Video Toolkit

Video Toolkit

This skill provides intelligent capabilities to download video/audio and extract transcripts using yt-dlp.

Usage Guidelines

Goal-Oriented Workflow: DO NOT ask for confirmation unless the user's intent is ambiguous.

• If user says "Download": Download the best available quality video.
• If user says "Transcribe" or "Summarize": Extract subtitles (auto-generated if needed) and convert to clean text.
• If user says "Audio only": Extract mp3/m4a.

Smart Defaults

• Language: Match the video's recognized language. Fallback to English (en).
• Cookies: Use specific browser cookies (e.g., --cookies-from-browser chrome) ONLY if the download fails with "Sign in" or "403 Forbidden" errors.
• Format: mp4 for video, srt -> txt for transcripts.

Workflows

1. Transcript & Text Extraction

Best for extracting content for reading, summarizing, or RAG.

1. Extract Subtitles: Downloads subtitles (manual or auto-generated) without downloading the video.

   yt-dlp --write-sub --write-auto-sub --sub-lang "en,zh-Hans,.*" --convert-subs srt --skip-download -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "[URL]"
   

   (Note: Adjust --sub-lang priority based on the video's likely language if known)

2. Convert to Text: Run the cleaning script to produce a readable .txt file:

   python3 scripts/clean_transcript.py "[FILE].srt"
   

2. Media Download

Best for saving files locally.

• Standard Video:

  yt-dlp -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "[URL]"
  

• Audio Only:

   yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "[URL]"
  

3. Advanced & Troubleshooting

• Permission Errors: If you encounter 403 or Sign-in errors, retry with cookies: yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome ... (or firefox/safari/edge depending on user OS).
• Specific Formats: If user requests specific resolution (e.g., 1080p) or format, consult the yt-dlp Full Manual.
• Unsupported Sites: Check the Supported Sites List if the URL seems obscure.

References

• yt-dlp Full Manual
• Supported Sites List