example

txt

Summarize this video for me: https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc

The agent calls get_youtube_transcript, gets the full timestamped transcript and summarizes it. No API key to configure: the first call opens an OAuth sign-in (free account, 100 credits, no card). Then try:

txt

What has @TED posted in the last month?     → get_channel_latest_videos (free)
Find talks on protein folding, summarize the best three.
                                             → search_youtube, then transcripts

There are no credentials in this package: Agent Plugins 1.0.0 forbids embedded secrets, and authorization is client-managed. Verify the package yourself:

Terminal

curl -sO https://agent-plugins.org/schemas/1.0.0/plugin.schema.json
curl -sO https://agent-plugins.org/schemas/1.0.0/mcp.schema.json
npx ajv-cli@5 validate --spec=draft2020 -s plugin.schema.json -d plugin.json
npx ajv-cli@5 validate --spec=draft2020 -s mcp.schema.json    -d mcp.json

🛠️ Quick Install

Requirements:

A TranscriptAPI account (sign up free, first 100 credits free)

An API key from your dashboard OR use OAuth (Claude, ChatGPT)

Recommended: Add a Rule to Auto-Invoke TranscriptAPI

Add this rule to your AI client so you don't need to explicitly ask for transcripts:
txt
When I share a YouTube URL, automatically use the TranscriptAPI MCP tool
to fetch the transcript before responding. This applies to any video analysis,
summarization, or question about YouTube content.

Install in Cursor (One-Click / Manual)

One-Click Install:

Manual Configuration:

Go to: Settings → Features → MCP → Add New MCP Server

Name: transcript-api
Type: SSE (Remote)
URL: https://transcriptapi.com/mcp

Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Claude (Desktop & Web) - Recommended

Claude supports adding MCP servers directly via the "Custom Connector" UI.

Quick Setup:

Open Claude Settings (click your profile icon → Settings)
Go to Connectors → Add custom connector
Enter the following details:
- Name: TranscriptAPI
- URL: https://transcriptapi.com/mcp
Click Add, then click Connect to authorize via your browser.
(Optional) In the connector settings, change permissions to "Allow unsupervised" for seamless usage.

Full Guide: Claude Integration Guide →

Install in Claude Code (CLI)

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http transcript-api https://transcriptapi.com/mcp

Install in ChatGPT

ChatGPT supports OAuth for secure authentication. Enable Developer Mode in ChatGPT settings first.

Quick Setup:

In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Connected Apps → Add
Enter the MCP Server URL: https://transcriptapi.com/mcp
Client ID & Secret are optional:
- Leave them blank to use Dynamic Client Registration (recommended/simpler).
- (Advanced) Or enter Client ID & Secret from your dashboard for static registration.
Click Add and authorize via the browser popup.

Full Guide: ChatGPT Integration Guide →

Install in VS Code

Or add this to VS Code user settings (settings.json):

json

"mcp.servers": {
  "transcript-api": {
    "type": "http",
    "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Install in OpenAI Agent Builder

OpenAI Agent Builder currently requires API Key authentication (OAuth not yet supported).

Create a new Agent
Under "Actions" or "Tools", add a new MCP Server
URL: https://transcriptapi.com/mcp
Auth Type: API Key
Paste your API Key from the dashboard

Step-by-Step Guide →

Install in Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "serverUrl": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Cline

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Zed

In Zed settings.json:

config.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "source": "remote",
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Roo Code

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Amp

amp mcp add transcript-api https://transcriptapi.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Install in Augment Code

In settings.json under augment.advanced:

json

"augment.advanced": {
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "transcript-api",
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Install in Kilo Code

In .kilocode/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in JetBrains AI Assistant

In Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → MCP:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Gemini CLI

In ~/.gemini/settings.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "httpUrl": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Qwen Coder

In ~/.qwen/settings.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "httpUrl": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Google Antigravity

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "serverUrl": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Trae

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in LM Studio

In mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in BoltAI

In Plugins → JSON Config:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcript-api": {
      "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install in Warp

In Settings → AI → MCP:

config.json

{
  "transcript-api": {
    "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Install in Perplexity Desktop

In Settings → Connectors → Advanced:

config.json

{
  "url": "https://transcriptapi.com/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
}

🔐 Authentication

API Key

Simple and universal. Works with every MCP client.

