---
name: youtube-channels
description: "Use when a YouTube channel is the focus: pasted @handles or channel URLs, requests to browse a creator's uploads, see what a channel has posted recently, search within a channel, or resolve a handle to a channel ID. Also use when the user names a creator and wants to explore their content or monitor their uploads. Not for creating channels or account management."
version: "1.5.0"
user-invocable: true
compatibility: Requires internet access to reach transcriptapi.com. No additional runtimes or dependencies needed.
required_environment_variables:
- name: TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY
prompt: Your TranscriptAPI key (starts with sk_)
help: Free account at https://transcriptapi.com — 100 credits, no card required. Or let the agent create one for you.
required_for: all API requests
metadata: {"openclaw":{"emoji":"▶️","requires":{"env":["TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"]},"primaryEnv":"TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY","homepage":"https://transcriptapi.com"},"hermes":{"tags":["youtube","channels","video","uploads","creator","browsing"],"category":"media"}}
---
# YouTube Channels
YouTube channel tools via [TranscriptAPI.com](https://transcriptapi.com).
## Setup
If `$TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY` is not set, read [references/auth-setup.md](references/auth-setup.md) and follow the instructions there to get and store the key.
## Required Headers
Every request needs two headers:
- **Authorization:** `Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY`
- **User-Agent:** your agent's name and version if known (e.g. `HermesAgent/0.11.0`, `ClaudeCode/1.0`). Version is optional — agent name alone is fine. Do not omit this header or send a bare default — Cloudflare will return a 403 (error code 1010) and block the request.
## API Reference
Full OpenAPI spec: [transcriptapi.com/openapi.json](https://transcriptapi.com/openapi.json) — consult this for the latest parameters and schemas.
All channel endpoints accept flexible input — `@handle`, channel URL, or `UC...` channel ID. No need to resolve first.
## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve — FREE
Convert @handle, URL, or UC... ID to canonical channel ID.
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve?input=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Required | Validation |
| ------- | -------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `input` | yes | 1-200 chars — @handle, URL, or UC... ID |
**Response:**
```json
{ "channel_id": "UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q", "resolved_from": "@TED" }
```
If input is already `UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}`, returns immediately.
## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/latest — FREE
Latest 15 videos via RSS with exact stats.
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Required | Validation |
| --------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `channel` | yes | `@handle`, channel URL, or `UC...` ID |
**Response:**
```json
{
"channel": {
"channelId": "UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q",
"title": "TED",
"author": "TED",
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q",
"published": "2006-04-17T00:00:00Z"
},
"results": [
{
"videoId": "abc123xyz00",
"title": "Latest Video Title",
"channelId": "UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q",
"author": "TED",
"published": "2026-01-30T16:00:00Z",
"updated": "2026-01-31T02:00:00Z",
"link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123xyz00",
"description": "Full video description...",
"thumbnail": { "url": "https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/.../hqdefault.jpg" },
"viewCount": "2287630",
"starRating": {
"average": "4.92",
"count": "15000",
"min": "1",
"max": "5"
}
}
],
"result_count": 15
}
```
Great for monitoring channels — free and gives exact view counts + ISO timestamps.
## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/videos — 1 credit/page
Paginated list of ALL channel uploads (100 per page).
```bash
# First page
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?channel=@NASA" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
# Next pages
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/videos?continuation=TOKEN" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Required | Validation |
| -------------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `channel` | conditional | `@handle`, channel URL, or `UC...` ID |
| `continuation` | conditional | non-empty (next pages) |
Provide exactly one of `channel` or `continuation`, not both.
**Response:**
```json
{
"results": [{
"videoId": "abc123xyz00",
"title": "Video Title",
"channelId": "UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q",
"channelTitle": "TED",
"channelHandle": "@TED",
"lengthText": "15:22",
"viewCountText": "3.2M views",
"thumbnails": [...],
"index": "0"
}],
"playlist_info": {"title": "Uploads from TED", "numVideos": "5000", "ownerName": "TED"},
"continuation_token": "4qmFsgKlARIYVVV1...",
"has_more": true
}
```
Keep calling with `continuation` until `has_more: false`.
## GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/search — 1 credit
Search within a specific channel.
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/search\
?channel=@TED&q=climate+change&limit=30" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Required | Validation |
| --------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `channel` | yes | `@handle`, channel URL, or `UC...` ID |
| `q` | yes | 1-200 chars |
| `limit` | no | 1-50 (default 30) |
## Typical workflow
```bash
# 1. Check latest uploads (free — pass @handle directly)
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/channel/latest?channel=@TED" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
# 2. Get transcript of recent video
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
## Errors
| Code | Meaning | Action |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| 400 | Invalid param combination | Both or neither channel/continuation |
| 402 | No credits | transcriptapi.com/billing |
| 403/1010 | Cloudflare block | Add or fix User-Agent header |
| 404 | Channel not found | Check handle or URL |
| 408 | Timeout | Retry once |
| 422 | Invalid channel identifier | Check param format |
Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min. Free endpoints (resolve, latest) require auth but don't consume credits.