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Video Transcript Downloader

Fetch clean video transcripts and download video, audio, or subtitles using yt-dlp.

Source Download skill
Repository
steipete/agent-scripts
Stars
7,433
Licence
MIT
Files
6 files

What it does

Once installed, the agent can run a bundled Node.js command-line tool to pull a text transcript from a video link (cleaned into a single readable paragraph, optionally with timestamps) and to download the video, audio, or subtitle files. YouTube transcripts are fetched directly when possible; other sites use the yt-dlp downloader to get subtitles. It can also list available video formats and pass extra options through to yt-dlp.

Great for

  • Researchers or students who want the text of a lecture, interview, or talk without watching it
  • Creators who need a quick transcript or subtitle file from a video they are allowed to use
  • Anyone who wants to save a video or audio track for offline use, with the agent handling the command syntax

Skip it if

  • Downloading copyrighted content you do not have rights to, since the tool fetches media from video sites and the terms of those sites and copyright law may forbid it
  • Users without yt-dlp and ffmpeg installed or without Node.js and npm, since setup will fail until those are present
  • Sensitive or private videos behind logins, where the tool has no credential handling and results may be incomplete

Try asking

  • “Get a clean paragraph transcript of this YouTube talk: https://…”
  • “Download the audio only from this podcast link to my Downloads folder”
  • “List the available formats for this video and download the 720p MP4”
  • “Pull the English subtitles for this video and save them to ~/Downloads”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Video Transcript DownloaderInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 6 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    video-transcript-downloader.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip video-transcript-downloader.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip video-transcript-downloader.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Ask for the transcript without timestamps unless you need them, since the default paragraph output is easier to read and summarize.
  • Run the --help subcommands first to confirm the options before downloading, and check yt-dlp and ffmpeg versions as the troubleshooting section describes.
  • Only point it at videos you have the right to download or transcribe, and review the URL the agent is about to use.

What's inside

  • package-lock.json
  • package.json
  • scripts/html-entities.js
  • scripts/vtd.js
  • scripts/vtd.test.mjs
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from steipete/agent-scripts under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.