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YouTube Watcher
by
Michael Gathara
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.0
53037
Downloads
329
Stars
561
Active Installs
1
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install youtube-watcher
Description
Fetch and read transcripts from YouTube videos. Use when you need to summarize a video, answer questions about its content, or extract information from it.
Usage Guidance
Before installing, make sure you are comfortable with the skill running yt-dlp locally and making network requests for video URLs you ask it to process. Install yt-dlp only from a trusted package source, and treat fetched transcript content as untrusted third-party text rather than instructions for your agent.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: youtube-watcher
Version: 1.0.0
The OpenClaw skill 'youtube-watcher' is designed to fetch and clean YouTube video transcripts using the `yt-dlp` utility. The `SKILL.md` provides clear instructions for the agent, and the `scripts/get_transcript.py` script executes `yt-dlp` with specific arguments to download subtitles into a temporary directory, then cleans and prints the text. There is no evidence of data exfiltration, malicious execution beyond the intended use of `yt-dlp`, persistence mechanisms, prompt injection attempts against the agent, or obfuscation. The behavior is fully aligned with its stated purpose.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The stated purpose is fetching YouTube transcripts for summarization, Q&A, and extraction; the script calls yt-dlp to download subtitles, cleans VTT text, and prints the transcript.
Instruction Scope
The runtime examples are user-directed and transcript-focused. Some trigger phrases such as "summarize video" and "analyze video" are broad, but the artifact context consistently frames use around YouTube transcripts.
Install Mechanism
The skill requires the external yt-dlp binary and discloses brew and pip install options. Users should trust the package source they choose.
Credentials
The skill runs a local subprocess and contacts the video source for the user-provided URL, which is proportionate to transcript retrieval. The command is invoked as an argument list, not through shell string interpolation.
Persistence & Privilege
The script uses a temporary directory for subtitle files and contains no background service, credential access, privileged operation, broad local indexing, or persistent storage.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install youtube-watcher - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/youtube-watcher - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Initial release of youtube-watcher.
- Fetch and read transcripts from YouTube videos.
- Summarize videos, answer questions, or extract specific information from transcripts.
- Trigger phrases include: "watch youtube", "summarize video", "video transcript", "youtube summary", and "analyze video".
- Requires installation of `yt-dlp` for transcript retrieval.
- Only works with videos that have closed captions or auto-generated subtitles.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is YouTube Watcher?
Fetch and read transcripts from YouTube videos. Use when you need to summarize a video, answer questions about its content, or extract information from it. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 53037 downloads so far.
How do I install YouTube Watcher?
Run "/install youtube-watcher" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is YouTube Watcher free?
Yes, YouTube Watcher is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does YouTube Watcher support?
YouTube Watcher is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created YouTube Watcher?
It is built and maintained by Michael Gathara (@michaelgathara); the current version is v1.0.0.
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