YouTube Shorts Transcript API
Extract timestamped transcripts from any public YouTube Short in a single request.
GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/transcript that responds with clean JSON and costs 1 credit. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the YouTube Shorts Transcript API?
The YouTube Shorts Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript for YouTube shorts transcript with a single REST call. No OAuth, no infrastructure to maintain, and no platform SDKs — send the request, get clean structured JSON back. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh.
What you get
- Full transcript text with start/end timestamps when available
- Auto-detected language and segment count
- AI audio transcription fallback when no captions exist
- Clean JSON ready for search, subtitles, or AI pipelines
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/shorts/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDXVHmGoCTco" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXVHmGoCTco",
"videoId": "DXVHmGoCTco",
"title": "50 Streamers Fight for $1,000,000",
"transcript": "I just TRAPPED 50 OF THE BIGGEST STREAMERS IN THIS CUBE AND WHOEVER LEAVES LAST WINS A MILLION DOLLARS. THESE ARE THE BIGGEST STREAMERS in the universe and the last one of them to leave wins it all. >> in together. We're locked in together. All right. Do we have like a Spanish alliance going? >> Yeah, it's the power of friendship. >> it's all about strategy in here. Me, I'm willing to do anything. You want me to get on the floor and start twerking, I'll do it. I don't. Just s ...",
"transcriptSegments": [
{
"text": "I just TRAPPED 50 OF THE BIGGEST",
"start": 0,
"duration": 3.6,
"timestamp": "00:00"
},
{
"text": "STREAMERS IN THIS CUBE AND WHOEVER",
"start": 1.84,
"duration": 3.76,
"timestamp": "00:01"
}
],
"wordCount": 7312,
"segments": 1273,
"language": "English"
}
}Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.
Response structure
A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:
Top-level fields
urlCanonical URL of the item.videoIdPlatform video ID.titleTitle of the item.transcriptComplete text transcript.wordCountTotal number of words in the transcript.segmentsTranscript segment count, or sponsor segment list on video-sponsors endpoints.languageDetected or requested language code.
Transcript segments
Each item in transcriptSegments contains:
textText content.startStart time in seconds.durationLength in seconds.timestampHuman-readable timestamp (MM:SS format).
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | Public YouTube Shorts URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/shorts/ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble. |
| language | string | No | Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 1 credit. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
youtube_shorts_transcript via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/youtube/shorts/transcriptand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Accessibility
Provide captions and transcripts for hearing-impaired users.
Content Analysis
Analyze spoken content for keywords, topics, and sentiment.
Search & Discovery
Make video content searchable by text.
Content Creation
Extract quotes and key phrases from videos.
Language Learning
Provide text alongside audio for language learners.
Research
Analyze large volumes of video content efficiently.
SEO
Extract text content for search engine optimization.
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Shorts Transcript API do?+
The YouTube Shorts Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public YouTube Short using one GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Shorts Transcript API cost?+
Each successful call costs 1 credit. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
What if the YouTube Short has no captions?+
When no captions are available, Captapi transcribes the audio with AI (Whisper) automatically, so you still get a usable transcript.
Is the YouTube Shorts Transcript API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More YouTube APIs
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