youtube-summary
Summarize YouTube videos. Check if transcript exists at `youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md`. If exists, skip to summarization. If not, download first. Create summary at `youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.md` with topics and clickable timestamp links.
When & Why to Use This Skill
This Claude skill automates the extraction and summarization of YouTube video content to enhance information retrieval and learning efficiency. It intelligently manages local transcripts, downloads missing data using specialized scripts, and generates structured markdown summaries. A standout feature is the inclusion of clickable timestamps that link directly to specific moments in the video, allowing users to navigate long-form content and capture essential insights without watching the entire video.
Use Cases
- Academic and Market Research: Rapidly synthesize information from educational lectures, industry webinars, or expert interviews to accelerate the research and fact-finding process.
- Efficient Learning and Study Guides: Generate structured notes from tutorial videos, using clickable timestamps to jump directly to complex sections for focused review.
- Content Repurposing: Assist creators and marketers in turning video insights into blog posts, newsletters, or social media threads by providing a clear topical breakdown.
- Professional Development: Stay updated with industry trends by summarizing long conference talks and keynotes into digestible executive summaries for team sharing.
| name | youtube-summary |
|---|---|
| description | Summarize YouTube videos. Check if transcript exists at `youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md`. If exists, skip to summarization. If not, download first. Create summary at `youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.md` with topics and clickable timestamp links. |
| allowed-tools | Bash,Read,Write |
YouTube Video Summarization
Quick Start
Check if transcript exists first:
- Look for
youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.mdlocated at the root of this project - If exists: Skip to Step 2 (Create Summary)
- If not exists: Run Step 1 (Download Transcript)
Step 1: Download Transcript (Only if needed)
uv run script.py "YOUTUBE_URL"
Creates: youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md located at the root of this project
Step 2: Create Summary
- Read the transcript file
- Identify main topics with start/end timestamps
- Create
youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.mdlocated at the root of this project
Summary format:
- Executive summary paragraph
- Topics with clickable timestamp links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=XXXs - Key points for each topic
Script Details (for reference)
Downloads subtitles (manual or auto-generated), converts to timestamped markdown in 1-minute windows, saves to youtube/{channel_name}/transcript-{video_title}.md. UV handles dependencies.
Output Files
Transcript File: transcript-{Video Title}.md
The transcript file includes:
- Video title and URL at the top
- Full transcript organized into 1-minute time windows
- Each line prefixed with its timestamp (e.g.,
[00:45]) - Time window headers (e.g.,
[00:00 - 01:00])
Example structure:
# Video Title
**Video URL:** https://youtube.com/...
---
## Full Transcript
### [00:00 - 01:00]
**[00:05]** Introduction to the topic...
**[00:32]** First main point...
Summary Format
Create `summary-{Video Title}.md` with clickable timestamp links (`https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=XXXs`)
**Timestamp Conversion**: Convert MM:SS or HH:MM:SS timestamps to seconds for the URL:
- `00:00` → `0s`
- `02:30` → `150s` (2×60 + 30)
- `08:15` → `495s` (8×60 + 15)
- `01:05:30` → `3930s` (1×3600 + 5×60 + 30)
## Error Handling
The script handles common issues:
**1. No subtitles available**
- Script tries manual subtitles first, then auto-generated
- If both fail, exits with error message
**2. Invalid or private video**
- Check if URL is correct format: `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID`
- Some videos may be private, age-restricted, or geo-blocked
- Script will show the specific error from yt-dlp
**3. Download interrupted or failed**
- Check internet connection
- Verify sufficient disk space
## Notes
- The script automatically downloads the first available subtitle language (usually English)
- YouTube's auto-generated VTT files contain duplicate lines due to progressive captions - the script deduplicates while preserving speaking order
- Timestamps are preserved and formatted as clickable references
- Output is organized by channel in the `youtube/` directory
- Filenames are sanitized for filesystem compatibility
- Temporary VTT files are automatically cleaned up
- **The script creates only the transcript file. After reviewing the transcript, create the summary file separately with topic analysis and timestamps**`MM:SS` → seconds (e.g., `02:30` → `150s`, `08:15` → `495s`)