YouTube Transcript AI

Connect it to your AI

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http youtube-transcript https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other apps

Add it as a custom connector with this URL (Streamable HTTP):

https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp

This server expects extra headers, usually an API key from its maker.

Cursor, VS Code and other apps (mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-transcript": {
      "url": "https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tools it offers

12 tools, as the server itself reported during our check on Oct 31, 2026.

• get_youtube_transcriptFetch the full text transcript of a YouTube video. Accepts a YouTube URL (watch, youtu.be, shorts, embed) or a bare 11-character video ID, and returns the transcript as plain text with title and metadata. Optionally pass
• search_youtube_videosSearch YouTube and return matching videos with channel, view count and duration. Use it first when researching a topic: run several differently-worded queries (and in more than one language), then read the best hits with
• find_in_transcriptFind where a video talks about something. Give one or more keywords and get back only the matching passages, each with a timestamp and a link that opens the video at that moment. Far cheaper than reading the whole transc
• get_transcripts_batchRead the transcripts of several videos in one call (up to 5), each cut to a length you choose, so you can skim a set of search results without filling your context. Each video counts as one request against your daily quo
• get_video_commentsFetch the top comments of a YouTube video (YouTube's "top" ordering, replies not included), with like counts. Comments are where viewers report what worked for them, which makes them useful for checking claims made in th
• list_channel_videosList the latest videos of a YouTube channel or playlist, with view count and duration. Use it to follow a creator who looks credible, or to cover a playlist. Returns at most 50 videos per call; to go further, call again
• get_account_statusShow the plan of the API key on this connection (Free or Pro), the daily request quota, how many requests were used today, how many remain, when the quota resets, and the per-call limits of the tools. Free: it does not u
• search_spoken_wordsSearch what people actually say inside YouTube videos. Full-text search over about 100 million spoken sentences from about 425,000 English-language videos (the ones users looked up on youtube-transcript.ai), with typical
• get_spoken_contextRead what was said around a moment in a video: the sentences before and after a timestamp. Use it after search_spoken_words to see what a matching sentence was part of, before you quote or rely on it. Works for videos in
• rank_videos_by_topicFind the videos that talk about something the most, ranked by how many sentences mention it. Better than searching titles when you want the videos that really go deep on a topic. Each result has the number of mentions, t
• rank_channels_by_topicFind which channels talk about something the most, ranked by mentions, with how many of their videos mention it. Use it to find who covers a topic: creators to follow, experts, or partners. Same library, caption quirks a
• spoken_mentions_over_timeCount how often something is mentioned over time, by day, week or month. Each period shows the mentions and the rate per million spoken sentences, so busy and quiet periods compare fairly. Use it to see whether a topic i

Questions