YouTube

GET /v1/youtube/shorts/transcript

YouTube Shorts Transcript API

Extract timestamped transcripts from any public YouTube video in a single request.

TL;DR

The YouTube Shorts Transcript API (YouTube) returns extract timestamped transcripts from any public YouTube video in a single request. It's a single authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/transcript that responds with clean JSON, costs 2 credits, and is cached for 24 hours (repeat calls are free). 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 from YouTube with a single REST call. No OAuth, no scraping infrastructure, and no platform SDKs — send the URL, get clean structured JSON back. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat lookups are instant and free.

What you get

Full transcript text with start/end timestamps
Auto-detected language and segment count
AI audio transcription fallback when no captions exist
Clean JSON ready for RAG, search, or subtitles

Try it

Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request in your language of choice.

Parameters

url*stringPublic YouTube Shorts URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/shorts/ID.languageoptionalstringPreferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect.

API keyoptionalPaste your key to get a ready-to-run snippet. It stays in your browser.

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/shorts/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "cached": false,
  "creditsUsed": 2,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXVHmGoCTco",
    "videoId": "DXVHmGoCTco",
    "title": null,
    "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"
  }
}

Response structure

A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:

Full transcript

transcriptComplete text transcript of the video.
wordCountTotal number of words in the transcript.
segmentsTotal number of transcript segments.

Timestamped segments

Each item in transcriptSegments contains:

textThe spoken text for this segment.
startStart time in seconds.
durationDuration of the segment 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.
language	string	No	Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect.

Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 2 credits. Repeat calls for the same request are served from cache for free.

Using an AI agent? This endpoint is the MCP tool 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/transcript and 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 video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Shorts Transcript API cost?+

Each successful call costs 2 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?+

No. A single Captapi key works across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

What if the YouTube video 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, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

More YouTube APIs

YouTube Transcript API YouTube Summarizer API YouTube Video Details API YouTube Comments API YouTube Channel Details API YouTube Search API

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