Video Transcript Downloader
Download videos, audio, subtitles, and clean paragraph-style transcripts from YouTube and any yt-dlp supported site.
Setup
Run once to install dependencies:
cd ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts && npm ci
Core Commands
All commands use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js.
Transcript (Default: Clean Paragraph)
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://...'
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://...' --lang en
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://...' --timestamps
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://...' --keep-brackets
Transcript behavior:
- YouTube: Fetches via
youtube-transcript-pluswhen possible - Other sites: Pulls subtitles via
yt-dlp, cleans into paragraph - Default output: Single paragraph, no timestamps
- Bracketed cues like
[Music]stripped by default
Download Video
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://...' --output-dir ~/Downloads
Download Audio Only
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js audio --url 'https://...' --output-dir ~/Downloads
Download Subtitles
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js subs --url 'https://...' --output-dir ~/Downloads --lang en
List Available Formats
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://...'
Advanced Options
Specific Format Selection
After listing formats, download specific format ID:
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://...' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --format 137+140
Prefer MP4 Container (Remux)
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://...' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --remux-video mp4
Extra yt-dlp Arguments
Pass additional yt-dlp args after --:
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/video-transcript-downloader/scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://...' -- -v
Command Reference
| Command | Purpose | Key Options |
|---|---|---|
transcript | Extract text transcript | --lang, --timestamps, --keep-brackets |
download | Download video | --output-dir |
audio | Extract audio as MP3 | --output-dir |
subs | Download subtitle file | --output-dir, --lang |
formats | List available formats | (none) |
Prerequisites
Requires yt-dlp and ffmpeg:
# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S yt-dlp ffmpeg
# macOS
brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg
# Verify installation
yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1
Troubleshooting
"missing yt-dlp": Install yt-dlp and ensure it's on PATH
"missing ffmpeg": Required for audio extraction; install ffmpeg
Empty transcript: Site may not have subtitles; try different --lang value
Format issues: Use formats command to list available formats, then specify with --format