YouTube Transcript MCP Server
MCP server for YouTube transcripts: an agent gets a video transcript by URL, with timestamps and metadata
- 496 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- Makes network calls to YouTube for captions and metadata
- May use third-party proxy servers with a username and password
Install
- Works in
Manual install
uvx --from git+https://github.com/jkawamoto/mcp-youtube-transcript mcp-youtube-transcriptRequires uv installed. No keys are needed; set a proxy if YouTube access is restricted.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Makes network calls to YouTube for captions and metadata
- May use third-party proxy servers with a username and password
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
The server returns a YouTube video transcript to an agent by URL. It offers a plain transcript, a timestamped variant, video metadata and a list of available languages. You can set the language, and long transcripts are split into parts served by cursor to fit the model's context limit. The split threshold is set with the response-limit flag. Proxies are supported for regions with restricted YouTube access.
Who it is for. For content creators, marketers and technical writers who work with the content of YouTube videos.
Good fit when
- You need a video transcript for notes or an article
- You need a timestamped transcript for clipping or subtitles
- You want a video's metadata and available languages
Not a fit when
- The video has no available captions or transcript
- You need image or audio analysis rather than the video's text
Example request
Get this video's transcript with timestamps and turn it into a short summary by sectionMCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- not required
Environment variables
WEBSHARE_PROXY_USERNAMEsecret- Webshare residential proxy username when YouTube access is restricted
WEBSHARE_PROXY_PASSWORDsecret- Webshare residential proxy password
HTTPS_PROXY- Proxy server URL for reaching YouTube
Limitations
The server works only with videos that have captions or an automatic transcript. YouTube access from Russia is restricted and throttled, so without a proxy results may fail; the README provides proxy variables for this. It installs via uvx straight from the git repository, with a Docker Hub image and a Claude Desktop bundle. Very long transcripts are returned in parts by cursor.
How to disable. Remove the youtube-transcript block from your MCP client config and restart it. If you installed the bundle, remove it in Claude Desktop settings.
FAQ
What about a very long video?
Transcripts longer than the set threshold are split. The response includes next_cursor; pass it in the next request to get the continuation. The threshold is changed with the response-limit flag.
What if YouTube access is restricted?
The README describes proxies: a Webshare username and password, or the HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY variables for other proxy servers.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Transcript MCP Server (this card) | no | not required | 496 | |
| Tapestry Skills | no | 576 | seven Claude Code skills | |
| yutu | no | 723 | yutu runs a YouTube channel from the terminal | |
| yt-fts | no | 1,811 | yt-fts downloads subtitles of YouTube channels and playlists into |
README in short
The README lists the tools get_transcript, get_timed_transcript, get_video_info and get_available_languages with URL, language and cursor parameters. Installation is shown via uvx from the git repository, a Claude Desktop bundle, options for goose and LM Studio, and a Docker Hub image. Pagination of long transcripts via next_cursor and the response-limit flag is explained separately. There is a proxy section for regions with restricted YouTube access using Webshare or the HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY variables. MIT licensed.