YouTubeTranscriptAPI MCP

A hosted Model Context Protocol server provided by YouTubeTranscriptAPI that enables AI agents to access YouTube data. It offers seven read-only tools including retrieving video transcripts, searching for videos and channels, listing channel uploads, and accessing playlist contents. The server handles authentication via OAuth 2.1 or API keys and manages rate limiting and caching, allowing agents to summarize videos, extract quotes, and monitor channel activity without local infrastructure.

Endpoint and access

OAuth sign-in: the first time you connect, your client opens the vendor's own authorization prompt in a browser.

Vendor evidenceStreamable HTTPOAuth sign-inEndpoint checked 2026-10-26Operated by YouTubeTranscriptAPI

MCP endpoint (Streamable HTTP)

https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Vendor documentation

What you can do with it

Retrieve spoken text and timestamps from YouTube video captions
Search YouTube for specific videos or channels
List recent uploads from a specific YouTube channel
Extract videos from a public playlist

Source and maintenance

Vendor evidenceRegistry 1.0.0

mcp-registry: com.youtubetranscriptapi/youtube@1.0.0 Project website

Tools

Reported by the attributed source; not independently observed by Koskamo.

No tool definitions available.

Maintenance history

Public check and source-refresh events. Editorial and ownership records remain private.

Oct 31, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC · registry · passed · metadata changed · Source metadata updated
Oct 31, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC · backfill · recorded · Pre-expansion baseline; unobserved rich metadata remains unknown

Connect from your client

Each snippet registers the same endpoint; pick the client you use.

This server is operated by the named third party. Listing and endpoint checks are not an endorsement or a security audit. Review the operator's permissions, terms, and data handling before connecting. How listings are checked and corrected.

Claude Code

Run this once in a terminal. It registers the remote server. Use --scope project to write .mcp.json for the repo.

Claude Code configuration

claude mcp add --transport http youtubetranscriptapi-mcp https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Codex

Run this once. Codex stores MCP servers in ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project).

Codex configuration

codex mcp add youtubetranscriptapi-mcp --url https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Cursor

Merge this server into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, then enable youtubetranscriptapi-mcp in your MCP settings.

Cursor configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtubetranscriptapi-mcp": {
      "url": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Cline

Merge this into cline_mcp_settings.json (Cline → MCP Servers → Configure).

Cline configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtubetranscriptapi-mcp": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp",
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Merge this server into .vscode/mcp.json. Use MCP: List Servers to start youtubetranscriptapi-mcp and inspect its tools.

VS Code configuration

{
  "servers": {
    "youtubetranscriptapi-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Run this once. It writes .gemini/settings.json in the current project; pass --scope user for ~/.gemini/settings.json.

Gemini CLI configuration

gemini mcp add --transport http youtubetranscriptapi-mcp https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Claude Desktop

Merge this into claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\), then restart Claude Desktop.

Claude Desktop configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtubetranscriptapi-mcp": {
      "url": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Merge this into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, then refresh MCP in Cascade. Windsurf remote servers use serverUrl, not url.

Windsurf configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtubetranscriptapi-mcp": {
      "serverUrl": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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