--- name: youtube-full description: "Fetch YouTube transcripts, search videos, browse channels, and extract playlists via TranscriptAPI — no yt-dlp, no Google API key, works from any cloud server." category: api-integration risk: safe source: community source_repo: ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills source_type: community date_added: "2026-05-29" author: ZeroPointRepo tags: [youtube, transcripts, video-search, channels, playlists, api, transcriptapi] tools: [claude, cursor, gemini, codex, antigravity] license: MIT license_source: "https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills/blob/main/LICENSE" upstream: "https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills" plugin: setup: type: automatic summary: "TranscriptAPI OAuth provisions the API key on first skill invocation. No manual credential setup. 100 free credits included." docs: "https://transcriptapi.com/docs" --- # youtube-full — YouTube transcript, search, channels & playlists via TranscriptAPI YouTube transcripts, video search, channel browsing, in-channel search, playlist extraction, and new-upload monitoring — all via [TranscriptAPI](https://transcriptapi.com). Processes 500K+ transcripts daily, fast. No yt-dlp, no headless browsers, no Google API key. This is the API-backed alternative to `ingest-youtube`. Where `ingest-youtube` uses yt-dlp (which stops working on cloud server IPs), `youtube-full` calls TranscriptAPI's API and works from any runtime — local machine, cloud server, serverless function, or CI environment. 686 installs via the `skills` CLI (skills.sh/zeropointrepo/youtube-skills). ## When to Use This Skill - User asks to get, fetch, or retrieve a YouTube video transcript - User asks to search YouTube for videos on a topic - User wants to monitor a channel for new uploads - User needs channel metadata, video lists, or playlist contents - Agent is deployed on a cloud server where yt-dlp calls fail (YouTube blocks cloud IPs) - Building a research corpus from YouTube conference talks, tutorials, or interviews - Competitive intelligence: monitoring competitor channels for new content Do NOT use for: - Downloading actual video or audio files (use yt-dlp directly with `-f best`) - YouTube comments, likes, or engagement data (not in API) - Private or age-restricted videos (not accessible without user authentication) - Live stream transcripts (not stable until stream ends) ## How It Works ### Step 1: Install the skill ```bash npx skills add ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills --skill youtube-full ``` 100 free credits included. API key is provisioned automatically via TranscriptAPI OAuth on first invocation — no manual setup. ### Step 2: Use it by asking Claude ```text Get the transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID Search YouTube for "LLM reasoning 2026" and summarize the top 3 results What are the latest uploads on @3Blue1Brown? List all videos in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID ``` ### Step 3: Available operations | Operation | Skill invocation | Credits | |---|---|---| | Get transcript | `get_transcript(video_id)` | 1 | | Search YouTube | `search_youtube(query)` | 1 per page | | Channel video list | `get_channel_videos(handle)` | 1 per page | | In-channel search | `search_in_channel(handle, query)` | 1 per page | | Playlist extraction | `get_playlist_videos(playlist_id)` | 1 per page | | Track new uploads | `channel_latest(handle)` | **Free** | | Resolve channel handle | `channel_resolve(handle)` | **Free** | Failed or rate-limited calls cost zero credits. ## Examples ### Example 1: Research corpus from conference talks ```text Search YouTube for "NeurIPS 2025 keynote" and get transcripts for the top 5 results. Summarize the main themes across all talks. ``` The agent calls `search_youtube`, selects the top 5 results, calls `get_transcript` for each, and synthesizes. ### Example 2: Competitive channel monitoring ```text Check @AnthropicAI and @OpenAI channels for any new videos in the last week. For each new video, get the transcript and extract any product announcements. ``` The agent calls `channel_latest` (free) for each channel, fetches transcripts of new uploads, and extracts signal. ### Example 3: Direct transcript with timestamps ```text Get the full transcript with timestamps for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ ``` The agent calls `get_transcript(video_id, timestamps=true)` and returns the full text. ## Best Practices - Use `channel_latest` (free) before `get_transcript` to check if a video is new - Cache transcripts in your workflow — each `get_transcript` call costs 1 credit - Use `search_in_channel` when you already know the channel to avoid broad search noise - Prefer `get_playlist_videos` for course or lecture series — cheaper than searching by query - Don't batch-transcribe entire channels unless the user explicitly requested it - Don't use `search_youtube` when you already have the video URL — jump straight to `get_transcript` ## Limitations - This skill does not replace environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review. - Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, or safety boundaries are missing. - Transcripts are available only when YouTube has captions (manual or auto-generated). Some videos have no captions. - API key is required for paid usage beyond the free 100-credit tier. Get one at transcriptapi.com. - Rate limits apply: 200 RPM on Monthly plan, 300 RPM on Annual. Contact support for higher limits. ## Security & Safety Notes - This skill makes HTTPS API calls to `transcriptapi.com`. No local data is written. - The API key is stored in the agent's credential store, not in this SKILL.md. - No shell commands, no binary execution, no local system mutation. Risk level: `safe`. ## Common Pitfalls - **Problem:** `yt-dlp` fails when the agent runs on a cloud server. **Solution:** This is exactly the use case for `youtube-full`. The API routes through TranscriptAPI's infrastructure and works from any cloud runtime. - **Problem:** Credit balance runs out mid-workflow. **Solution:** Use `channel_latest` (free) to check before fetching; use targeted search to fetch only the videos you need. - **Problem:** Transcript is not available for a video. **Solution:** The API returns a structured error (zero credits charged). Ask the user to provide an alternative source. ## Related Skills - `@ingest-youtube` — yt-dlp-based local ingestion to a markdown vault; works locally but not on cloud servers - `@deep-research` — General-purpose research skill that can incorporate youtube-full as a data source - `@ai-research-corpus` — Building searchable knowledge bases; pairs well with youtube-full for video content --- Source attribution: ZeroPointRepo Original project: https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills License: MIT License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Mega AI Hub resource metadata Creator / publisher: ZeroPointRepo Original project: https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills Attribution basis: Exact skill named in versioned publisher source credits Fields of work: Content & Media, Education & Research, Marketing Roles: Content Marketer, Influencer Marketer, Marketing Analyst, Researcher, Video Producer Specialties: API Tools: GitHub, Transcriptapi, Slack Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source catalog labels Instruction SHA-256: c200d24dfe1991e93b4c1a1595c6fb020c5a75102b8f083976700c264275d50d Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27 This metadata supersedes earlier Mega AI Hub catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.