YouTube Transcript Remote MCP Server

The first remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude AI to extract transcripts from YouTube videos. This server offers zero-setup access for users on any platform including mobile devices.

🌟 Features

• Zero Local Setup: No installation required - works directly from the cloud
• Universal Access: Works on desktop, mobile, and web versions of Claude
• Smart Caching: Efficient caching system using Cloudflare KV for fast responses
• Multi-language Support: Extract transcripts in different languages
• Error Handling: Robust error handling with user-friendly messages
• Analytics: Built-in request tracking and usage analytics
• URL Flexibility: Handles all YouTube URL formats (youtube.com, youtu.be, m.youtube.com, etc.)

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Use Our Hosted Server (Recommended)

The easiest way to get started - just add our public server to your Claude Desktop:

For Claude Desktop Users

1. Open Claude Desktop Settings

   • Click on "Claude" in the menu bar → "Settings"
   • Navigate to "Developer" tab
   • Click "Edit Config"

2. Add the MCP Server Configuration

   Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "youtube-transcript": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "mcp-remote",
           "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Restart Claude Desktop

   After saving the config file, restart Claude Desktop to load the server.

4. Verify Installation

   Look for the tools icon (🔧) in the chat interface. You should see the get_transcript tool available.

Option 2: Deploy Your Own

Want to run your own instance? Deploy to Cloudflare Workers in one click:

Or manually:

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp
cd youtube-transcript-mcp
npm install
npm run deploy

For Other MCP Clients

The server supports the standard MCP protocol and can be used with any compatible client:

• Public Server URL: https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse
• Transport: Server-Sent Events (SSE) or HTTP
• Authentication: None required (public server)

📖 Usage Examples

Basic Transcript Extraction

Extract the transcript from this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Multi-language Support

Can you get the transcript of this video in Turkish: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID

Extract the Spanish transcript from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Supported URL Formats

The server automatically handles all YouTube URL formats:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
• International domains (youtube.co.uk, youtube.de, etc.)

All tracking parameters (like ?si=, &t=, etc.) are automatically removed.

🛠 Available Tools

get_transcript

Extracts the transcript from a YouTube video URL.

Parameters:

• url (required): YouTube video URL in any format
• language (optional): Language code for the transcript (e.g., 'en', 'es', 'fr'). Defaults to 'en'.

Example Usage:

{
  "name": "get_transcript",
  "arguments": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "language": "en"
  }
}

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Debug Logging

To enable detailed logging for troubleshooting:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-transcript": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse",
        "--debug"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Debug logs will be created in ~/.mcp-auth/{server_hash}_debug.log.

HTTP Transport Only

To force HTTP transport instead of SSE:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-transcript": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp",
        "--transport",
        "http-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

📊 Server Information

• Hosting: Cloudflare Workers
• Caching: Cloudflare KV with 7-day cache for successful transcripts
• Rate Limiting: Built-in retry logic with exponential backoff
• Uptime: 99.9%+ availability through Cloudflare's global network
• Response Time: Typically <3 seconds for cached content, <10 seconds for new requests

🚨 Error Handling

The server provides clear error messages for common issues:

• "Invalid YouTube URL provided": The URL format is not recognized
• "No transcript available for this video": Video has no captions/transcript
• "Video not found or private": Video is private, deleted, or doesn't exist
• "Service temporarily busy, try again in a few minutes": Rate limiting from YouTube
• "Transcripts are disabled for this video": Creator has disabled captions

🌍 Language Support

The server supports any language that YouTube provides transcripts for. Common language codes:

• en - English (default)
• tr - Turkish
• es - Spanish
• fr - French
• de - German
• it - Italian
• pt - Portuguese
• ja - Japanese
• ko - Korean
• zh - Chinese

🔒 Privacy & Security

• No Authentication Required: Public server for ease of use
• No Data Storage: Transcripts are cached temporarily for performance only
• No Personal Information: Only YouTube video IDs and transcripts are processed
• HTTPS Only: All communications are encrypted
• CORS Enabled: Supports web-based MCP clients

🚀 API Endpoints

For developers who want to integrate directly:

HTTP POST /mcp

Standard MCP JSON-RPC endpoint for direct integration.

Server-Sent Events /sse

MCP SSE transport endpoint for real-time communication.

Info /

Server information and status endpoint.

Example Direct API Call:

curl -X POST https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "get_transcript",
      "arguments": {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
        "language": "en"
      }
    }
  }'

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Connection Error" in Claude Desktop

   • Ensure you have the latest Claude Desktop version
   • Check that mcp-remote is properly configured
   • Try adding --debug flag to see detailed logs

2. "Could not attach to MCP server"

   • Verify your internet connection
   • Check the server URL is correct
   • Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

3. No transcript returned

   • Verify the YouTube URL is valid and accessible
   • Check if the video has captions enabled
   • Try a different language code if available

Getting Help

• Check logs: Look in ~/.mcp-auth/ for debug logs
• Test direct connection: Use npx -p mcp-remote@latest mcp-remote-client https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/sse
• Verify server status: Visit https://youtube-transcript-mcp.ergut.workers.dev/
• Open an issue: GitHub Issues

🤝 Contributing

This is an open-source project. Contributions are welcome!

• Report Issues: Found a bug? Please open an issue
• Feature Requests: Have ideas for improvements? Let us know!
• Code Contributions: PRs welcome for enhancements

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/ergut/youtube-transcript-mcp
cd youtube-transcript-mcp
npm install
npm run dev

📜 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with the Model Context Protocol by Anthropic
• Hosted on Cloudflare Workers
• Uses the youtube-transcript library
• Inspired by the MCP community and existing local transcript servers

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Ready to supercharge Claude with YouTube transcript extraction? Add this server to your Claude Desktop configuration and start extracting transcripts from any YouTube video instantly! 🎉