---
name: yt
description: "Use when YouTube is relevant: pasted video links or IDs, @handles, quick video lookups, summaries, channel latest uploads, topic search, or any request involving YouTube content — even if YouTube is not mentioned explicitly. Covers transcripts, search, and channel latest. Not for uploads or account management."
version: "1.5.1"
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","transcripts","video","search","channels","utility"],"category":"media"}}
---
# yt
Quick YouTube lookup 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.
## Transcript — 1 credit
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/transcript\
?video_url=VIDEO_URL&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
## Search — 1 credit
```bash
curl -s "https://transcriptapi.com/api/v2/youtube/search?q=QUERY&type=video&limit=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY" \
-H "User-Agent: YourAgent/1.0"
```
| Param | Default | Values |
| ------- | ------- | ---------------------- |
| `q` | — | 1-200 chars (required) |
| `type` | `video` | `video`, `channel` |
| `limit` | `20` | 1-50 |
## Channel latest — FREE
```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"
```
Returns last 15 videos with exact view counts and publish dates. Accepts `@handle`, channel URL, or `UC...` ID.
## Resolve handle — FREE
```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"
```
Use to convert @handle to UC... channel ID.
## Errors
| Code | Meaning | Action |
| -------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| 401 | Bad API key | Check key |
| 402 | No credits | transcriptapi.com/billing |
| 403/1010 | Cloudflare block | Add or fix User-Agent header |
| 404 | Not found | No captions or resource doesn't exist |
| 408 | Timeout | Retry once |
Free tier: 100 credits. Search and transcript cost 1 credit. Channel latest and resolve are free.