Youtube Summary Extractor

YouTube Summary Extractor

Extracts complete transcripts and official chapters from YouTube videos in 1–2 seconds without downloading any video or audio files, and formats structured executive summaries tailored for technical, educational, and business content.

🛡️ Safety & Rate Limiting Guards

• Zero Video Download: Pulls subtitles directly from YouTube's transcript API, saving bandwidth and disk space.
• Rate Guard:
  • Maximum 20 requests per hour (rolling 60-minute window).
  • 5-second cooldown between successive requests.
  • State tracked in ~/.cache/youtube_rate_limit.json.
• Zero Account Risk: Operates anonymously with no Google cookies or logins.

🚀 Execution Workflow

Step 1: Extract Transcript & Chapters

Run the extractor script with the video URL (or 11-char ID):

python3 scripts/extract_transcript.py "<YOUTUBE_URL>"

Returns JSON with:

• title: Video title
• channel: Creator / channel name
• duration_formatted: e.g. 14:20
• chapters: Official chapter marks (if provided)
• chunks: Grouped transcript segments with timestamps
• full_text: Complete transcript text

Step 2: Format Structured Summary

Format into a clean markdown document:

# 📺 [Video Title]
**Channel / Speaker:** {channel} | **Duration:** {duration_formatted} | [Watch on YouTube]({url})

---

### 📌 Core Takeaway (TL;DR / BLUF)
{2-3 concise sentences: core thesis, problem addressed, and final conclusion}

---

### 🧭 Timestamped Breakdown

#### ⏱️ 00:00 – {Chapter Title}
* {Key thesis}
* {Technical context / examples}

#### ⏱️ 04:30 – {Chapter Title}
* {Key thesis}
* {Actionable advice}

---

### 💡 Golden Nuggets & Key Quotes
* "{Direct quote or crucial insight}"

### 🛠️ Actionable Recommendations
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2