yt-transcript

Coding Agents & IDEs
v1.0.0
Benign

Extract high-quality transcripts from YouTube videos using multiple methods.

1889 downloads889 installsby @alti-systems

Setup & Installation

Install command

clawhub install alti-systems/yt-transcript

If the CLI is not installed:

Install command

npx clawhub@latest install alti-systems/yt-transcript

Or install with OpenClaw CLI:

Install command

openclaw skills install alti-systems/yt-transcript

or paste the repo link into your assistant's chat

Install command

https://github.com/openclaw/skills/tree/main/skills/alti-systems/yt-transcript

What This Skill Does

Extracts plain text transcripts from YouTube videos using the Supadata API, with automatic fallback to yt-dlp when the API is unavailable. Works on videos with auto-generated captions, not just manually added ones. Output has timestamps stripped, ready for further processing.

The dual-method fallback (API then yt-dlp) succeeds on videos without manual captions, where single-method tools or YouTube's own export would fail.

When to Use It

  • Skimming a conference talk before deciding whether to watch it
  • Pulling exact quotes from an interview video for an article
  • Researching a topic by scanning transcripts from multiple videos
  • Creating searchable text archives of video content
  • Checking if a tutorial covers a specific topic before committing time to watch it
View original SKILL.md file
# YouTube Transcript Extraction

Extract high-quality transcripts from YouTube videos using multiple methods.

## Commands

```bash
# Extract transcript from YouTube URL or video ID
/root/clawd/yt-transcript https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
/root/clawd/yt-transcript VIDEO_ID
```

## Features

- **Dual fallback system**: Tries Supadata API first, falls back to yt-dlp
- **Auto-generated transcripts**: Works even if no manual captions exist
- **Clean output**: Returns plain text transcript ready for analysis
- **Fast**: API method completes in seconds

## Use Cases

- Summarize long videos without watching
- Extract key quotes and insights
- Content research and analysis
- Create written summaries for videos
- Extract educational content

## Technical Details

- **Primary**: Supadata API (fast, clean formatting)
- **Fallback**: yt-dlp CLI tool (comprehensive, handles edge cases)
- **Output**: Plain text transcript with timestamps removed
- **API key**: Stored in `.env` as `SUPADATA_API_KEY`

## Example Workflow

Rob sends YouTube link → Alto pulls transcript → summarizes key points → Rob decides if worth watching

Saves 10-30 minutes per video!

Example Workflow

Here's how your AI assistant might use this skill in practice.

INPUT

User asks: Skimming a conference talk before deciding whether to watch it

AGENT
  1. 1Skimming a conference talk before deciding whether to watch it
  2. 2Pulling exact quotes from an interview video for an article
  3. 3Researching a topic by scanning transcripts from multiple videos
  4. 4Creating searchable text archives of video content
  5. 5Checking if a tutorial covers a specific topic before committing time to watch it
OUTPUT
Extract high-quality transcripts from YouTube videos using multiple methods.

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Details

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Last updatedMar 1, 2026