Get your API key from your dashboard
Keys start with sk_ prefix
Add to config as a Bearer token:

json

"headers": {
  "Authorization": "Bearer sk_your_api_key_here"
}

Security: Store keys in environment variables where possible and never commit them to version control.

OAuth 2.1

Automatic, secure authentication without manual key management.

Dynamic Client Registration (DCR):

Supported by: Claude Desktop, Claude Web, ChatGPT
Just add the MCP URL: client auto-registers
No credentials needed
You'll authorize once via browser redirect

Static Client Registration:

Supported by: ChatGPT (optional)
Get Client ID + Secret from the MCP Integration Dashboard
More control over client identity

Full reference: Authentication docs →

🧰 Available Tools

All 12 tools are exposed automatically once you connect. Successful calls cost 1 credit unless a tool states otherwise below. Failed/rate-limited calls do not consume credits.

Which video tool? Use get_youtube_video_info (free) to discover transcript languages before fetching a transcript. Use get_video_metadata (1 credit) for view/like counts, publish date, description, duration, tags, or related videos.

1. `get_youtube_transcript`

Fetch the transcript for any YouTube video, as markdown (with metadata) or structured JSON. Drop the output straight into summarizers, search indexes, or AI pipelines.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`video_url`	string	required	YouTube URL (full or short) or 11-char video ID
`send_metadata`	boolean	`true`	Include video title, author, thumbnail
`format`	string	`"text"`	`"text"` (markdown) or `"json"`
`include_timestamp`	boolean	`true`	Add timestamps to each segment

Cost: 1 credit per successful request.

Example output (markdown):

markdown

# Metadata

## Title: Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
## Author: RickAstleyVEVO

# Transcript

[0.0s] Never gonna give you up
[4.12s] Never gonna let you down

Example output (JSON):

config.json

{
  "transcript": [
    { "text": "Never gonna give you up", "start": 0.0, "duration": 4.12 },
    { "text": "Never gonna let you down", "start": 4.12, "duration": 3.85 }
  ],
  "metadata": { "title": "Rick Astley...", "author_name": "RickAstleyVEVO" }
}

2. `get_youtube_video_info` _{· FREE}

Basic metadata (title, author, thumbnail) plus the list of available transcript languages: call this before get_youtube_transcript to pick a language.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`video_url`	string	required	YouTube URL (full or short) or 11-char video ID

Cost: Free.

For view/like counts, publish date, description, duration, tags, or related videos, use get_video_metadata instead.

3. `get_video_metadata`

Rich video metadata without needing captions: title, view/like-count text, publish date, structured description + links, uploading-channel summary, and thumbnails. Optional include extras pull heavier player-sourced data (duration, category, tags, caption-track inventory) and related videos.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`video_url`	string	required	YouTube URL (full or short) or 11-char video ID
`include`	string[]	none	Extras: `"details"` (duration, category, tags, caption tracks) and/or `"related"` (related videos)

Cost: 1 credit per successful request.

Example prompt:

txt

Get the view count, publish date, and tags for https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc.

4. `search_youtube`

Search YouTube for videos, channels, playlists, or movies. Filter by type, sort, upload date, or duration, and paginate with a continuation token, perfect for discovery, research, and building content pipelines.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`query`	string	required (first call)	Search query
`search_type`	string	`"video"`	`"video"`, `"channel"`, `"playlist"`, or `"movie"` (first call only)
`sort`	string	`"relevance"`	First-page sort: `"relevance"` or `"views"`
`upload_date`	string	none	First-page upload window (videos only): `hour`, `today`, `week`, `month`, `year`
`duration`	string	none	First-page duration bucket (videos only): `short` (under 4m), `medium` (4-20m), `long` (over 20m)
`continuation`	string	`null`	Token from a prior call for next page

Cost: 1 credit per page (~20 results per page).

Example prompt:

txt

Search YouTube for "transformer architecture explained" and pick the
top 3 results by relevance.

