Transcriptapi MCP Server

io.transcriptapi/youtube-transcriptv0.1.1

YouTube transcripts, search, channels and playlists for AI agents, by transcriptapi.io.

Node.jsstdioremoteofficial registry

context tax

~738 tok/turn5 tools

security

pending

cold start

pending

freshness

Active1d ago

Our reading of Transcriptapi, from the data

Transcriptapi is a images, video & audio MCP server, listed in the official MCP Registry.

Its 5 tools add about 738 tokens to every model turn, lighter than the images, video & audio median of 1,904 tokens across 298 measured servers (measured 2026-10-19).

Maintenance is active: the last public signal was in the last day (2026-10-17). For comparison, 73% of images, video & audio servers are active or maintained.

It runs either locally over stdio or as a hosted endpoint and needs one secret (TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY); use a scoped, least-privilege key.

Install Transcriptapi MCP server

claude mcp add transcriptapi -e TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY='<transcriptapi-key>' -- npx -y transcriptapi-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcriptapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "transcriptapi-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY": "<transcriptapi-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcriptapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "transcriptapi-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY": "<transcriptapi-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

{
  "servers": {
    "transcriptapi": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "transcriptapi-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY": "<transcriptapi-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcriptapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "transcriptapi-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY": "<transcriptapi-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY	yes	yes	TranscriptAPI key (ta_...). Free at https://transcriptapi.io/login

Remote endpoints

streamable-httphttps://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp

Context tax

Connecting this server adds ~738 tokens of tool definitions to every model turn (lean, 5 tools). Measured 2026-10-19 via its hosted endpoint; o200k tokenizer, worst case for clients that load all tools up front. How we measure

Model	Per 1,000 turns	With prompt caching
Claude Opus 5.5	$2.95	$0.148
Claude Sonnet 5.5	$1.48	$0.148
Claude Haiku 5.5	$0.074	—

Input prices as of 2026-10-06. Excludes your own prompt and output.

Tools (5)

get_youtube_transcript217 tok
Fetch the transcript (captions/subtitles) of a YouTube video as text. Accepts a watch URL, youtu.be link, Shorts link or bare 11-character video id. Returns the spoken text with timestamps grouped in ~30 s blocks by default; format 'text' is prose without timestamps, 'srt'/'vtt' are subtitle files, 'json' is raw segments with start/duration. Works with creator-uploaded and auto-generated captions. translate_to translates the transcript with AI (extra credits, scales with length) — omit unless asked.
search_channel_videos107 tok
Search for videos inside one YouTube channel by keyword — 'find the video where <channel> talks about <topic>'. Accepts a channel id, @handle or channel URL.
get_channel_videos103 tok
List the most recent uploads of a YouTube channel, newest first. Accepts a channel id (UC…), a handle (@name) or a channel URL. Returns ids, titles, durations, view counts and publish dates.
get_playlist_videos98 tok
List the videos in a YouTube playlist, in playlist order. Accepts a playlist URL (anything with list=…) or the playlist id. Returns ids and titles for get_youtube_transcript.
search_youtube92 tok
Search YouTube for videos by keyword. Returns video ids, titles, channel names, durations and view counts. Use a returned id with get_youtube_transcript to read it.

Freshness

Active — last maintenance signal 1d ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
no data · GitHub
Latest release
no data · GitHub
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-10-17 · 1d ago · official registry · v0.1.1

How it compares in Images, Video & Audio

Against the most-starred images, video & audio servers we index. Token cost is per model turn, measured from each server's live tool list.

Server	Stars	Tools	Tokens / turn	Freshness	Runs
Transcriptapi (this)	—	5	738	Active	local + hosted
Screenpipe	21,982	—	not measured	Active	—
screenpipe	21,982	—	not measured	Active	local
FunASR	20,748	—	not measured	Active	local
Agent-Native Analytics	7,433	—	not measured	Active	hosted
Remove AI Watermarks	6,054	—	not measured	Active	local

All images, video & audio MCP servers

FAQ

›How do I install the Transcriptapi MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add transcriptapi -e TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY='<transcriptapi-key>' -- npx -y transcriptapi-mcp. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does Transcriptapi require an API key?

Yes. It expects TRANSCRIPTAPI_KEY, of which 1 is a secret.

›Can I use Transcriptapi as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

Yes — it offers both a hosted endpoint and a local stdio package.

›Is Transcriptapi in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.transcriptapi/youtube-transcript.

›How many tokens does Transcriptapi add to my context?

Its tool definitions total about 738 tokens, resent on every turn.

Sources and method

Official MCP Registry entry: updated 2026-10-17
Package registry (npm / PyPI): listed
Tool list (tools/list), measured by us: 2026-10-19
Last checked against all sources: 2026-10-19

The description, packages and links come from the maintainer's own published metadata. Token cost, security signals, freshness and the reading above are MCPSkillHub's own measurements; see the methodology. Spot an error? Request a correction or claim the listing.