YouTube Transcript MCP Server
Give your AI assistant the power to read YouTube videos. Add one URL to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or any other MCP client and ask for a summary, a quote or the full text. Free, no API key, no account.
server URL
https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcpHow it works
- Step 1
Copy the server URL above.
- Step 2
Open the connector or MCP settings of your AI client and paste it.
- Step 3
Ask your assistant for the transcript or a summary of any YouTube link.
Tools
| Tool | Arguments | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| get_youtube_transcript | url, language, format (text, srt, vtt), timestamps | Full transcript of a video. |
| list_youtube_transcript_languages | url | Every subtitle language of a video. |
| get_youtube_video_info | url | Title, channel, length and subtitle availability. |
Setup
Claude Desktop or any client with a JSON config
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcriber": {
"url": "https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcp"
}
}
}Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcriber": {
"url": "https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcp",
"type": "http"
}
}
}Older stdio only clients
{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcriber": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcp"]
}
}
}Test the connection with curl
curl -X POST https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcp \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-H "accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'Prefer plain HTTP?
The same transcripts are available through the free REST API with one GET request, or through the web converter if you just want to paste a link.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the YouTube transcript MCP server?
- It is a free MCP endpoint at https://youtubetextconverter.com/api/mcp. Any MCP client, such as Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT, can add it and read YouTube videos as text.
- Do I need an API key or a login?
- No. The server is open. You paste the URL in your client and the tools are ready.
- Which tools does the server expose?
- get_youtube_transcript, list_youtube_transcript_languages and get_youtube_video_info. They are read only.
- Which transport does it use?
- Streamable HTTP, the current MCP transport. Older stdio only clients can bridge it with mcp-remote.
- Can it return SRT and VTT?
- Yes. The format argument of get_youtube_transcript accepts text, srt and vtt.
- Does it work with private videos?
- No. Only public videos that have subtitles can be read.