YouTube Summarizer Skill

Automatically fetch transcripts from YouTube videos, generate structured summaries, and deliver full transcripts to messaging platforms.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• - User shares a YouTube URL (youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, youtube.com/shorts)
• User asks to summarize or transcribe a YouTube video
• User requests information about a YouTube video's content

Dependencies

Required: MCP YouTube Transcript server must be installed at:
INLINECODE0

If not present, install it:
CODEBLOCK0

Workflow

1. Detect YouTube URL

• - INLINECODE1
• INLINECODE2
• INLINECODE3
• Direct video ID: VIDEO_ID (11 characters)

2. Fetch Transcript

Replace VIDEO_ID with the extracted ID. Read the output from /tmp/yt-transcript.json.

3. Process the Data

Parse the JSON to extract:

• - result.metadata.title - Video title
• INLINECODE8 - Channel name
• INLINECODE9 - Formatted view count
• INLINECODE10 - Publication date
• INLINECODE11 - Language used
• INLINECODE12 - Array of transcript segments

Full text: INLINECODE13

4. Generate Summary

Create a structured summary using this template:

CODEBLOCK2

Aim for:

• - Main thesis: 1-2 sentences maximum
• Key insights: 3-5 bullets, each 1-2 sentences
• Notable points: 2-4 supporting details
• Takeaway: Actionable conclusion

5. Save Full Transcript

Save the complete transcript to a timestamped file:
CODEBLOCK3

Include in the file:

• - Video metadata header
• Full transcript text
• URL reference

6. Platform-Specific Delivery

If channel is Telegram:
CODEBLOCK4

If channel is other/webchat:
Just reply with the summary (no file attachment).

7. Reply with Summary

Send the structured summary as your response to the user.

Error Handling

If transcript fetch fails:

• - Check if video has captions enabled
• Try with lang: 'en' fallback if requested language unavailable
• Inform user that transcript is not available and suggest alternatives:

If MCP server not installed:

• - Provide installation instructions
• Offer to install it automatically if in appropriate context

If video ID extraction fails:

• - Ask user to provide the full YouTube URL or video ID

Examples

See examples/ directory for sample outputs.

Quality Guidelines

• - Be concise: Summary should be scannable in 30 seconds
• Be accurate: Don't add information not in the transcript
• Be structured: Use consistent formatting for easy reading
• Be contextual: Adjust detail level based on video length

Notes

• - MCP server uses Android client emulation to bypass YouTube's cloud IP blocking
• Works reliably from VPS/cloud environments where yt-dlp often fails
• Supports multiple languages with automatic fallback to English
• Transcript quality depends on YouTube's auto-generated captions or manual captions