Package Exports

ytranscript
ytranscript/dist/index.js

This package does not declare an exports field, so the exports above have been automatically detected and optimized by JSPM instead. If any package subpath is missing, it is recommended to post an issue to the original package (ytranscript) to support the "exports" field. If that is not possible, create a JSPM override to customize the exports field for this package.

Readme

ytranscript

Fetch YouTube video transcripts via Innertube API. Zero API key required.

Quick Start (npx)

# No install needed!
npx ytranscript VIDEO_ID

# Or with full URL
npx ytranscript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Installation

# Global install
npm install -g ytranscript

# Then use directly
ytranscript VIDEO_ID

CLI Usage

# Basic usage (text with timestamps)
ytranscript VIDEO_ID

# JSON format
ytranscript VIDEO_ID --format json

# SRT subtitles (save to file)
ytranscript VIDEO_ID --format srt -o subtitles.srt

# Plain text without timestamps
ytranscript VIDEO_ID --no-timestamps

# List available languages
ytranscript VIDEO_ID --list-languages

# Fetch specific language
ytranscript VIDEO_ID --lang es

Output Formats

Format	Description
`text`	Plain text with timestamps (default)
`json`	Structured JSON with start, duration, text
`srt`	SubRip subtitle format

Programmatic Usage

import { getTranscript, listLanguages } from "ytranscript";

// Get transcript
const transcript = await getTranscript("VIDEO_ID");
for (const segment of transcript) {
  console.log(`[${segment.start.toFixed(1)}s] ${segment.text}`);
}

// List available languages
const languages = await listLanguages("VIDEO_ID");
for (const lang of languages) {
  console.log(`${lang.code}: ${lang.name} (auto: ${lang.isAuto})`);
}

// Get transcript in specific language
const spanishTranscript = await getTranscript("VIDEO_ID", "es");

Types

interface TranscriptSegment {
  start: number;    // Start time in seconds
  duration: number; // Duration in seconds
  text: string;     // Transcript text
}

interface LanguageInfo {
  code: string;     // Language code (e.g., "en", "es")
  name: string;     // Language name
  isAuto: boolean;  // Whether auto-generated
}

How It Works

POST to Innertube API (/youtubei/v1/player) with Android client impersonation
Extract caption track URL from response
Fetch timedtext XML from caption URL
Parse XML into structured segments

Uses YouTube's internal API - no authentication required.

Requirements

Node.js 18+ (uses native fetch)

Limitations

May be blocked on datacenter IPs (AWS, GCP, etc.) - works fine on residential IPs
Age-restricted videos may not work without authentication
YouTube may change their internal API at any time

Python Version

A Python version is also available in youtube_transcript.py:

pip install requests
./youtube_transcript.py VIDEO_ID

License

MIT