5. `get_channel_info`

A channel's profile: title, @handle, verified flag, subscriber/video-count text, description, keywords, tags, thumbnails, banners, and the tabs it exposes. Not paginated.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` channel ID

Cost: 1 credit per successful request.

Check the returned tabs before calling get_channel_sections or list_channel_videos with a tab.

6. `get_channel_latest_videos` _{· FREE}

Get the ~15 most recent uploads from any channel via RSS. Perfect for monitoring, daily recaps, or triggering downstream pipelines.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` channel ID

Cost: Free.

Example prompt:

txt

Every morning, list new uploads from @NASA and @natgeo.

7. `search_channel_videos`

Search inside one specific channel for videos matching a query. Great for researching a creator's content or finding niche topics in large channels.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` ID
`query`	string	required	Query to search within the channel
`continuation`	string	`null`	Pagination token

Cost: 1 credit per page (~30 results per page).

Example prompt:

txt

On @NASA's channel, find every video about the Moon landing.

8. `list_channel_videos`

List a channel's feed with pagination. Use tab to choose the uploads feed (default, ~100/page), Shorts, or live streams (~48/page), and the optional sort to order the Videos tab by latest, popular, or oldest. Ideal for building databases, bulk transcript extraction, or auditing a channel's full content library.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required (first call)	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` ID
`tab`	string	`"videos"`	Which feed: `videos` (uploads), `shorts`, or `streams` (live). Repeat the same `tab` when paginating.
`sort`	string	`null`	`latest`, `popular`, or `oldest`. Omit for the uploads feed. Repeat the same value when paginating.
`continuation`	string	`null`	Pagination token

Sorting. Add sort=latest, popular, or oldest to channel/videos to get a channel's videos in the order you want, for example its most-popular uploads first. A sorted page returns about 30 videos (an unsorted page returns about 100), and every page costs the same 1 credit.

Sorted results come from YouTube's Videos tab (long-form only); Shorts have their own tab=shorts feed.

When paging, send the same sort on each request.

Every item carries members_only: true only when YouTube badges the video "Members only", and those items have no viewCountText, because YouTube does not publish view counts for membership content. It is always false on the uploads feed, on tab: "shorts", and on playlists.

Items from tab: "streams" carry lengthText and publishedTimeText (for example Streamed 2 years ago, or LIVE and a watching count while the stream is live). tab: "shorts" returns null for both, because YouTube's Shorts grid publishes neither a duration nor a publish date. On the channel-tab feeds (tab: "videos" with sort, tab: "shorts", tab: "streams") channelId, channelTitle, channelHandle and index are null.

Cost: 1 credit per page.

9. `list_channel_playlists`

Paginated list of the playlists on a channel (id, title, URL, video-count text, thumbnails). Pass a returned playlist id to list_playlist_videos to get its videos.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required (first call)	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` ID
`continuation`	string	`null`	Pagination token

Cost: 1 credit per page.

10. `list_channel_posts`

Paginated list of a channel's community (Posts tab) content: text, publish time, like-count text, and attachments (image, multi-image, video, playlist, or poll). Channels without a community tab return an empty results list, not an error.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required (first call)	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` ID
`continuation`	string	`null`	Pagination token

Cost: 1 credit per page.

11. `get_channel_sections`

The curated, grouped sections of a channel page: titled shelves of videos, playlists, shorts, or featured channels, in the channel's own order. Not paginated.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`channel`	string	required	`@handle`, channel URL, or `UC…` ID
`tab`	string	`"featured"`	Which curated page: `featured` (Home), `podcasts`, or `releases`

Cost: 1 credit per successful request.

podcasts and releases exist only on channels that have them (empty results otherwise).

12. `list_playlist_videos`

Get every video in a YouTube playlist (PL/UU/LL/FL/OL IDs supported). Process entire courses, lecture series, or curated collections in a single call.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`playlist`	string	required (first call)	Playlist URL or playlist ID
`continuation`	string	`null`	Pagination token

Cost: 1 credit per page (~100 results per page).

