YouTube

GET /v1/youtube/transcript

YouTube Transcript API

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

TL;DR

The YouTube 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/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 Transcript API?

The YouTube 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 video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=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/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=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "title": null,
    "transcript": "[Music] We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I. I feel commitments from what I'm thinking of. You wouldn't get this from any other guy. I just want to tell you how I'm feeling. Got to make you understand. Never going to give you up. I'm going to let you down. I'm going to run around and desert you. I'm going to make you say goodbye. Tell a lie and hurt you. We've known each other for so long. Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say we don't kno ...",
    "transcriptSegments": [
      {
        "text": "[Music]",
        "start": 0.32,
        "duration": 14.26,
        "timestamp": "00:00"
      },
      {
        "text": "We're no strangers to",
        "start": 18.8,
        "duration": 7.16,
        "timestamp": "00:18"
      }
    ],
    "wordCount": 291,
    "segments": 52,
    "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 video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=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_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/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 Transcript API do?+

The YouTube Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public YouTube video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube 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 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 Summarizer API YouTube Video Details API YouTube Comments API YouTube Channel Details API YouTube Search API YouTube Channel Videos API

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