What is YouTube Transcript?
YouTube Transcript is a MCP server by jdepoix that retrieves YouTube transcripts and subtitles without an API key or headless browser. It is listed under Developer tools and has 8,400 GitHub stars.
| Type | Mcp server |
|---|---|
| Author | jdepoix |
| Repository | jdepoix |
| Popularity | 8,400 GitHub stars |
| Category | Developer tools |
| Security | Low risk (92/100) |
| Rank | #67 of 4,418 MCP servers; #40 in Developer tools |
| Runs | Not stated |
Is YouTube Transcript safe to install?
YouTube Transcript scores 92/100 on the MCPMods security check: Low risk. No checks raised a concern. It passed 4 of 6 checks.
MCP server results come from listing signals: who publishes it, where your data goes and what it can do. The code itself is not scanned yet.
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Community-built server | Note |
| Where data goes is not stated | Note |
| No credentials mentioned | Pass |
| Read-only by description | Pass |
| No code execution | Pass |
| Source on GitHub | Pass |
How do I install YouTube Transcript?
- Find the launch command. The README says how the server starts (npx, uvx, docker or a remote URL) and which API keys it needs.
https://github.com/jdepoix
- Add it to Claude Code. Replace the part after -- with the command from the README. Remote servers use --transport http with a URL.
claude mcp add youtube-transcript -- <command from README> claude mcp add --transport http youtube-transcript <server-url>
- Check it connected. This lists your MCP servers and their status.
claude mcp list
Or ask Claude to set it up
Paste this into Claude Code and it installs YouTube Transcript for you:
Add the "YouTube Transcript" MCP server from https://github.com/jdepoix to Claude Code. Read its README for the launch command and any API keys I need, run claude mcp add, then check that it connects.