← Back to Skills Marketplace
986
Downloads
0
Stars
0
Active Installs
3
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install extract-youtube-transcript
Description
Extract plain-text transcripts from YouTube videos using a local Python script. Use when the user wants to fetch, extract, or get a transcript from a YouTube...
README (SKILL.md)
Extract YouTube Transcript
Fetches plain-text transcripts from YouTube videos using extract_youtube_transcript.py in this skill folder.
Dependency
pip show youtube-transcript-api &>/dev/null || pip install youtube-transcript-api
Quick Start
python extract_youtube_transcript.py "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
Supported URL formats: youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, /embed/, /live/, /shorts/, or a raw 11-char video ID.
Common Patterns
Fetch with preferred language(s)
python extract_youtube_transcript.py "URL" --lang zh-Hant en
Pass languages in priority order. Falls back to any available transcript if none match.
Save transcript to file
python extract_youtube_transcript.py "URL" --output transcript.txt
Text is printed to stdout and also written to the file.
List available languages first
python extract_youtube_transcript.py "URL" --list-langs
Use this to discover what language codes are available before fetching.
Language Codes
| Code | Language |
|---|---|
en |
English |
zh-Hant |
Traditional Chinese |
zh-Hans |
Simplified Chinese |
ja |
Japanese |
ko |
Korean |
es |
Spanish |
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
TranscriptsDisabled |
Owner disabled captions | No transcript available |
NoTranscriptFound |
Requested lang not found | Run --list-langs, pick an available code |
VideoUnavailable |
Video is private/deleted | Verify the URL |
AgeRestricted |
Age-gated video | Auth not supported; no workaround |
InvalidVideoId |
Malformed URL or ID | Check the URL format |
Workflow
- Try a direct fetch first
- If
NoTranscriptFound, run--list-langsto see available codes, then re-fetch with--lang \x3Ccode> - Save long transcripts to a file with
--outputfor easier downstream processing
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do exactly what it says (locally extract YouTube transcripts), but it ships a Netscape-format cookie file containing long auth tokens. Do NOT use the bundled youtube_cookies.txt as-is: it may contain someone else's session cookies or sensitive tokens. Before using the skill, either remove the youtube_cookies.txt file or replace it with a cookies file you create yourself if you intentionally need authentication (and only if you understand the risks). Review the Python script locally to verify behavior, run it in a sandbox or isolated environment, and avoid uploading any exported transcripts or cookie files to untrusted services. If provenance of this skill is unknown, prefer obtaining the script from a trusted source or recreate minimal functionality rather than running bundled credentials.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: extract-youtube-transcript
Version: 2.1.0
The skill bundle includes a `scripts/youtube_cookies.txt` file containing a full set of active, sensitive YouTube session cookies (including `SID`, `HSID`, `SAPISID`, and `LOGIN_INFO`). While the Python script `extract_youtube_transcript.py` appears to be a legitimate tool for fetching transcripts using the `youtube-transcript-api` and does not contain obvious exfiltration logic, the inclusion of hardcoded, live authentication credentials for a specific Google/YouTube account is a high-risk security anomaly. This could be used for tracking or to facilitate unauthorized access to a specific account, although no direct evidence of intent to harm the user was found.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The name, description, SKILL.md and the Python script are consistent: the tool extracts YouTube transcripts and exposes options to list languages, set output, and optionally supply a cookies file. However, including a pre-filled youtube_cookies.txt (containing many long auth-like cookie values) is not required for the stated purpose and is disproportionate; a transcript extractor should not ship someone else's authentication tokens.
Instruction Scope
Runtime instructions are confined to installing youtube-transcript-api (via pip) and running the local Python script. They do not instruct broad system reads or external exfiltration. The script supports an optional --cookies argument and will load a Netscape cookie file if provided; the skill bundles such a cookie file which expands the scope to authenticated YouTube access. There is also a pre-scan finding for a 'base64-block' pattern (likely from long cookie values) that should be reviewed.
Install Mechanism
There is no install spec; this is instruction/code-only. Dependency is installed via pip at runtime per SKILL.md. No downloads from arbitrary URLs or archive extraction were found.
Credentials
The skill declares no required env vars or credentials, which is appropriate. However, it includes a youtube_cookies.txt file containing many cookie tokens (LOGIN_INFO, SID, PSID, etc.) that look like authentication credentials. Bundling those tokens is unnecessary and potentially dangerous — users could mistakenly use someone else's cookies or reveal their own session if they modify the file. The presence of these cookies is disproportionate to the skill's needs and raises privacy/credential risks.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill does not request permanent presence (always:false) and does not attempt to modify other skill or system configurations. It runs locally and does not claim elevated privileges.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install extract-youtube-transcript - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/extract-youtube-transcript - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v2.1.0
- Bumped version to 2.1.0 in SKILL.md.
- No other changes made to documentation or functionality.
v2.0.0
Version 2.0.0 summary: Adds YouTube cookie support for better transcript extraction.
- Added support for YouTube cookies to access transcripts that require them (youtube_cookies.txt file).
- Updated script and documentation to reflect changes and new usage options.
v1.0.0
Initial release
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Extract Youtube Transcript?
Extract plain-text transcripts from YouTube videos using a local Python script. Use when the user wants to fetch, extract, or get a transcript from a YouTube... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 986 downloads so far.
How do I install Extract Youtube Transcript?
Run "/install extract-youtube-transcript" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Extract Youtube Transcript free?
Yes, Extract Youtube Transcript is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Extract Youtube Transcript support?
Extract Youtube Transcript is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Extract Youtube Transcript?
It is built and maintained by Joe Hu (@hushenglang); the current version is v2.1.0.
More Skills