Use when subtitles or the spoken text of a YouTube video is needed: pasted video links or IDs, requests to translate a video, read along, follow foreign-lang...
---
name: subtitles
description: "Use when subtitles or the spoken text of a YouTube video is needed: pasted video links or IDs, requests to translate a video, read along, follow foreign-language content, or extract what was said. Also use for language learning or accessibility. Fetches timestamped subtitles from any YouTube video. Not for uploading subtitles or account management."
version: "1.5.0"
user-invocable: true
compatibility: Requires internet access to reach transcriptapi.com. No additional runtimes or dependencies needed.
required_environment_variables:
- name: TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY
prompt: Your TranscriptAPI key (starts with sk_)
help: Free account at https://transcriptapi.com โ 100 credits, no card required. Or let the agent create one for you.
required_for: all API requests
metadata: {"openclaw":{"emoji":"๐จ๏ธ","requires":{"env":["TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"]},"primaryEnv":"TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY","homepage":"https://transcriptapi.com"},"hermes":{"tags":["youtube","subtitles","captions","transcripts","video","translation","language-learning"],"category":"media"}}
---
# Subtitles
Fetch YouTube video subtitles via [TranscriptAPI.com](https://transcriptapi.com).
## Setup
If `$TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` is not set, read [references/auth-setup.md](references/auth-setup.md) and follow the instructions there to get and store the key.
## Required Headers
Every request needs two headers:
- **Authorization:** `Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`
- **User-Agent:** your agent's name and version if known (e.g. `HermesAgent/0.11.0`, `ClaudeCode/1.0`). Version is optional โ agent name alone is fine. Do not omit this header or send a bare default โ Cloudflare will return a 403 (error code 1010) and block the request.
## GET /api/v2/youtube/transcript
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_URL&format=text&include_timestamp=false&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Values | Use case |
| ------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `video_url` | YouTube URL or video ID | Required |
| `format` | `json`, `text` | `json` for sync'd subs with timing |
| `include_timestamp` | `true`, `false` | `false` for clean text for reading/translation |
| `send_metadata` | `true`, `false` | Include title, channel, description |
**For language learning** โ clean text without timestamps:
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=false" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
**For translation** โ structured segments:
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=json&include_timestamp=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
**Response** (`format=json`):
```json
{
"video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"language": "en",
"transcript": [
{ "text": "We're no strangers to love", "start": 18.0, "duration": 3.5 }
]
}
```
**Response** (`format=text`, `include_timestamp=false`):
```json
{
"video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"language": "en",
"transcript": "We're no strangers to love\nYou know the rules and so do I..."
}
```
## Tips
- Many videos have auto-generated subtitles in multiple languages.
- Use `format=json` to get timing for each line (great for sync'd reading).
- Use `include_timestamp=false` for clean text suitable for translation apps.
## Errors
| Code | Meaning | Action |
| -------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| 401 | Bad API key | Check key |
| 402 | No credits | transcriptapi.com/billing |
| 403/1010 | Cloudflare block | Add or fix User-Agent header |
| 404 | No subtitles | No subtitles available |
| 408 | Timeout | Retry once after 2s |
1 credit per request. Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min.
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.