How to add YouTube Transcript Server to Cursor
Retrieve transcripts and subtitles from YouTube videos through a simple MCP interface. Paste the config into ~/.cursor/mcp.json and restart Cursor.
Last updated June 14, 2026 · 563★ · stdio · no auth
Cursor 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 Cursor → Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server (or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly).
- 2Paste the YouTube Transcript Server config below into the "mcpServers" object.
- 3Fill in placeholder secrets, then save.
- 4Cursor reloads MCP servers automatically — check Settings → MCP for a green status dot.
- 5Ask Cursor to use one of YouTube Transcript Server's tools to confirm it's connected.
Before you start
- Node.js 18 or higher
- npm or yarn
What YouTube Transcript Server can do in Cursor
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 + Cursor FAQ
Where is the Cursor config file?
Cursor reads MCP servers from ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Paste the YouTube Transcript Server config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.
Is YouTube Transcript Server safe to use with Cursor?
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.