# Youtube Caption & Transcript Scraper - Bulk, Rich, Precise (`apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper`) Actor Effortlessly retrieves transcripts and caption while offering additional valuable insights - **URL**: https://apify.com/apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [ApiLabs](https://apify.com/apilabs) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Social media, Videos - **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $6.50 / 1,000 per success results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## YouTube Transcript Extractor Get clean YouTube transcripts in a few clicks. This Actor extracts available captions from YouTube videos and returns them as structured JSON, full transcript text, or both — perfect for research, AI workflows, archiving, and content analysis. ### Features - Extracts transcripts from YouTube videos - Supports multiple video URLs in one run - Falls back to auto-generated captions when needed - Returns timestamped caption segments ### Proxies Proxies are heavly sugest to avoid gettin blocked by YouTube ### Output Depending on settings, the Actor returns one or both of these: #### 1. `captions_json` Array of caption segments. Each item contains: - `start` — start time in seconds - `end` — end time in seconds - `duration` — segment duration in seconds - `text` — cleaned caption text Example: ```json [ { "start": "0.000", "end": "2.400", "duration": "2.400", "text": "Welcome to the video." } ] ```` #### 2. `full_transcript` Single merged transcript string. Example: ```json { "full_transcript": "Welcome to the video." } ``` ### Example enriched output ```json { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "title": "Example Video", "uploader": "Example Channel", "duration_seconds": 523, "subtitle_language": "en", "subtitle_source": "manual", "captions_json": [ { "start": "0.000", "end": "2.100", "duration": "2.100", "text": "Hello everyone." } ], "full_transcript": "Hello everyone." } ``` ### Error handling The Actor reports issues such as: - invalid YouTube URL - no subtitles available in the selected language - processing failure for a specific video When subtitles are missing, the result may also include available subtitle languages. ### Notes - Supports standard YouTube video URLs - Does not support YouTube Shorts - Does not support YouTube Music links - Output depends on subtitle availability on the original video - Auto captions may be less accurate than manual subtitles ### Example input ```json { "urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID_1", "https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID_2" ], "saveCaptionsJson": true, "saveFullTranscript": true, "subtitleLanguage": "en", "saveRichDataset": true } ``` # Actor input Schema ## `urls` (type: `array`): YouTube video URLs to extract captions and/or full transcript from. ## `saveCaptionsJson` (type: `boolean`): Store caption segments with start, end, duration, and text in the dataset as JSON. ## `saveFullTranscript` (type: `boolean`): Store the full transcript as plain text in the dataset. ## `saveRichDataset` (type: `boolean`): Store also video duration, uploader, video url, subtitles language, and subtitles origin in the dataset ## `subtitleLanguage` (type: `string`): Preferred subtitle language for captions/transcript extraction. ## `proxy` (type: `object`): Select proxies to be used. ## Actor input object example ```json { "urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuP4g7IDgDM" ], "saveCaptionsJson": true, "saveFullTranscript": false, "saveRichDataset": false, "subtitleLanguage": "en", "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "AL" } } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuP4g7IDgDM" ], "saveCaptionsJson": true, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "AL" } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "urls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuP4g7IDgDM"], "saveCaptionsJson": True, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], "apifyProxyCountry": "AL", }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuP4g7IDgDM" ], "saveCaptionsJson": true, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "AL" } }' | apify call apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=apilabs/youtube-caption-transcription-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Youtube Caption & Transcript Scraper - Bulk, Rich, Precise", "description": "Effortlessly retrieves transcripts and caption while offering additional valuable insights", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "mVEx8iSKk7wckKmwB" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/apilabs~youtube-caption-transcription-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-apilabs-youtube-caption-transcription-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/apilabs~youtube-caption-transcription-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-apilabs-youtube-caption-transcription-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/apilabs~youtube-caption-transcription-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-apilabs-youtube-caption-transcription-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "urls" ], "properties": { "urls": { "title": "Video URLs", "type": "array", "description": "YouTube video URLs to extract captions and/or full transcript from.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "saveCaptionsJson": { "title": "Save captions as JSON", "type": "boolean", "description": "Store caption segments with start, end, duration, and text in the dataset as JSON." }, "saveFullTranscript": { "title": "Save full transcript", "type": "boolean", "description": "Store the full transcript as plain text in the dataset.", "default": false }, "saveRichDataset": { "title": "Save enriched dataset", "type": "boolean", "description": "Store also video duration, uploader, video url, subtitles language, and subtitles origin in the dataset", "default": false }, "subtitleLanguage": { "title": "Subtitle language", "enum": [ "en", "it", "es", "fr", "de", "pt", "nl", "pl", "tr", "ru", "ja", "ko", "zh-Hans", "zh-Hant", "ar", "hi" ], "type": "string", "description": "Preferred subtitle language for captions/transcript extraction.", "default": "en" }, "proxy": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Select proxies to be used." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```