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steipete

Video Transcript Downloader

by Peter Steinberger · GitHub ↗ · v1.0.0
cross-platform ⚠ suspicious
13044
Downloads
86
Stars
99
Active Installs
1
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install video-transcript-downloader
Description
Download videos, audio, subtitles, and clean paragraph-style transcripts from YouTube and any other yt-dlp supported site. Use when asked to “download this video”, “save this clip”, “rip audio”, “get subtitles”, “get transcript”, or to troubleshoot yt-dlp/ffmpeg and formats/playlists.
Usage Guidance
Install only if you trust the skill and will review commands before running them. Avoid using the extra yt-dlp argument passthrough unless you understand the option being passed, and do not allow web page content or untrusted prompts to choose arguments such as --exec or output paths.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill Name: video-transcript-downloader Version: 1.0.0 The skill is classified as suspicious due to its use of `node:child_process.spawn` to execute external binaries (`yt-dlp`, `ffmpeg`) and, critically, its explicit forwarding of arbitrary user-supplied arguments (`opts.extra`) directly to `yt-dlp` in `scripts/vtd.js`. This passthrough mechanism, documented in `SKILL.md`, allows for command injection into `yt-dlp`'s powerful `--exec` option, which could lead to arbitrary code execution if the AI agent is prompted to pass malicious arguments. While this capability is plausibly needed for advanced `yt-dlp` usage, it significantly increases the attack surface for prompt injection against the agent, making it a risky capability without clear malicious intent from the skill itself.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Downloading transcripts, subtitles, audio, and video with yt-dlp/ffmpeg is coherent with the skill purpose, and the main file and network behavior is expected for that purpose.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md explicitly tells agents to pass extra yt-dlp arguments after --, and scripts/vtd.js forwards those arguments unchanged to yt-dlp; this includes powerful options such as yt-dlp --exec that can run commands outside the safer built-in workflows.
Install Mechanism
Installation is a normal npm ci flow with one locked dependency, plus optional user-visible brew install instructions for yt-dlp and ffmpeg.
Credentials
The script reads PATH to locate yt-dlp/ffmpeg and contacts external video/transcript sources; this is proportionate to the stated downloader function and does not show credential access.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill writes requested downloads or subtitle files to an output directory, defaulting to Downloads, and cleans temporary transcript subtitle files; there is no evidence of hidden persistence or privilege escalation.
How to Use
  1. Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
  2. Run the install command in chat: /install video-transcript-downloader
  3. After installation, invoke the skill by name or use /video-transcript-downloader
  4. Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Metadata
Slug video-transcript-downloader
Version 1.0.0
License
All-time Installs 434
Active Installs 99
Total Versions 1
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Video Transcript Downloader?

Download videos, audio, subtitles, and clean paragraph-style transcripts from YouTube and any other yt-dlp supported site. Use when asked to “download this video”, “save this clip”, “rip audio”, “get subtitles”, “get transcript”, or to troubleshoot yt-dlp/ffmpeg and formats/playlists. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 13044 downloads so far.

How do I install Video Transcript Downloader?

Run "/install video-transcript-downloader" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.

Is Video Transcript Downloader free?

Yes, Video Transcript Downloader is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.

Which platforms does Video Transcript Downloader support?

Video Transcript Downloader is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).

Who created Video Transcript Downloader?

It is built and maintained by Peter Steinberger (@steipete); the current version is v1.0.0.

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