YouTube Transcript Server for Claude Code: Setup & Config

What you can do with YouTube Transcript in Claude Code

Pick it for focused YouTube caption access with language and timestamp controls.

• Retrieve caption text for a YouTube video or Short
• Retrieve unfiltered text by disabling promotional filtering

Before you start: YouTube Transcript in Claude Code

• Node.js 18 or later
• npm or yarn
• An MCP-compatible client

The server communicates over stdio. No runtime API key is specified for transcript retrieval.

YouTube Transcript Claude Code configuration

1. Choose Claude Code configuration scope

   For YouTube Transcript Server, open Project scope: .mcp.json at the repository root. Project JSON: merge into mcpServers; user scope: use the CLI.

2. Add YouTube Transcript Server to Claude Code

   Use the mcp-server-youtube-transcript entry below in mcpServers. Keep YouTube Transcript Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Code entries.

3. Check YouTube Transcript Server in Claude Code

   YouTube Transcript Server: Inspect claude mcp list and /mcp status.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-youtube-transcript": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add-json --scope project 'mcp-server-youtube-transcript' '{"type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"],"env":{}}'

YouTube Transcript tools available to Claude Code

YouTube Transcript's stored tool list documents 1 tool; compare it with Claude Code's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

get_transcript

For YouTube Transcript's get_transcript, review the permission request and arguments in Claude Code before approval.

Retrieve video captions with language, timestamp, and chapter-based promotional-filter options.

YouTube Transcript: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting YouTube Transcript in Claude Code

• If YouTube Transcript Server fails to start, check npx @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript (Node.js/npm), the working directory, and Claude Code's selected scope; inspect claude mcp list and /mcp.
• YouTube Transcript Server uses stdio here: Claude Code must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: Unavailable transcripts still produce errors
• Known limitation: Promotional filtering depends on chapter markers
• General Claude Code troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-code guide.

Frequently asked questions