# YouTube Transcript Extraction

> Extract high-quality transcripts from YouTube videos using multiple methods.

- Skill: `modbender/youtube-transcript-extraction` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add modbender/youtube-transcript-extraction`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/modbender/youtube-transcript-extraction/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: modbender (https://skillmd.com/u/modbender)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/modbender/youtube-transcript-extraction

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# YouTube Transcript Extraction

Extract high-quality transcripts from YouTube videos using multiple methods.

## Commands

```bash
# Extract transcript from YouTube URL or video ID
/root/clawd/yt-transcript https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
/root/clawd/yt-transcript VIDEO_ID
```

## Features

- **Dual fallback system**: Tries Supadata API first, falls back to yt-dlp
- **Auto-generated transcripts**: Works even if no manual captions exist
- **Clean output**: Returns plain text transcript ready for analysis
- **Fast**: API method completes in seconds

## Use Cases

- Summarize long videos without watching
- Extract key quotes and insights
- Content research and analysis
- Create written summaries for videos
- Extract educational content

## Technical Details

- **Primary**: Supadata API (fast, clean formatting)
- **Fallback**: yt-dlp CLI tool (comprehensive, handles edge cases)
- **Output**: Plain text transcript with timestamps removed
- **API key**: Stored in `.env` as `SUPADATA_API_KEY`

## Example Workflow

Rob sends YouTube link → Alto pulls transcript → summarizes key points → Rob decides if worth watching

Saves 10-30 minutes per video!