YouTube Transcript

A zero-setup server to extract transcripts from YouTube videos on any platform.

Thefirst remoteModel Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude AI to extract transcripts from YouTube videos. This server offers zero-setup access for users on any platform including mobile devices.

- Zero Local Setup: No installation required - works directly from the cloud
- Universal Access: Works on desktop, mobile, and web versions of Claude
- Smart Caching: Efficient caching system using Cloudflare KV for fast responses
- Multi-language Support: Extract transcripts in different languages
- Error Handling: Robust error handling with user-friendly messages
- Analytics: Built-in request tracking and usage analytics
- URL Flexibility: Handles all YouTube URL formats (youtube.com, youtu.be, m.youtube.com, etc.)

Option 1: Use Our Hosted Server (Recommended)

The easiest way to get started - just add our public server to your Claude Desktop:

- Click on "Claude" in the menu bar → "Settings"
- Navigate to "Developer" tab
- Click "Edit Config"

Add this to yourclaude_desktop_config.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "youtube-transcript": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse" ] } } }

After saving the config file, restart Claude Desktop to load the server.

Look for the tools icon (🔧) in the chat interface. You should see theget_transcripttool available.

Want to run your own instance? Deploy to Cloudflare Workers in one click:

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp cd youtube-transcript-mcp npm install npm run deploy

The server supports the standard MCP protocol and can be used with any compatible client:

- Public Server URL:https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse
- Transport: Server-Sent Events (SSE) or HTTP
- Authentication: None required (public server)

Extract the transcript from this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Can you get the transcript of this video in Turkish: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID

Extract the Spanish transcript from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

The server automatically handles all YouTube URL formats:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
- https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
- International domains (youtube.co.uk,youtube.de, etc.)

All tracking parameters (like?si=,&t=, etc.) are automatically removed.

Extracts the transcript from a YouTube video URL.

- url(required): YouTube video URL in any format
- language(optional): Language code for the transcript (e.g., 'en', 'es', 'fr'). Defaults to 'en'.

{ "name": "get_transcript", "arguments": { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en" } }

To enable detailed logging for troubleshooting:

{ "mcpServers": { "youtube-transcript": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse", "--debug" ] } } }

Debug logs will be created in~/.mcp-auth/{server_hash}_debug.log.

{ "mcpServers": { "youtube-transcript": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp", "--transport", "http-only" ] } } }

- Hosting: Cloudflare Workers
- Caching: Cloudflare KV with 7-day cache for successful transcripts
- Rate Limiting: Built-in retry logic with exponential backoff
- Uptime: 99.9%+ availability through Cloudflare's global network
- Response Time: Typically <3 seconds for cached content, <10 seconds for new requests

The server provides clear error messages for common issues:

- "Invalid YouTube URL provided": The URL format is not recognized
- "No transcript available for this video": Video has no captions/transcript
- "Video not found or private": Video is private, deleted, or doesn't exist
- "Service temporarily busy, try again in a few minutes": Rate limiting from YouTube
- "Transcripts are disabled for this video": Creator has disabled captions

The server supports any language that YouTube provides transcripts for. Common language codes:

- en- English (default)
- tr- Turkish
- es- Spanish
- fr- French
- de- German
- it- Italian
- pt- Portuguese
- ja- Japanese
- ko- Korean
- zh- Chinese

- No Authentication Required: Public server for ease of use
- No Data Storage: Transcripts are cached temporarily for performance only
- No Personal Information: Only YouTube video IDs and transcripts are processed
- HTTPS Only: All communications are encrypted
- CORS Enabled: Supports web-based MCP clients

For developers who want to integrate directly:

Standard MCP JSON-RPC endpoint for direct integration.

MCP SSE transport endpoint for real-time communication.

curl -X POST https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "get_transcript", "arguments": { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "language": "en" } } }'

-

"Connection Error" in Claude Desktop

- Ensure you have the latest Claude Desktop version
- Check thatmcp-remoteis properly configured
- Try adding--debugflag to see detailed logs

"Could not attach to MCP server"

- Verify your internet connection
- Check the server URL is correct
- Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

- Verify the YouTube URL is valid and accessible
- Check if the video has captions enabled
- Try a different language code if available

- Check logs: Look in~/.mcp-auth/for debug logs
- Test direct connection: Usenpx -p mcp-remote@latest mcp-remote-client https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse
- Verify server status: Visithttps://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/
- Open an issue:GitHub Issues

- Report Issues: Found a bug? Pleaseopen an issue
- Feature Requests: Have ideas for improvements? Let us know!
- Code Contributions: PRs welcome for enhancements

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp cd youtube-transcript-mcp npm install npm run dev

This project is open source and available under theMIT License.

- Built with theModel Context Protocolby Anthropic
- Hosted onCloudflare Workers
- Uses theyoutube-transcriptlibrary
- Inspired by the MCP community and existing local transcript servers

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