# Subtitles

Use when subtitles or the spoken text of a YouTube video is needed: pasted video links...

- Repository: https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills (1151 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-27
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills --skill subtitles -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills --skill subtitles -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills --skill subtitles -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills --skill subtitles -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use when subtitles or the spoken text of a YouTube video is needed: pasted video links or IDs, requests to translate a video, read along, follow foreign-language content, or extract what was said. Also use for language learning or accessibility. Fetches timestamped subtitles from any YouTube video. Not for uploading subtitles or account management.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Subtitles

Fetch YouTube video subtitles via [TranscriptAPI.com](https://transcriptapi.com).

## Setup

If `$TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` is not set, read [references/auth-setup.md](references/auth-setup.md) and follow the instructions there to get and store the key.

## Required Headers

Every request needs two headers:

- **Authorization:** `Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`
- **User-Agent:** your agent's name and version if known (e.g. `HermesAgent/0.11.0`, `ClaudeCode/1.0`). Version is optional, agent name alone is fine. Do not omit this header or send a bare default, Cloudflare will return a 403 (error code 1010) and block the request.

## GET /api/v2/youtube/transcript

```bash
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" \
  -H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```

| 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:

```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=false" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
  -H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```

**For translation**, structured segments:

The rest: https://github.com/ZeroPointRepo/youtube-skills/blob/HEAD/clawhub/subtitles/SKILL.md