# youtube-transcript

Downloads YouTube captions and transcripts from a video URL. Use it when you need a video’s text for reading or analysis.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 861 installs · ★ 562
- Author: michalparkola
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/michalparkola/tapestry-skills/tree/HEAD/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-03-11
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/michalparkola-youtube-transcript

## What it does

The skill checks available subtitle tracks with `yt-dlp`, then tries manual captions before falling back to auto-generated ones. It saves subtitle output as `.vtt` and can turn it into plain text by removing timestamps and duplicate caption lines.

It checks whether `yt-dlp` is installed and can install it through Homebrew, `apt`, or `pip3`. If no subtitle track exists, the skill can download audio as MP3 and transcribe it with Whisper. It shows the audio size and asks for confirmation first, so audio transcription is a deliberate step.

Whisper is used only after manual and automatic captions are unavailable. Its installation uses `pip3 install openai-whisper`, and transcription output is written as `.vtt`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add michalparkola/tapestry-skills --skill youtube-transcript -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/youtube-transcript/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add michalparkola/tapestry-skills --skill youtube-transcript -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add michalparkola/tapestry-skills --skill youtube-transcript -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install michalparkola/tapestry-skills youtube-transcript
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add michalparkola/tapestry-skills --skill youtube-transcript -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/michalparkola/tapestry-skills --path youtube-transcript
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add michalparkola/tapestry-skills --skill youtube-transcript -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/michalparkola/tapestry-skills/tree/HEAD/youtube-transcript/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- download captions from a YouTube URL
- list available subtitle languages and track types
- fall back to auto-generated captions
- transcribe audio with Whisper after confirmation
- convert `.vtt` captions into deduplicated plain text

## Example prompts
- Download the transcript from this YouTube video: `YOUTUBE_URL`
- List the available subtitle tracks for `YOUTUBE_URL`
- Get a plain-text transcript for `YOUTUBE_URL`

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 5584ad0c8c5e9a02.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 5584ad0c8c5e9a02
````text
---
name: youtube-transcript
description: Download YouTube video transcripts when user provides a YouTube URL or asks to download/get/fetch a transcript from YouTube. Also use when user wants to transcribe or get captions/subtitles from a YouTube video.
allowed-tools: Bash,Read,Write
---

# YouTube Transcript Downloader

This skill helps download transcripts (subtitles/captions) from YouTube videos using yt-dlp.

## When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:
- Provides a YouTube URL and wants the transcript
- Asks to "download transcript from YouTube"
- Wants to "get captions" or "get subtitles" from a video
- Asks to "transcribe a YouTube video"
- Needs text content from a YouTube video

## How It Works

### Priority Order:
1. **Check if yt-dlp is installed** - install if needed
2. **List available subtitles** - see what's actually available
3. **Try manual subtitles first** (`--write-sub`) - highest quality
4. **Fallback to auto-generated** (`--write-auto-sub`) - usually available
5. **Last resort: Whisper transcription** - if no subtitles exist (requires user confirmation)
6. **Confirm the download** and show the user where the file is saved
7. **Optionally clean up** the VTT format if the user wants plain text

## Installation Check

**IMPORTANT**: Always check if yt-dlp is installed first:

```bash
which yt-dlp || command -v yt-dlp
```

### If Not Installed

Attempt automatic installation based on the system:

**macOS (Homebrew)**:
```bash
brew install yt-dlp
```

**Linux (apt/Debian/Ubuntu)**:
```bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y yt-dlp
```

**Alternative (pip - works on all systems)**:
```bash
pip3 install yt-dlp
# or
python3 -m pip install yt-dlp
```

**If installation fails**: Inform the user they need to install yt-dlp manually and provide them with installation instructions from https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp#installation

## Check Available Subtitles

**ALWAYS do this first** before attempting to download:

```bash
yt-dlp --list-subs "YOUTUBE_URL"
```

This shows what subtitle types are available without downloading anything. Look for:
- Manual subtitles (better quality)
- Auto-generated subtitles (usually available)
- Available languages

## Download Strategy

### Option 1: Manual Subtitles (Preferred)

Try this first - highest quality, human-created:

```bash
yt-dlp --write-sub --skip-download --output "OUTPUT_NAME" "YOUTUBE_URL"
```

### Option 2: Auto-Generated Subtitles (Fallback)

If manual subtitles aren't available:

```bash
yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --skip-download --output "OUTPUT_NAME" "YOUTUBE_URL"
```

Both commands create a `.vtt` file (WebVTT subtitle format).

## Option 3: Whisper Transcription (Last Resort)

**ONLY use this if both manual and auto-generated subtitles are unavailable.**

### Step 1: Show File Size and Ask for Confirmation

```bash
# Get audio file size estimate
yt-dlp --print "%(filesize,filesize_approx)s" -f "bestaudio" "YOUTUBE_URL"

# Or get duration to estimate
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 5584ad0c8c5e9a02

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---
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