How do I install the Opensubtitles skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/opensubtitles in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Opensubtitles safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: CAUTION, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls, reads secrets. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Opensubtitles?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Opensubtitles free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Opensubtitles?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Opensubtitles by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Opensubtitles
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

Opensubtitles

Read-only OpenSubtitles skill to search and download subtitles via API, then extract scene context by timestamp to answer user questions regarding a show in context and avoid spoilers. Use when the user asks “what’s happening at this timestamp” or needs subtitle context; pairs well with trakt-readonly skill for playback progress. Requires an OpenSubtitles API key and User-Agent.

modbender Updated Sep 9, 2026 12 repo stars

File contents

OpenSubtitles

Use this skill to fetch subtitle context around a timestamp. This is read‑only: no uploads or modifications.

Setup

Users should obtain an API key at: https://www.opensubtitles.com/consumers

Required env vars:

OPENSUBTITLES_API_KEY
OPENSUBTITLES_USER_AGENT (e.g., OpenClaw 1.0)

Optional (for downloads):

OPENSUBTITLES_USERNAME
OPENSUBTITLES_PASSWORD
OPENSUBTITLES_TOKEN (if already logged in)
OPENSUBTITLES_BASE_URL (hostname from login response, e.g., api.opensubtitles.com)

Commands

Scripts live in {baseDir}/scripts/.

Search subtitles

{baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh search --query "Show Name" --season 3 --episode 5 --languages en

Prefer IDs when available (imdb/tmdb). Use parent IDs for TV episodes. Follow redirects for search (script already uses -L).

Login (token)

{baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh login

Note: Login is rate limited (1/sec, 10/min, 30/hour). If you get 401, stop retrying. Use base_url from the response as OPENSUBTITLES_BASE_URL for subsequent requests.

Request a download link

Before downloading, check the local subtitle cache (see below). Only call the download API if the file is not already cached.

OPENSUBTITLES_TOKEN=... {baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh download-link --file-id 123

Extract context at timestamp

After downloading an .srt file (default window: 10 minutes before timestamp):

On Windows, use findstr or PowerShell Select-String to replicate the awk logic (use the shell script as a guide). The agent should pick the best option available on that system.

{baseDir}/scripts/subtitle-context.sh ./subtitle.srt 00:12:34,500

Custom window:

{baseDir}/scripts/subtitle-context.sh ./subtitle.srt 00:12:34,500 --window-mins 5

Trakt synergy

Pair with trakt-readonly to identify current episode; when Trakt adds playback progress support, update the Trakt skill to supply a precise timestamp for context‑aware, spoiler‑safe responses.

Cache

Store downloaded subtitles under {baseDir}/storage/subtitles/ (create if missing). Use a stable filename like:

{baseDir}/storage/subtitles/<file_id>__<language>.srt

Check this cache before calling /download to avoid wasting limited daily downloads.

Guardrails

Never log or expose API keys, passwords, or tokens.
Only call https://api.opensubtitles.com/api/v1 (or the base_url returned by login).
Do not cache download links.
Prefer IDs over fuzzy queries for accuracy.
Avoid wasting downloads: store downloaded subtitle files locally and check the cache before calling the download API again.
If a download is requested, always append the remaining download quota (from the remaining field) in the user response.
Subtitle context should include the window from 10 minutes before the timestamp to the timestamp (default), unless the user specifies otherwise.
The agent can adjust --window-mins to get more or less context as needed.
Only read subtitle files from {baseDir}/storage/subtitles/ to avoid arbitrary file access.

References

references/opensubtitles-api.md

---name: opensubtitlesdescription: Read-only OpenSubtitles skill to search and download subtitles via API, then extract scene context by timestamp to answer user questions regarding a show in context and avoid spoilers. Use when the user asks “what’s happening at this timestamp” or needs subtitle context; pairs well with trakt-readonly skill for playback progress. Requires an OpenSubtitles API key and User-Agent.--- # OpenSubtitles Use this skill to fetch subtitle context around a timestamp. This is **read‑only**: no uploads or modifications. ## Setup Users should obtain an API key at: https://www.opensubtitles.com/consumers Required env vars: - `OPENSUBTITLES_API_KEY` - `OPENSUBTITLES_USER_AGENT` (e.g., `OpenClaw 1.0`) Optional (for downloads): - `OPENSUBTITLES_USERNAME` - `OPENSUBTITLES_PASSWORD` - `OPENSUBTITLES_TOKEN` (if already logged in) - `OPENSUBTITLES_BASE_URL` (hostname from login response, e.g., `api.opensubtitles.com`) ## Commands Scripts live in `{baseDir}/scripts/`. ### Search subtitles ``` {baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh search --query "Show Name" --season 3 --episode 5 --languages en ``` Prefer IDs when available (imdb/tmdb). Use parent IDs for TV episodes. Follow redirects for search (script already uses `-L`). ### Login (token) ``` {baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh login ``` Note: Login is rate limited (1/sec, 10/min, 30/hour). If you get 401, stop retrying. Use `base_url` from the response as `OPENSUBTITLES_BASE_URL` for subsequent requests. ### Request a download link Before downloading, check the local subtitle cache (see below). Only call the download API if the file is not already cached. ``` OPENSUBTITLES_TOKEN=... {baseDir}/scripts/opensubtitles-api.sh download-link --file-id 123 ``` ### Extract context at timestamp After downloading an `.srt` file (default window: 10 minutes before timestamp): On Windows, use `findstr` or PowerShell `Select-String` to replicate the awk logic (use the shell script as a guide). The agent should pick the best option available on that system. ``` {baseDir}/scripts/subtitle-context.sh ./subtitle.srt 00:12:34,500 ``` Custom window: ``` {baseDir}/scripts/subtitle-context.sh ./subtitle.srt 00:12:34,500 --window-mins 5 ``` ## Trakt synergy Pair with `trakt-readonly` to identify current episode; when Trakt adds playback progress support, update the Trakt skill to supply a precise timestamp for context‑aware, spoiler‑safe responses. ## Cache Store downloaded subtitles under `{baseDir}/storage/subtitles/` (create if missing). Use a stable filename like: `{baseDir}/storage/subtitles/<file_id>__<language>.srt` Check this cache before calling `/download` to avoid wasting limited daily downloads. ## Guardrails - Never log or expose API keys, passwords, or tokens. - Only call `https://api.opensubtitles.com/api/v1` (or the `base_url` returned by login). - Do not cache download links. - Prefer IDs over fuzzy queries for accuracy. - **Avoid wasting downloads:** store downloaded subtitle files locally and check the cache before calling the download API again. - If a download is requested, always append the remaining download quota (from the `remaining` field) in the user response. - Subtitle context should include the window from 10 minutes before the timestamp to the timestamp (default), unless the user specifies otherwise. - The agent can adjust `--window-mins` to get more or less context as needed. - Only read subtitle files from `{baseDir}/storage/subtitles/` to avoid arbitrary file access. ## References - `references/opensubtitles-api.md`

Frequently asked questions