How to add YouTube Transcript Server to Claude Desktop
Retrieve transcripts and subtitles from YouTube videos through a simple MCP interface. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.
Last updated June 14, 2026 · 563★ · stdio · no auth
Claude Desktop config for YouTube Transcript Server
npx -y @smithery/cli install @kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript --client claude{
"mcpServers": {
"youtube-transcript-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@kimtaeyoon83/mcp-server-youtube-transcript"
]
}
}
}Setup steps
- 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
- 2Paste the YouTube Transcript Server config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
- 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
- 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
- 5Open a chat and confirm YouTube Transcript Server's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.
Before you start
- Node.js 18 or higher
- npm or yarn
What YouTube Transcript Server can do in Claude Desktop
get_transcriptExtract transcripts from YouTube videos. Inputs: url (string, required) — YouTube video URL, Shorts URL, or video ID; lang (string, optional, default 'en') — language code (e.g. 'ko', 'en'), automatically falls back to available languages if the requested one is not found; include_timestamps (boolean, optional, default false) — include timestamps in output (e.g. '[0:05] text'); strip_ads (boolean, optional, default true) — filter out sponsorships, ads, and promotional content based on chapter markers.
Security
The server validates all input parameters, handles YouTube API errors gracefully, implements timeouts for transcript retrieval, and provides detailed error messages for troubleshooting.
YouTube Transcript Server + Claude Desktop FAQ
Where is the Claude Desktop config file?
Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the YouTube Transcript Server config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.
Is YouTube Transcript Server safe to use with Claude Desktop?
The server validates all input parameters, handles YouTube API errors gracefully, implements timeouts for transcript retrieval, and provides detailed error messages for troubleshooting.
What input formats does the server accept?
It accepts standard YouTube video URLs, YouTube Shorts URLs, and bare video IDs.
What happens if the requested language is unavailable?
The server automatically falls back to available languages if the requested language code is not found.
Does it remove ads and sponsorships?
Yes. The strip_ads option is enabled by default and filters out sponsorships, ads, and promotional content based on chapter markers. Set strip_ads to false to get the raw transcript.