Get YouTube transcript
Tool ID: youtube_transcript_get
Summary
Reads an existing caption track for a video on the connected channel and returns it as plain text.
When to use it
- Summarize a video — Use the spoken text from a video you already uploaded.
- Check a language — Ask for English, German, or another caption language when several tracks exist.
What you need
| Requirement | Required? |
|---|---|
| Metraclick connection | Yes |
| Tool enabled for your account | Yes |
| YouTube credentials | Yes |
The connected account must be allowed to edit the video. This does not read transcripts for someone else’s public videos.
Parameters
| Parameter | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|
video_id |
Yes | YouTube video id. |
language |
No | Caption language, such as en or de. Leave it out to use the best track. |
include_timestamps |
No | When true, each line includes its start time. |
What you get back
Plain text when YouTube allows the download, plus the list of caption tracks (language, name, and whether the track is automatic or uploaded).
If the video has no captions, the track list is empty.
If YouTube blocks the download, you get the track list and an error. That often happens for automatic captions, even on your own video. An uploaded subtitle track is the reliable case.
Example prompts
Get the transcript of my latest video and summarize it.
Read the German captions for video id abcdefghijk.
Get the transcript with timestamps so I can find the section about pricing.
Tips
- This reads captions. It does not create, edit, or delete them.
- Automatic captions may come back as an error from YouTube. The track list still shows what exists.