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https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp

Zero-setup YouTube transcript extraction for Claude. Works on mobile, desktop, and web - no local installation required.
https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp

mcp-server remote-mcp-server sse

Last synced: about 1 year ago
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Zero-setup YouTube transcript extraction for Claude. Works on mobile, desktop, and web - no local installation required.

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

          


  YouTube Transcript MCP Logo

  

  # YouTube Transcript Remote MCP Server



  The **first remote** Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude AI to extract transcripts from YouTube videos. This server offers zero-setup access for users on any platform including mobile devices.




[![Deploy to Cloudflare Workers](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/button)](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/?url=https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp)



## 🌟 Features



- **Zero Local Setup**: No installation required - works directly from the cloud

- **Universal Access**: Works on desktop, mobile, and web versions of Claude

- **Smart Caching**: Efficient caching system using Cloudflare KV for fast responses

- **Multi-language Support**: Extract transcripts in different languages

- **Error Handling**: Robust error handling with user-friendly messages

- **Analytics**: Built-in request tracking and usage analytics

- **URL Flexibility**: Handles all YouTube URL formats (youtube.com, youtu.be, m.youtube.com, etc.)



## 🚀 Quick Start



### Option 1: Use Our Hosted Server (Recommended)



The easiest way to get started - just add our public server to your Claude Desktop:



#### For Claude Desktop Users



1. **Open Claude Desktop Settings**

   - Click on "Claude" in the menu bar → "Settings"

   - Navigate to "Developer" tab

   - Click "Edit Config"



2. **Add the MCP Server Configuration**

   

   Add this to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:



   ```json

   {

     "mcpServers": {

       "youtube-transcript": {

         "command": "npx",

         "args": [

           "mcp-remote",

           "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse"

         ]

       }

     }

   }

   ```



3. **Restart Claude Desktop**

   

   After saving the config file, restart Claude Desktop to load the server.



4. **Verify Installation**

   

   Look for the tools icon (🔧) in the chat interface. You should see the `get_transcript` tool available.



### Option 2: Deploy Your Own



Want to run your own instance? Deploy to Cloudflare Workers in one click:



[![Deploy to Cloudflare Workers](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/button)](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/?url=https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp)



Or manually:



```bash

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp

cd youtube-transcript-mcp

npm install

npm run deploy

```



### For Other MCP Clients



The server supports the standard MCP protocol and can be used with any compatible client:



- **Public Server URL**: `https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse`

- **Transport**: Server-Sent Events (SSE) or HTTP

- **Authentication**: None required (public server)



## 📖 Usage Examples



### Basic Transcript Extraction



```

Extract the transcript from this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

```



### Multi-language Support



```

Can you get the transcript of this video in Turkish: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID

```



```

Extract the Spanish transcript from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

```



### Supported URL Formats



The server automatically handles all YouTube URL formats:



- `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID`

- `https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID`

- `https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID`

- `https://www.youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID`

- `https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID`

- `https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID`

- International domains (`youtube.co.uk`, `youtube.de`, etc.)



All tracking parameters (like `?si=`, `&t=`, etc.) are automatically removed.



## 🛠 Available Tools



### `get_transcript`



Extracts the transcript from a YouTube video URL.



**Parameters:**

- `url` (required): YouTube video URL in any format

- `language` (optional): Language code for the transcript (e.g., 'en', 'es', 'fr'). Defaults to 'en'.



**Example Usage:**

```json

{

  "name": "get_transcript",

  "arguments": {

    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",

    "language": "en"

  }

}

```



## 🔧 Advanced Configuration



### Debug Logging



To enable detailed logging for troubleshooting:



```json

{

  "mcpServers": {

    "youtube-transcript": {

      "command": "npx",

      "args": [

        "mcp-remote",

        "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse",

        "--debug"

      ]

    }

  }

}

```



Debug logs will be created in `~/.mcp-auth/{server_hash}_debug.log`.



