Add YouTube transcript access
to Claude Desktop
Install youtube-transcripts-mcp in Claude Desktop and ask Claude to fetch, summarize, or search any YouTube video transcript instantly.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcripts-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"youtube-transcripts-mcp"
],
"env": {
"TRANSCRIBEYT_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}Up and running
in 60 seconds.
Three steps and Claude Desktop can read any YouTube video transcript on demand.
Get your API key
Sign up at TranscribeYT.com and grab your free API key from the dashboard. Takes 30 seconds.
Paste into claude_desktop_config.json
Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows) and paste the config block. Create the file if it doesn't exist yet.
Ask in plain English
Restart Claude Desktop and ask it to fetch, summarize, or search any YouTube transcript. No extra setup needed.
Just ask in
plain English.
No special syntax required — Claude Desktop understands natural language and calls the right tool automatically.
Summarize this YouTube video for me.
→ Tool call: get_transcript({ videoUrl: "..." })
Here's a concise summary of the video: The presenter covers three core concepts — starting with an overview, moving into hands-on examples, and closing with best practices you can apply immediately...
Find the exact moment where React hooks are introduced.
→ Tool call: get_transcript_with_timestamps({ videoUrl: "..." })
React hooks are first introduced at 4:32. The speaker says: "Today we're going to completely change how you think about state in functional components..."
What topics are covered in this tutorial?
→ Tool call: get_transcript({ videoUrl: "..." })
The video covers: (1) Project setup and tooling, (2) Component architecture, (3) State management patterns, (4) Testing strategies, and (5) Deployment with CI/CD pipelines.