Get subtitles from YouTube videos for translation, language learning, or reading along. Use when the user asks for subtitles, subs, foreign language text, or wants to read video content. Supports multiple languages and timestamped output for sync'd reading.
Fetch YouTube video subtitles via TranscriptAPI.com.
If $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY is not set, help the user create an account (100 free credits, no card):
Step 1 — Register: Ask user for their email.
node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js register --email USER_EMAIL
→ OTP sent to email. Ask user: "Check your email for a 6-digit verification code."
Step 2 — Verify: Once user provides the OTP:
node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js verify --token TOKEN_FROM_STEP_1 --otp CODE
API key saved to your shell profile and agent config. Ready to use.
Manual option: transcriptapi.com/signup → Dashboard → API Keys.
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_URL&format=text&include_timestamp=false&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
| Param | Values | Use case |
|---|---|---|
video_url | YouTube URL or video ID | Required |
format | json, text | json for sync'd subs with timing |
include_timestamp | true, false | false for clean text for reading/translation |
send_metadata | true, false | Include title, channel, description |
For language learning — clean text without timestamps:
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=false" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
For translation — structured segments:
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=json&include_timestamp=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
Response (format=json):
{
"video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"language": "en",
"transcript": [
{ "text": "We're no strangers to love", "start": 18.0, "duration": 3.5 }
]
}
Response (format=text, include_timestamp=false):
{
"video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"language": "en",
"transcript": "We're no strangers to love\nYou know the rules and so do I..."
}
format=json to get timing for each line (great for sync'd reading).include_timestamp=false for clean text suitable for translation apps.| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| 402 | No credits — transcriptapi.com/billing |
| 404 | No subtitles available |
| 408 | Timeout — retry once after 2s |
1 credit per request. Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min.