API

Extract a YouTube transcript programmatically. Same facts live in /AGENTS.md.

Base URL

https://getvideotranscript.com/api/

Authentication

Most videos need an API key. Pass it as ?api_key=, Authorization: Bearer, or JSON api_key. Email support@getvideotranscript.com for a key. The demo id dQw4w9WgXcQ is open.

GET /api/youtube

Extract a transcript. Send url or video_id. Also accepts POST.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	Yes*	Full YouTube URL
`video_id`	string	Yes*	11-character video ID
`api_key`	string	Optional	Your API key
`clean`	boolean	Optional	Set true to clean with AI

* Either url or video_id is required.

GET https://getvideotranscript.com/api/youtube?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

POST https://getvideotranscript.com/api/youtube
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
  "clean": true
}

{
  "success": true,
  "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "total_entries": 123,
  "transcript": [
    { "text": "We're no strangers to love", "start": 0.5, "duration": 2.3 }
  ]
}

GET /api/health

Liveness check.

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "service": "YouTube Transcript API",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

HTTP status codes

Status	Description
`200`	Transcript retrieved
`400`	Missing or invalid parameters — do not retry
`401`	Missing or invalid API key — do not retry
`404`	No transcript — do not retry
`500`	Server error — back off

Supported URL formats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
VIDEO_ID