# Facebook AI Transcript Extractor (`fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor`) Actor

Transcribe public Facebook videos and Reels into timestamped text, SRT, and WebVTT subtitles.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $6.00 / 1,000 video processeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## Facebook Video Transcript Extractor

Create a Facebook video transcript from public videos and Reels as searchable text, timestamped segments, SRT subtitles, and WebVTT captions. This Facebook video transcription workflow also turns Facebook video to text for API, MCP, and automation use. Use the results for research, accessibility, content analysis, archives, or downstream AI workflows.

### Input example

```json
{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/"
  ],
  "maxVideoDurationSeconds": 900,
  "language": "en"
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "status": "succeeded",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/",
  "videoId": "10155529876156509",
  "videoTitle": "Holocaust survivor becomes US citizen",
  "durationSeconds": 44.181,
  "uploaderName": "CNN",
  "transcript": "Timestamped transcript text...",
  "language": "en",
  "segments": [{ "text": "Timestamped transcript text...", "startSeconds": 0, "endSeconds": 4.2 }],
  "srtSubtitles": "1\n00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,200\nTimestamped transcript text...",
  "vttSubtitles": "WEBVTT\n\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200\nTimestamped transcript text..."
}
```

### Input settings

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `videoUrls` | array | One to 20 public Facebook video or Reel URLs. Strings and `{ "url": "..." }` objects are accepted. |
| `maxVideoDurationSeconds` | integer | Reject videos longer than this limit. Defaults to 900 seconds. |
| `language` | string | Optional expected spoken/caption language code, such as `en` or `es`. Automatic detection is used when omitted. |

### Output fields

Each successful video produces one dataset row.

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `status` | Processing status. |
| `sourceUrl`, `canonicalUrl` | Submitted and normalized Facebook URLs. |
| `videoId`, `videoTitle`, `description` | Public video identity and text metadata. |
| `durationSeconds` | Video duration. |
| `uploaderName`, `uploaderId`, `publishedAt` | Public uploader and publication metadata when available. |
| `thumbnailUrl` | Public preview image URL when available. |
| `mediaFormat` | Selected public media format when available. |
| `transcript`, `language` | Full transcript and detected/requested language. |
| `segments` | Timestamped objects with `text`, `startSeconds`, and `endSeconds`. |
| `srtSubtitles`, `vttSubtitles` | Ready-to-save subtitle documents. |

### Input recipes

- **One short Reel:** submit one URL and set `maxVideoDurationSeconds` to `120`.
- **Small research batch:** submit up to 20 public URLs and omit `language` for automatic detection.
- **Known-language captions:** set `language` to the source language for more predictable transcription.

### Pricing

The Actor uses pay per event: one start event per run and one result event for each transcript successfully saved. Failed targets do not incur the result event. See the live [Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor/pricing) for current rates and plan-based volume discounts.

### Tips and limits

- Only public, directly addressable Facebook videos and Reels are supported; login-only, deleted, private, geo-restricted, or rights-restricted media may fail.
- Clear speech produces better results than music, overlapping speakers, or loud background noise.
- A batch preserves successful rows when another URL fails. `RUN_SUMMARY` and `STATE` in the key-value store describe failures and unfinished targets.
- Process only content you are authorized to access and follow applicable privacy, copyright, and platform rules.

### Who is it for?

- **Researchers and journalists** who need searchable quotations and timestamps from public videos.
- **Accessibility teams** preparing subtitle drafts for authorized content.
- **Content and social teams** indexing spoken material across a small URL batch.
- **Developers and AI builders** feeding structured transcripts into search, summarization, or retrieval pipelines.

### API usage

Start a run with cURL:

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~facebook-ai-transcript-extractor/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"videoUrls":["https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/"]}'
```

JavaScript with `apify-client`:

```js
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor').call({
  videoUrls: ['https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/'],
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

Python with `apify-client`:

```python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor').call(run_input={
    'videoUrls': ['https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155529876156509/'],
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)
```

### MCP and AI agents

Connect through [Apify MCP](https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor) so an AI assistant can request transcripts and analyze the returned dataset.

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor
```

Or add the server to an MCP client configuration:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor"
    }
  }
}
```

Example prompts:

- “Transcribe this public Facebook Reel and return the timestamps for every mention of the product name.”
- “Create an SRT subtitle draft for these public Facebook video URLs.”
- “Compare the themes in these transcripts and cite the relevant time ranges.”

Keep URL validation and human review in sensitive workflows.

### FAQ

#### Does it work without a Facebook login?

It processes public URLs that Facebook exposes anonymously. It does not bypass login, privacy, or access restrictions.

#### Can I export Facebook video transcripts as SRT or WebVTT?

Yes. Save the `srtSubtitles` or `vttSubtitles` field from each dataset item as an `.srt` or `.vtt` file.

#### Why did a public URL fail?

The media may have no audible speech, may be temporarily unavailable, or may be restricted by location, rights, age, or Facebook delivery changes. Review the run log and `RUN_SUMMARY`.

#### Can I run Facebook video transcription through an API or MCP client?

Yes. Use the Apify API, official clients, webhooks, integrations, or the MCP endpoint above.

#### Is this an alternative to manual transcription?

It automates first-pass transcription at scale. Review important names, numbers, and low-quality audio before publication or compliance use.

### Related Actors

Continue a Facebook content workflow with:

- [Facebook Pages Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-pages-scraper)
- [Facebook Ads Library Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-ads-library-scraper)
- [Facebook Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-comments-scraper)
- [Facebook Events Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-events-scraper)
- [Facebook Reels Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper)

### Support

For reproducible problems, open an issue on the Actor page with the public URL, run ID, expected result, and observed error. Do not include private media, credentials, or personal access tokens.

# Actor input Schema

## `videoUrls` (type: `array`):

Add 1–20 anonymously accessible public Facebook video or Reel URLs.

## `maxVideoDurationSeconds` (type: `integer`):

Skip unexpectedly long videos before transcription.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Optional ISO language code such as en, es, or de. Leave empty for automatic detection.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videoUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/facebook/videos/10153231379946729/"
    }
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "videoUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/facebook/videos/10153231379946729/"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "videoUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.facebook.com/facebook/videos/10153231379946729/" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "videoUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/facebook/videos/10153231379946729/"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fetch_cat/facebook-ai-transcript-extractor"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/qIhcevJVcx9kNBwSR/builds/4ykag7ax0MzmBKV70/openapi.json