💡 Use Cases & Prompts

Use Case	Example Prompt
📝 Summarize a video	"Summarize the key points from this video: [URL]"
🔍 Research a topic	"Search YouTube for the 5 most-watched videos on neural radiance fields; summarize each."
🧠 Study notes	"Create study notes from this MIT lecture series playlist: [PLAYLIST URL]"
⚖️ Compare perspectives	"Compare arguments in these two videos: [URL1] [URL2]"
🌐 Translate	"Translate this video's transcript to Spanish: [URL]"
✍️ Repurpose content	"Turn this video into a 1,500-word blog post: [URL]"
📡 Monitor a channel	"Each morning, list new uploads from @TED and tell me which to watch."
🏛️ Build a content database	"Pull every video from @NASA and store title + transcript."
🎯 Competitor analysis	"Search inside @NASA for any video about [a specific mission or topic] and summarize the takeaways."

💳 Pricing & Rate Limits

Plan	Price	Credits	Rate Limit
Free	$0 (one-time)	100	60 req/min
Starter Monthly	$5/month	1,000/month	200 req/min
Starter Annual	$54/year ($4.50/mo)	1,000/month	300 req/min

1 Credit = 1 successful request (HTTP 200)
Failed and rate-limited requests do not consume credits.
get_channel_latest_videos is free (no credits charged).
View pricing · Manage credits

🚨 Troubleshooting

Authentication errors (401)

Verify your API key starts with sk_
Check for extra spaces when copying
Ensure the key is active in your dashboard
If using OAuth, try re-authorizing

No credits (402)

Check your credit balance at the dashboard
Purchase more credits or upgrade your plan

Video not available (404)

The video might not have captions/subtitles enabled
The video might be private or age-restricted
The video might be region-locked

Rate limiting (429)

Respect the Retry-After header
Implement exponential backoff in your client
Upgrade to a paid plan for higher limits

OAuth issues

Clear browser cookies and try again
For ChatGPT, try switching between Dynamic and Static registration
Ensure popup blockers aren't preventing the auth window

🔗 Also available as a REST API

Building an app instead of an agent? The same backend ships as a JSON REST API.

	MCP	REST API
Best for	AI assistants & agents	Apps & backend services
Setup	Add a URL	Code integration
Get started	This README	API docs → · Swagger →

Base URL: https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2

🤝 Connect

🌐 Website: transcriptapi.com
📚 Docs: transcriptapi.com/docs
🔧 API Reference: transcriptapi.com/docs/api
🤖 MCP Setup Guides: Claude · ChatGPT · OpenAI Agent Builder
💬 Contact: transcriptapi.com/contact
📂 Listed in: awesome-agent-plugins, our directory of verified Agent Plugins on the open standard

📋 MCP Registry

This server is published to the official Model Context Protocol Registry under the name:

Code

com.transcriptapi/youtube-transcript-and-youtube-search

YouTube Transcript + YouTube Search MCP for AI Agents

Why TranscriptAPI MCP

🧩 Install as an Agent Plugin · easiest

30-second example

🛠️ Quick Install

🔐 Authentication

API Key

OAuth 2.1

🧰 Available Tools

1. get_youtube_transcript

2. get_youtube_video_info · FREE

3. get_video_metadata

4. search_youtube

5. get_channel_info

6. get_channel_latest_videos · FREE

7. search_channel_videos

8. list_channel_videos

9. list_channel_playlists

10. list_channel_posts

11. get_channel_sections

12. list_playlist_videos

💡 Use Cases & Prompts

💳 Pricing & Rate Limits

🚨 Troubleshooting

🔗 Also available as a REST API

🤝 Connect

📋 MCP Registry

🧩 Install as an Agent Plugin _{· easiest}

1. `get_youtube_transcript`

2. `get_youtube_video_info` _{· FREE}

3. `get_video_metadata`

4. `search_youtube`

5. `get_channel_info`

6. `get_channel_latest_videos` _{· FREE}

7. `search_channel_videos`

8. `list_channel_videos`

9. `list_channel_playlists`

10. `list_channel_posts`

11. `get_channel_sections`

12. `list_playlist_videos`