# TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) (remote · api.transcriptapi.io)

YouTube transcripts, search, channels and playlists for AI agents, by transcriptapi.io.

- Trust score: 70/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- remote · `api.transcriptapi.io`: 70/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api)
- npm · `transcriptapi-mcp`: 66/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/transcriptapi-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/transcriptapi-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `0.1.1`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-10-18.

- **Endpoint Security**: 74/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 79/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 534 tokens (~106/item across 5 items; 5 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 3/100
  - Stability observed for 1 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 71/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 0% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 5 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 6 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).

## Install

### How do I install the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server?

TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) is a hosted endpoint at https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript 'https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript": {
      "url": "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript]
url = "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript --url 'https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript:
    url: "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-10-18 (score 70, 0)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-10-17 (score 70)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (5)

### `get_youtube_transcript` (~153 tokens)

Get YouTube transcript

Fetch the transcript (captions/subtitles) of a YouTube video as text. Accepts a watch URL, youtu.be link, Shorts link or bare 11-character video id. Returns the spoken text with timestamps grouped in ~30 s blocks by default; format 'text' is prose without timestamps, 'srt'/'vtt' are subtitle files, 'json' is raw segments with start/duration. Works with creator-uploaded and auto-generated captions. translate_to translates the transcript with AI (extra credits, scales with length) — omit unless asked.

Input parameters:

- `format` (string)
- `language` (string)
- `translate_to`
- `video` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `search_youtube` (~59 tokens)

Search YouTube

Search YouTube for videos by keyword. Returns video ids, titles, channel names, durations and view counts. Use a returned id with get_youtube_transcript to read it.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer)
- `query` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `get_channel_videos` (~69 tokens)

List a channel's videos

List the most recent uploads of a YouTube channel, newest first. Accepts a channel id (UC…), a handle (@name) or a channel URL. Returns ids, titles, durations, view counts and publish dates.

Input parameters:

- `channel` (string, required)
- `limit` (integer)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `search_channel_videos` (~67 tokens)

Search within a channel

Search for videos inside one YouTube channel by keyword — 'find the video where <channel> talks about <topic>'. Accepts a channel id, @handle or channel URL.

Input parameters:

- `channel` (string, required)
- `limit` (integer)
- `query` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `get_playlist_videos` (~64 tokens)

List a playlist's videos

List the videos in a YouTube playlist, in playlist order. Accepts a playlist URL (anything with list=…) or the playlist id. Returns ids and titles for get_youtube_transcript.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer)
- `playlist` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 70
- 2026-10-17: 70

## Common questions

### What is the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server?

TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.transcriptapi/youtube-transcript. YouTube transcripts, search, channels and playlists for AI agents, by transcriptapi.io. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp).

### Is the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server safe to use?

TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) scores 70 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server expose?

TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) exposes 5 tools: get_youtube_transcript, search_youtube, get_channel_videos, search_channel_videos, get_playlist_videos. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 412 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) MCP server still maintained?

TranscriptAPI — YouTube transcripts (transcriptapi.io) is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp
- Authorisation metadata: https://api.transcriptapi.io/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp
- Website: https://transcriptapi.io/mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-transcriptapi-youtube-transcript/api