YouTube - video transcript

v2.0.0

by extracthub Updated 11/6/2026 youtube.com

Transcript (captions) of a YouTube video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=...): timestamped segments with start time, duration and text. Plays the video in a browser with captions on and captures the caption file the YouTube player loads (JavaScript tier).

Extractor ID

@2 follows fixes and added fields. to freeze the output.

Try in playground
Price
$0.0035 / request premium_js Also charged when the request fails after the page was fetched. Pricing
Health
healthy v2.0.0
Request settings
  • GET
  • Proxy
  • JS rendering
  • XHR capture
JSON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&hl=en
Loading source preview…

What it returns

result.extracted is a JSON object with these top-level fields (from the current configuration; every released version keeps the schema it was released with, see the changes under Versions and health). A sample is in the extracted data panel above.

Field Type
captionsStatus number
transcript object{segments}

How to call YouTube - video transcript

Pass the URL of a youtube.com page and this extractor's pinned id. Authenticate every request with your API key in the X-API-Key header (a test key, exth_test_..., returns simulated results at no cost). Every parameter and error code is described in the API reference.

Realtime: one URL, result in the response

GET https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/extract

Authentication required via X-API-Key header

Parameter Type Required Description
target_url string Yes The URL to scrape and extract data from
extractor_id string Yes This extractor's ID with a version pin: @extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2. Use @1 for the latest 1.x or @1.2.3 for an exact version.
return_raw_html boolean No Include raw HTML in response (default: false)
async_fallback boolean No Default true: a request still queued after the wait limit becomes an async job (202 with job_id). false: 503 queue_timeout instead
webhook_url string No HTTPS URL notified if the request becomes a job (job.completed / job.failed)

Code examples

curl -X GET "https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/extract?target_url=https://example.com&extractor_id=%40extracthub1%2Fyoutube-transcript%402" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

Shape of a 200 answer (placeholder values). metadata also carries costUsd, and the X-Extractor-Version header names the exact version that ran. A busy queue answers 202 with job_id, status_url and result_url; poll GET /api/extractor/jobs/{id} (or cancel it with POST /api/extractor/jobs/{id}/cancel).

{
  "success": true,
  "result": {
    "extracted": {
      "captionsStatus": 0,
      "transcript": {
        "segments": [
          {
            "position": 0,
            "startMs": 0,
            "durationMs": 0,
            "text": "…"
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "metadata": {
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "useProxy": true,
      "renderJs": true,
      "scrapedAt": "2026-01-01T12:00:00.000Z"
    }
  }
}

Batch: many URLs in one request

The batch runs in the background with the version resolved once at submission. Read the results as NDJSON pages with a stable cursor; succeeded URLs are charged, and failed URLs only when their scrape reached the provider. If your credit runs out the batch pauses and resumes when credit is available, and POST /api/extractor/batch/{id}/cancel stops it. Signed webhooks report batch.completed, batch.failed and batch.paused.

curl -X POST "https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/batch" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "extractor_id": "@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2",
    "targets": [
      { "url": "https://youtube.com/..." },
      { "url": "https://youtube.com/..." }
    ],
    "webhook_url": "https://your-app.example/webhooks/extracthub"
  }'

# Progress, then results as NDJSON pages (cursor = last index)
curl "https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/batch/BATCH_ID" -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
curl "https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/batch/BATCH_ID/results" -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

In a pipeline

In the dashboard's pipeline builder, add YouTube - video transcript as an extractor node and set its version pin to 2 (or exactly 2.0.0). A previous node can feed it the URLs it extracts; pipelines run manually or on a cron schedule, report progress live and export JSON, CSV or NDJSON.

With an AI agent (MCP)

Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor to the ExtractHub MCP server (https://api.extracthub.io/mcp, your API key as a Bearer token) and ask in plain language. The agent calls extract with this extractor's pinned id, or create_batch for many URLs, at the same price and limits as the API. Use a test key to try it without credit. Set up the MCP server.

Ask your agent
Use ExtractHub to extract https://youtube.com/... with @extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2
Tool call it makes
{
  "tool": "extract",
  "arguments": {
    "extractor_id": "@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2",
    "url": "https://youtube.com/..."
  }
}

Versions and health

Each version is immutable. @N resolves to the newest non-yanked version of major N; a deprecated major keeps working until its sunset date and its responses carry Deprecation and Sunset headers. Health comes from scheduled checks of the released versions.

@2
latest 2.0.0
active healthy
@1
latest 1.0.0
active healthy
  1. v2.0.0 active healthy Released 11/5/2026

    transcript and transcript.segments are now required: a page without captions (no captions on the video, or the player did not load them) fails the request with 422 required_fields_missing instead of returning an empty list. Batches and pipelines retry such an item once.

    changed: transcript.segments, transcript
  2. v1.0.0 active healthy Released 11/5/2026

    First release: transcript segments (position, start, duration, text) captured from the caption file the YouTube player loads with captions on.

YouTube - video transcript: frequently asked questions

Is YouTube - video transcript a youtube.com scraper?

Yes. YouTube - video transcript is an ExtractHub extractor: a saved, versioned web scraper for youtube.com pages that returns the page as structured JSON. Call it as a youtube.com scraper API with extractor_id=@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2; it never changes under you, because every released version is immutable.

What data does YouTube - video transcript return?

It returns a JSON object with 2 top-level fields: captionsStatus (number) and transcript (object{segments}). The extracted data panel on this page shows a sample.

How do I call YouTube - video transcript?

Send GET or POST https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/extract with your API key in the X-API-Key header, extractor_id=@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2 and the URL of a youtube.com page as the target. For many URLs use POST https://api.extracthub.io/api/extractor/batch, and in a pipeline add it as an extractor node pinned to 2.

Can an AI agent use YouTube - video transcript?

Yes. Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor or another MCP client to the ExtractHub MCP server at https://api.extracthub.io/mcp with your API key, then ask it to extract a youtube.com page: the agent calls the extract tool with extractor_id=@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2 (or create_batch for many URLs), at the same price as the API.

Which version should I pin?

Pin the major (@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2) to receive fixes and added fields automatically, or the exact version (@extracthub1/youtube-transcript@2.0.0) to freeze the output. A breaking schema change is always released as a new major, so a major pin never loses or retypes a field.

Does it render JavaScript or use a proxy?

Yes, it renders the page with JavaScript and it goes through a proxy; it also captures XHR responses. Calls are charged at the premium_js tier (JavaScript rendering through the proxy). These settings are part of each released version; JavaScript rendering, XHR capture and browser actions always use the proxy.

More web scrapers in the scraper catalog and in Entertainment.