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Install in OpenClaw
/install tl-dw
Description
Extract and summarize YouTube video transcripts into concise overviews with main points, arguments, and conclusions using video captions.
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it claims: extract and summarize YouTube captions. Before installing, consider:
- Provenance: the skill's source/homepage is unknown; verify you trust the owner or review the full repository for tampering.
- License: code is AGPL-3.0 — embedding or running it may have copyleft obligations if you modify or serve it.
- Cookie file handling: supplying a Netscape-format cookie file is optional but sensitive — do not provide cookies for accounts you don't want accessible. The skill reads a cookie file from its directory if present but does not appear to transmit it elsewhere.
- Network activity: the script downloads caption files (URLs come from yt-dlp). If a caption URL pointed to an attacker host, the script would fetch it — run in an environment you control and inspect cached files if concerned.
- SSL option: the yt-dlp options include 'nocheckcertificate': True which disables certificate checks in some cases; you may want to remove or change that setting if you require strict SSL validation.
- Installation: follow the SKILL.md venv/pip steps and install packages from official PyPI; consider doing this in an isolated environment (container or dedicated venv) and review the included Python script for any local changes before running.
If you need higher assurance, ask the skill author for a canonical source (GitHub URL / release) or supply a vetted cookie file and run the extractor in a sandbox.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: tl-dw
Version: 1.0.2
The skill is classified as suspicious due to two main security risks: the explicit instruction for the agent to handle and use sensitive `youtube_cookies.txt` files for authentication, and the `scripts/extract_transcript.py` script's use of `nocheckcertificate: True` in its `yt-dlp` configuration. This flag disables SSL certificate validation, making network connections vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle attacks. While the skill's primary purpose is benign (YouTube summarization), these risky capabilities and security weakening are significant concerns.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The SKILL.md and scripts describe extracting captions with yt-dlp, cleaning them (webvtt), caching locally, and summarizing — and the code requires exactly yt-dlp, webvtt-py, and requests. No unrelated binaries or credentials are requested.
Instruction Scope
Runtime instructions stick to extracting transcripts, parsing JSON output, and summarizing. Cookie support, cache usage, and venv setup are documented. The skill does not instruct reading unrelated system files or exfiltrating data to external endpoints beyond downloading captions/metadata from URLs returned by yt-dlp.
Install Mechanism
There is no automated install spec; SKILL.md instructs creating a local Python venv and installing packages from PyPI (yt-dlp, webvtt-py). This is a common, low-risk approach (no arbitrary archive downloads or remote installers).
Credentials
The skill declares no required environment variables or credentials. Optional cookie-file support is documented and reasonable for age-restricted content. There are no requests for unrelated secrets or system config paths.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill is not always-enabled and does not request elevated platform privileges. It caches transcripts under a local cache/ directory as described (normal for this purpose).
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install tl-dw - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/tl-dw - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.2
tldw 1.0.0
- Initial release of the YouTube video summarizer skill.
- Extracts, cleans, and summarizes YouTube transcripts using yt-dlp.
- Supports caching, deduplication, and multiple caption formats (VTT, SRT, JSON).
- Handles age-restricted content with browser-exported cookies.
- Includes setup instructions, error handling, and troubleshooting guidance.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer?
Extract and summarize YouTube video transcripts into concise overviews with main points, arguments, and conclusions using video captions. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 1488 downloads so far.
How do I install tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer?
Run "/install tl-dw" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer free?
Yes, tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer support?
tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer?
It is built and maintained by vovavvk (@vovavvk); the current version is v1.0.2.
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