Youtube Full

# youtube-full — YouTube Transcripts, Search, and Channel Data Covers transcript extraction, video search, channel browsing, in-channel search, playlist extraction, and new-upload monitoring via TranscriptAPI. > **Source:** Ported from [ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills](https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills) (MIT). Original skill authored by ZeroPointRepo contributors. Adapted for the claude-skills format. > **BYOK / free-tier note:** TranscriptAPI is a commercial service (BYOK — you bring your own key; 100 free credits included, no card required). For local/self-hosted extraction without an API key, use `youtube-transcript-api` (Python) or `yt-dlp` as OSS fallbacks. See [Anti-Patterns](#anti-patterns) for guidance. ## API Setup Every request to `transcriptapi.com` requires two headers: - `Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` - `User-Agent: ClaudeCode/1.0` If `TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` is not set, prompt the user to get a free key at `https://transcriptapi.com` (100 free credits, no card required) and store it as `TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`. ## Operations ### Get transcript (1 credit) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript ?video_url={URL_OR_ID}&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true ``` Use this for any "get transcript", "summarize video", or "extract quotes" request. ### Search YouTube (1 credit) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/search ?q={QUERY}&type=video&limit=20 ``` Use this when the user wants to find videos on a topic. Follow with transcript calls on selected results. ### Channel — latest uploads (FREE) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest ?channel={@HANDLE_OR_ID} ``` Returns the 15 most recent uploads with view counts and publish timestamps. Use before fetching transcripts to check whether uploads are new. ### Channel — all videos (1 credit/page) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos ?channel={@HANDLE_OR_ID} ``` Paginate with `?continuation=TOKEN` on subsequent pages. ### In-channel search (1 credit) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/search ?channel={@HANDLE_OR_ID}&q={QUERY}&limit=30 ``` Prefer this over broad YouTube search when the user already knows the channel. ### Playlist extraction (1 credit/page) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/playlist/videos ?playlist={PLAYLIST_URL_OR_ID} ``` Paginate with `?continuation=TOKEN`. Response includes `playlist_info`, `results`, `has_more`. ### Resolve handle (FREE) ``` GET https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve ?input={@HANDLE_OR_URL} ``` Returns `{"channel_id": "UC...", "resolved_from": "@handle"}`. ## Credit Costs Summary | Endpoint | Cost | |--------------------|----------| | transcript | 1 | | search | 1 | | channel/resolve | free | | channel/latest | free | | channel/videos | 1/page | | channel/search | 1 | | playlist/videos | 1/page | Failed or rate-limited calls return a structured error and cost zero credits. ## Common Workflows ### Research workflow 1. Search (`/search?q=...`) — pick the most relevant results 2. Fetch transcripts (`/transcript?video_url=...`) for selected videos 3. Summarize or extract quotes from transcript text ### Channel monitoring 1. `channel/latest` (free) — check for new uploads 2. If new videos found, fetch transcripts 3. Extract signal (announcements, topics) ### Playlist to corpus 1. `playlist/videos` — get all video IDs in the playlist 2. Batch-fetch transcripts, pausing if near credit limit 3. Assemble transcripts into a searchable document set ## Decision Rules - When the user provides a YouTube URL, video ID, or @handle, use the matching endpoint directly — do not search first - When the user says "monitor" or "check for new uploads", use `channel/latest` (free) first - Use `channel/search` when the user knows which channel and wants to find a topic within it - Use `search` (type=channel) to find a channel when the user doesn't know the handle - Do not batch-transcribe an entire channel unless the user explicitly asks for that ## Error Handling | Code | Cause | Action | |----------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------| | 401 | Bad API key | Check TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY | | 402 | No credits | Inform user, direct to transcriptapi.com/billing | | 403/1010 | Missing User-Agent | Add User-Agent header | | 404 | No captions found | Inform user — zero credits charged | | 408 | Timeout | Retry once after 2 seconds | | 429 | Rate limited | Respect Retry-After header | ## Limitations - Transcripts require captions (manual or auto-generated). Some videos have no captions — this returns a 404 and costs zero credits. - Private and age-restricted videos are not accessible. - Live stream transcripts are unstable until the stream ends. - Rate limit: 300 requests/minute on the free tier. - This skill does not download audio or video files. For local file download, use `yt-dlp` directly. ## Anti-Patterns - **Don't use TranscriptAPI for bulk downloads of entire channels** without user confirmation — credit costs add up fast; use `channel/latest` (free) to check for new content first - **Don't hardcode the API key** — always use `TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` environment variable - **Don't claim "no vendor dependency"** — TranscriptAPI is a commercial service. If the user needs a zero-cost or self-hosted path: `youtube-transcript-api` (Python, no auth needed for public videos) or `yt-dlp --write-subs` are OSS alternatives with different trade-offs (no search, no channel API, but free and local) - **Don't batch-transcribe without checking credits** — check remaining credits before large operations ## OSS Fallback Paths If the user cannot or will not use TranscriptAPI: | Need | OSS Alternative | Trade-offs | |------|----------------|------------| | Single transcript | `youtube-transcript-api` (Python) | No search; no channel API; captions only | | Download + subtitles | `yt-dlp --write-subs` | Requires local install; no REST; slower | | Channel monitoring | Parse YouTube RSS feed (`/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=...`) | Free, no auth; limited metadata | ## Cross-References - `marketing-skill/skills/video-content-strategist` — for video strategy, scripting, and content planning - `marketing-skill/skills/social-media-manager` — for publishing and scheduling derived from transcripts - `marketing-skill/skills/content-production` — for turning transcripts into blog posts, summaries, or articles