API for downloading subtitles from YouTube videos
API for downloading subtitles from YouTube videos. The transcriptor mcp mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 14 defined tools rather than through you.
An MCP server (stdio; remote HTTP/SSE via mcp-proxy) that fetches video transcripts/subtitles via yt-dlp, with pagination for large responses. Supports YouTube, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Vimeo, Facebook, Bilibili, VK, Dailymotion, Reddit. Whisper fallback — transcribes audio when subtitles are unavailable (local or OpenAI API). Works with Cursor and other MCP hosts.
This repository primarily ships a stdio MCP server (node dist/mcp.js):
Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.
Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:
get_transcript — Cleaned plain text (first chunk)get_raw_subtitles — Raw SRT/VTT, paginatedget_available_subtitles — List official/auto languagesget_video_info — Extended metadataget_video_chapters — Chapter markersget_video_frame — Single frame image at timestampget_playlist_transcripts — Batch transcripts from playlistsearch_videos — YouTube searchVariable — DefaultSMOKE_IMAGE_API — —SMOKE_VIDEO_URL — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQSMOKE_SKIP_MCP — —You will need 8 environment variables: WHISPER_BASE_URL, WHISPER_API_KEY, CACHE_REDIS_URL, COOKIES_FILE_PATH, SMOKE_API_URL, SMOKE_VIDEO_URL, SMOKE_MCP_URL, SMOKE_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.
Among the AI and media services options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Transcriptor MCP's toolset — get_transcript, get_raw_subtitles, get_available_subtitles and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by samson-art; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Transcriptor MCP's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| get_transcript | Cleaned plain text (first chunk) |
| get_raw_subtitles | Raw SRT/VTT, paginated |
| get_available_subtitles | List official/auto languages |
| get_video_info | Extended metadata |
| get_video_chapters | Chapter markers |
| get_video_frame | Single frame image at timestamp |
| get_playlist_transcripts | Batch transcripts from playlist |
| search_videos | YouTube search |
| Variable | Default |
| SMOKE_IMAGE_API | — |
| SMOKE_VIDEO_URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ |
| SMOKE_SKIP_MCP | — |
| SMOKE_MCP_IMAGE | — |
| SMOKE_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN | — |
Cursor MCP config:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"transcriptor": {
"command": "docker",
"args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "artsamsonov/transcriptor-mcp:latest"]
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| WHISPER_BASE_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| WHISPER_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| CACHE_REDIS_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| COOKIES_FILE_PATH | Filesystem location the server is allowed to use. | Optional |
| SMOKE_API_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| SMOKE_VIDEO_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| SMOKE_MCP_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| SMOKE_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
Build a programmable telecommunications stack for connecting telephony services with the Internet via a cloud-based utility.
Search built for AI, not humans — semantic web search that returns model-ready content, plus code context.
Answers, not links — delegate questions to Perplexity's search-grounded models and get cited responses back.
Give your assistant a voice — text-to-speech, voice cloning and audio tools from the ElevenLabs API.
Give your assistant a real code sandbox — isolated cloud VMs for actually running the code it writes.
The ML hub in your context window — search models, datasets, papers and run Spaces from the official server.