🔌 MCP SERVER

YouTube Transcript MCP Server — Connect to Claude, Cursor & VS Code

Extract YouTube transcripts directly from your AI tools. The YouTubeTranscript.dev MCP server integrates with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot, and Cline — no context switching required.

GET YOUR API KEY →VIEW MCP DOCS

WHAT IS THE MCP SERVER?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources. Our MCP server gives your AI assistant direct access to YouTube transcript extraction — ask it to transcribe a video and it handles the rest.

The YouTubeTranscript.dev MCP server runs as a remote service at mcp.youtubetranscript.dev. You authenticate with your API key and your AI assistant can transcribe videos, list your transcripts, check your credits, and more — all through natural language.

SETUP BY CLIENT

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ytscribe": {
      "url": "https://mcp.youtubetranscript.dev",
      "headers": { "x-api-token": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ytscribe": {
      "url": "https://mcp.youtubetranscript.dev",
      "headers": { "x-api-token": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ytscribe": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.youtubetranscript.dev",
      "headers": { "x-api-token": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code + Copilot

settings.json

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "ytscribe": {
        "url": "https://mcp.youtubetranscript.dev",
        "headers": { "x-api-token": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

MCP Settings

{
  "ytscribe": {
    "url": "https://mcp.youtubetranscript.dev",
    "headers": { "x-api-token": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key from Account Settings.

AVAILABLE TOOLS

Tool	Best for	Returns
get_stats	Credits, transcript count, plan info	credits, transcripts_total, plan, rate_limit
transcribe_v2	Create or fetch a transcript (fast)	Transcript JSON with text and segments
list_transcripts	List your transcripts	History list with pagination
get_transcript	Get full transcript by video_id	Transcript detail with segments
delete_transcript	Delete transcript(s)	Deletion confirmation

TRANSCRIBE_V2 PARAMETERS

Parameter	Required	Description
video	Yes	YouTube URL or 11-character video ID
language	No	Language tag (e.g. en, en-US)
source	No	auto (default) or manual
format	No	Object with timestamp, paragraphs, words booleans

USE CASES

AI Agent Pipelines

Feed transcripts into AI agents for summarization, analysis, and content generation without leaving your IDE.

Research Automation

Ask your AI assistant to transcribe and analyze multiple videos in sequence for research projects.

Content Workflows

Build content pipelines that extract transcripts and transform them into blog posts, notes, or documentation.

DEPLOYMENT NOTES

The MCP server is hosted at mcp.youtubetranscript.dev — no self-hosting required. For custom deployments, we recommend Cloud Run, Railway, or Fly.io. Avoid serverless platforms like Vercel or Lambda due to timeout constraints with long transcriptions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is an MCP server and why do I need one?+

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude connect to external tools. Our MCP server gives your AI direct access to YouTube transcripts — you can say 'transcribe this video' and the AI handles extraction, formatting, and delivery without you leaving the conversation.

Which AI tools support the MCP server?+

Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, and Cline all support MCP servers. Any tool that implements the MCP standard can connect to our server.

Do I need a paid plan to use the MCP server?+

You need a YouTubeTranscript.dev API key, which is available on all paid plans. The MCP server uses your regular API credits — there is no additional charge for MCP access.

Can I use the MCP server for bulk transcription?+

Yes. Your AI assistant can call transcribe_v2 multiple times in sequence. For large batches, consider using the REST API directly for better rate limit management.

Is the MCP server open source?+

The MCP server is hosted by YouTubeTranscript.dev as a managed service. The MCP protocol itself is open source, and you can build custom integrations using our REST API if you prefer.

Connect Your AI Tools Today

Get your API key and set up the MCP server in under 2 minutes.

GET API KEY →