How do I get a transcript?

Use ./scripts/vtd.js transcript with --url and optional flags like --lang en, --timestamps, or --keep-brackets. The default outputs a clean paragraph.

How do I download video and format options?

Use ./scripts/vtd.js download or ./scripts/vtd.js audio or subs. First list formats with formats, then download with --format and, if needed, --remux-video mp4. You can pass extra yt-dlp args after --.

What if yt-dlp or ffmpeg is missing?

Install them (e.g., brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg) and verify versions with yt-dlp --version and ffmpeg -version. The Notes section covers these steps.

video-transcript-downloader

npx machina-cli add skill jmerta/codex-skills/video-transcript-downloader --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.4 KB

Video Transcript Downloader

./scripts/vtd.js can:

Print a transcript as a clean paragraph (timestamps optional).
Download video/audio/subtitles.

Transcript behavior:

YouTube: fetch via youtube-transcript-plus when possible.
Otherwise: pull subtitles via yt-dlp, then clean into a paragraph.

Setup

cd "${CODEX_HOME:-~/.codex}/skills/video-transcript-downloader" && npm ci

Transcript (default: clean paragraph)

./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…'
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --lang en
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --timestamps
./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --keep-brackets

Download video / audio / subtitles

./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js audio --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js subs --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads --lang en

Formats (list + choose)

List available formats (format ids, resolution, container, audio-only, etc):

./scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://…'

Download a specific format id (example):

./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --format 137+140

Prefer MP4 container without re-encoding (remux when possible):

./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --remux-video mp4

Notes

Default transcript output is a single paragraph. Use --timestamps only when asked.
Bracketed cues like [Music] are stripped by default; keep them via --keep-brackets.
Pass extra yt-dlp args after -- for transcript fallback, download, audio, subs, formats.

./scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://…' -- -v

Troubleshooting (only when needed)

Missing yt-dlp / ffmpeg:

brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg

Verify:

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1

Attribution

This skill was copied from steipete/agent-scripts. Upstream: https://github.com/steipete/agent-scripts License: MIT (see LICENSE)

Source

git clone https://github.com/jmerta/codex-skills/blob/main/video-transcript-downloader/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Video Transcript Downloader fetches transcripts and media from YouTube and other yt-dlp-enabled sites. It prints clean paragraphs for transcripts by default and can also download video, audio, and subtitles, handling format and playlist quirks.

How This Skill Works

Run ./scripts/vtd.js with commands like transcript, download, audio, subs, or formats. For transcripts, it uses youtube-transcript-plus when possible, otherwise it pulls subtitles via yt-dlp and cleans them into a paragraph. You can pass extra yt-dlp args after -- and optionally remux to MP4 to avoid re-encoding.

When to Use It

When you need a clean, paragraph-style transcript of a video (timestamps optional).
When you want to download video, audio, or subtitles from YouTube or any yt-dlp-supported site.
When you need to list available formats to choose the right download option.
When you prefer MP4 containers and want to remux instead of re-encoding.
When troubleshooting missing yt-dlp or ffmpeg or adjusting formats/playlists.

Quick Start

Step 1: Setup the skill: cd "${CODEX_HOME:-~/.codex}/skills/video-transcript-downloader" && npm ci
Step 2: Get a transcript: ./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://…' --lang en
Step 3: Download media: ./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://…' --output-dir ~/Downloads

Best Practices

Use transcript mode for a single-paragraph transcript; add --timestamps only if asked.
Use --keep-brackets to retain bracketed cues like [Music].
List formats first with formats to understand options before downloading.
Remux to MP4 with --remux-video mp4 to avoid re-encoding when possible.
Pass extra yt-dlp arguments after -- to customize transcript fallback, download, audio, subs, or formats.

Example Use Cases

./scripts/vtd.js transcript --url 'https://youtu.be/xyz'
./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://youtu.be/xyz' --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js subs --url 'https://youtu.be/xyz' --lang en --output-dir ~/Downloads
./scripts/vtd.js formats --url 'https://youtu.be/xyz'
./scripts/vtd.js download --url 'https://youtu.be/xyz' --output-dir ~/Downloads -- --remux-video mp4

Frequently Asked Questions

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