### HTTP Transport Only



To force HTTP transport instead of SSE:



```json

{

  "mcpServers": {

    "youtube-transcript": {

      "command": "npx",

      "args": [

        "mcp-remote",

        "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp",

        "--transport",

        "http-only"

      ]

    }

  }

}

```



## 📊 Server Information



- **Hosting**: Cloudflare Workers

- **Caching**: Cloudflare KV with 7-day cache for successful transcripts

- **Rate Limiting**: Built-in retry logic with exponential backoff

- **Uptime**: 99.9%+ availability through Cloudflare's global network

- **Response Time**: Typically <3 seconds for cached content, <10 seconds for new requests



## 🚨 Error Handling



The server provides clear error messages for common issues:



- **"Invalid YouTube URL provided"**: The URL format is not recognized

- **"No transcript available for this video"**: Video has no captions/transcript

- **"Video not found or private"**: Video is private, deleted, or doesn't exist

- **"Service temporarily busy, try again in a few minutes"**: Rate limiting from YouTube

- **"Transcripts are disabled for this video"**: Creator has disabled captions



## 🌍 Language Support



The server supports any language that YouTube provides transcripts for. Common language codes:



- `en` - English (default)

- `tr` - Turkish

- `es` - Spanish

- `fr` - French

- `de` - German

- `it` - Italian

- `pt` - Portuguese

- `ja` - Japanese

- `ko` - Korean

- `zh` - Chinese



## 🔒 Privacy & Security



- **No Authentication Required**: Public server for ease of use

- **No Data Storage**: Transcripts are cached temporarily for performance only

- **No Personal Information**: Only YouTube video IDs and transcripts are processed

- **HTTPS Only**: All communications are encrypted

- **CORS Enabled**: Supports web-based MCP clients



## 🚀 API Endpoints



For developers who want to integrate directly:



### HTTP POST `/mcp`

Standard MCP JSON-RPC endpoint for direct integration.



### Server-Sent Events `/sse`

MCP SSE transport endpoint for real-time communication.



### Info `/`

Server information and status endpoint.



**Example Direct API Call:**

```bash

curl -X POST https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp \

  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

  -d '{

    "jsonrpc": "2.0",

    "id": 1,

    "method": "tools/call",

    "params": {

      "name": "get_transcript",

      "arguments": {

        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",

        "language": "en"

      }

    }

  }'

```



## 🐛 Troubleshooting



### Common Issues



1. **"Connection Error" in Claude Desktop**

   - Ensure you have the latest Claude Desktop version

   - Check that `mcp-remote` is properly configured

   - Try adding `--debug` flag to see detailed logs



2. **"Could not attach to MCP server"**

   - Verify your internet connection

   - Check the server URL is correct

   - Restart Claude Desktop after config changes



3. **No transcript returned**

   - Verify the YouTube URL is valid and accessible

   - Check if the video has captions enabled

   - Try a different language code if available



### Getting Help



- **Check logs**: Look in `~/.mcp-auth/` for debug logs

- **Test direct connection**: Use `npx -p mcp-remote@latest mcp-remote-client https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse`

- **Verify server status**: Visit `https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/`

- **Open an issue**: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp/issues)



## 🤝 Contributing



This is an open-source project. Contributions are welcome!



- **Report Issues**: Found a bug? Please [open an issue](https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp/issues)

- **Feature Requests**: Have ideas for improvements? Let us know!

- **Code Contributions**: PRs welcome for enhancements



### Development Setup



```bash

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp

cd youtube-transcript-mcp

npm install

npm run dev

```



## 📜 License



This project is open source and available under the [MIT License](LICENSE).



## 🙏 Acknowledgments



- Built with the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) by Anthropic

- Hosted on [Cloudflare Workers](https://workers.cloudflare.com/)

- Uses the [youtube-transcript](https://www.npmjs.com/package/youtube-transcript) library

- Inspired by the MCP community and existing local transcript servers



---



**Ready to supercharge Claude with YouTube transcript extraction?** Add this server to your Claude Desktop configuration and start extracting transcripts from any YouTube video instantly! 🎉