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TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io)

by transcriptapi.io · remote · local (npm) · no sign-in to list tools · v0.1.1 · published by io.transcriptapi

YouTube transcripts, search, channels and playlists for AI agents, by transcriptapi.io.

Read only
CompareRegistry entry

5 tools: 5 only read.

Scanned Oct 21, 2026

No check matched anything in the tool definitions. No finding is not a safety guarantee. How the checks work.

claude mcp add --transport http youtube-transcript https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp --header 'Authorization: <your-authorization>'

Tools

Open a tool for its reasons and full description. Descriptions are the publisher's own words, shown as they are.

5 tools

Only reads 5Claude Code: allow
  • get_channel_videosList the most recent uploads of a YouTube channel, newest first.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "get_channel_videos" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    List the most recent uploads of a YouTube channel, newest first. Accepts a channel id (UC…), a handle (@name) or a channel URL. Returns ids, titles, durations, view counts and publish dates.

    Annotations the server declares

    • destructiveHint: false
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
    • readOnlyHint: true
  • get_playlist_videosList the videos in a YouTube playlist, in playlist order.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "get_playlist_videos" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    List the videos in a YouTube playlist, in playlist order. Accepts a playlist URL (anything with list=…) or the playlist id. Returns ids and titles for get_youtube_transcript.

    Annotations the server declares

    • destructiveHint: false
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
    • readOnlyHint: true
  • get_youtube_transcriptFetch the transcript (captions/subtitles) of a YouTube video as text.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "get_youtube_transcript" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Fetch the transcript (captions/subtitles) of a YouTube video as text. Accepts a watch URL, youtu.be link, Shorts link or bare 11-character video id. Returns the spoken text with timestamps grouped in ~30 s blocks by default; format 'text' is prose without timestamps, 'srt'/'vtt' are subtitle files, 'json' is raw segments with start/duration. Works with creator-uploaded and auto-generated captions. translate_to translates the transcript with AI (extra credits, scales with length) — omit unless asked.

    Annotations the server declares

    • destructiveHint: false
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
    • readOnlyHint: true
  • search_channel_videosSearch for videos inside one YouTube channel by keyword — 'find the video where <channel> talks about <topic>'.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "search_channel_videos" says "search": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Search for videos inside one YouTube channel by keyword — 'find the video where <channel> talks about <topic>'. Accepts a channel id, @handle or channel URL.

    Annotations the server declares

    • destructiveHint: false
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
    • readOnlyHint: true
  • search_youtubeSearch YouTube for videos by keyword.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "search_youtube" says "search": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Search YouTube for videos by keyword. Returns video ids, titles, channel names, durations and view counts. Use a returned id with get_youtube_transcript to read it.

    Annotations the server declares

    • destructiveHint: false
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
    • readOnlyHint: true

This is not a safety rating, and no finding is not a safety guarantee. The groups and findings come from fixed checks of the tool definitions the server returned on the date shown, not from its code or what it does when called. How the checks work.

Install

Pinned to version 0.1.1. Values in angle brackets are yours to fill in.

claude mcp add --transport http youtube-transcript https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp --header 'Authorization: <your-authorization>'

Run in a terminal.

Claude Code permissions

Allow the reads, ask before a change, deny the deletes. Paste into .claude/settings.json.

.claude/settings.json
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "mcp__youtube-transcript__get_youtube_transcript",
      "mcp__youtube-transcript__search_youtube",
      "mcp__youtube-transcript__get_channel_videos",
      "mcp__youtube-transcript__search_channel_videos",
      "mcp__youtube-transcript__get_playlist_videos"
    ],
    "ask": [],
    "deny": []
  }
}

Tools that only read are allowed, tools that change things ask first, tools that delete or cancel are denied. It assumes the server is installed as youtube-transcript. Review it before you use it.