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YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts - MCP Implementation

YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts

Unleash instant YouTube transcript power with our MCP server API – fast, accurate, and seamless integration for content pros who demand precision.

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About YouTube Transcript API

What is YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts?

YouTube Transcript API is a versatile Python-based service designed to simplify the retrieval and transcription of YouTube video content. This tool bridges the gap between raw video data and accessible text by offering two server architectures—REST API (via Flask) and MCP server—to cater to diverse integration needs. Its core intelligence lies in automatically detecting available transcripts or fallback mechanisms like Whisper-based audio transcription when textual data isn’t present, ensuring uninterrupted workflow for developers and content analysts alike.

How to Use YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts?

To get started, first install dependencies through pip install -r requirements.txt. For REST API users, launch the Flask server with python apps/flask_server.py and interact via endpoints like /transcript for fetching transcripts or /health for server status checks. MCP server users can execute python apps/mcp_server.py to access tools such as get_transcript() or search_youtube_video() programmatically. Both setups support language parameters, enabling seamless switching between English, Vietnamese, or auto-detected tongues.

YouTube Transcript API Features

Key Features of YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts?

Central to its functionality is multilingual transcript fetching, which prioritizes existing subtitles before invoking Whisper’s audio-to-text processing for unmatched reliability. The system’s automatic language detection minimizes manual input, while temporary file management ensures no resource leaks during operations. Progress reporting for lengthy tasks like audio transcription adds transparency, and compatibility with both REST and MCP protocols offers flexibility for backend or microservice integrations.

Use Cases of YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts?

YouTube Transcript API FAQ

FAQ from YouTube Transcript API: Instant, Accurate Transcripts?

Q: What happens if a video has no available transcripts? The system transparently switches to Whisper for real-time audio transcription, ensuring continuity.
Q: Can I add support for other languages? While current core support is for English and Vietnamese, Whisper’s underlying model handles over 100 languages—expand functionality by adjusting input parameters.
Q: How do I choose between REST and MCP? REST is ideal for quick HTTP-based integrations, while MCP’s modular design suits complex microservices needing programmatic control.
Q: Are there rate limits? The API doesn’t enforce hard limits, but Whisper’s processing time may vary based on video length and server load.

Content

YouTube Transcript API

A Python service that provides APIs to fetch and transcribe YouTube video content. It supports both REST API (Flask) and MCP server implementations.

Features

  • Fetch YouTube video transcripts in multiple languages (English and Vietnamese)
  • Auto-detect and use available transcripts
  • Fallback to audio transcription using Whisper when transcripts are unavailable
  • Support for both REST API and MCP server interfaces
  • Automatic language detection
  • Temporary file cleanup
  • Progress reporting for long-running operations

Installation

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

REST API (Flask)

Start the Flask server:

python apps/flask_server.py

Available endpoints:

  • GET /transcript?video_id=<video_id>&language=<lang> - Get video transcript
  • GET /video/info?video_id=<video_id> - Get video information
  • GET /health - Health check endpoint

MCP Server

Start the MCP server:

python apps/mcp_server.py

Available tools:

  • get_transcript(video_id, language) - Get video transcript
  • extract_transcript(video_id, language) - Extract transcript from audio
  • search_youtube_video(query) - Search for YouTube videos

Language Support

  • English (en)
  • Vietnamese (vi)
  • Auto-detection for other languages

Dependencies

  • youtube-transcript-api
  • pytube
  • whisper
  • torch
  • langdetect
  • flask (for REST API)
  • mcp (for MCP server)

Development

The project structure:

apps/
├── __init__.py
├── flask_server.py  # REST API implementation
├── mcp_server.py    # MCP server implementation
└── utils.py         # Shared utilities

License

MIT License

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