# Tool: YouTube Transcript Summarizer (`scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool`) Actor
Fetch a YouTube video transcript and turn it into a clear summary, key points and chapters using premium AI. Paid Apify plans only.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapers\_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapers Lat](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Automation, News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $40.00 / 1,000 results
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 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
[](https://console.apify.com/actors/youtube-summarizer-tool)
## Tool: YouTube Transcript Summarizer
> Paste a YouTube link and get back the transcript summarized into a clear recap, the key points and the chapters. Skip a long video and read it in a minute.
Summary plain-language recap
Key points the takeaways as a list
Chapters the sections in order
### What it does
Give it one or more YouTube video URLs. For each video it fetches the transcript and returns a structured record:
- **title** of the video
- **summary** in plain language
- **keyPoints**, the main takeaways as a list
- **chapters**, the sections the video moves through when the structure is clear
- **source**, whether the summary came from the video transcript or a web lookup
- **error** when a video cannot be summarized
Use it to turn talks, tutorials, interviews and podcasts into text you can skim, search or drop into notes. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull it through the Apify API.
### Paid plans only
This tool runs on the latest, most reliable premium AI models. Because each run has a real model cost, it is available to paid Apify accounts only. A run started from a free account stops immediately with an upgrade message. Upgrade your Apify subscription to a paid plan and run it again.
### Who is it for
| Use case | Who benefits |
|---|---|
| Research | Analysts pulling notes from talks and interviews |
| Content teams | Writers repurposing videos into articles |
| Learning | Students turning lectures into study notes |
| Media | Teams tracking what creators and channels say |
### Input
- **videoUrls**: a list of YouTube video links.
- **proxy**: videos are fetched through a residential proxy by default so transcripts load reliably. You can change the country or group.
- **maxItems**: optional cap on how many videos to process this run.
### Notes
- Most videos are summarized from their transcript. When a transcript cannot be read, the tool falls back to a web lookup of the video, and the `source` field tells you which was used.
- A video with no captions and little public information returns a clear error record instead of a summary.
- The summary reflects the transcript or public data. Auto generated captions can contain small errors, so check the original video for exact quotes.
### Example use cases
Ready-to-run example tasks, each preconfigured for a common scenario. Open one and press run, or use it as a template:
- [Summarize Ken Robinson TED talk on creativity in schools](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-ted-schools-creativity): Summarize the YouTube video of Ken Robinson's TED talk on creativity into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize the Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford commencement speech](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-stanford-commencement): Summarize the YouTube video of Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement speech into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize a full Python programming course for beginners](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-python-full-course): Summarize the YouTube video of a beginner Python programming course into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize a 3Blue1Brown explainer on neural networks](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-neural-network-explainer): Summarize the YouTube video of a 3Blue1Brown video on neural networks into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize the Kurzgesagt animated short story The Egg](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-kurzgesagt-the-egg): Summarize the YouTube video of the Kurzgesagt short story The Egg into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize Amy Cuddy TED talk on body language](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-body-language-talk): Summarize the YouTube video of Amy Cuddy's TED talk on body language into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize Simon Sinek TED talk on leadership](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-great-leaders-talk): Summarize the YouTube video of Simon Sinek's TED talk on leadership into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize Tim Urban TED talk on procrastination](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-procrastination-talk): Summarize the YouTube video of Tim Urban's TED talk on procrastination into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize Bill Gates TED talk on the next outbreak](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-bill-gates-outbreak): Summarize the YouTube video of Bill Gates' TED talk on the next outbreak into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
- [Summarize a TED-Ed explainer on how the stock market works](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool/examples/ytsum-stock-market-explainer): Summarize the YouTube video of a TED-Ed video on the stock market into key takeaways, a short overview and timestamps for quick research notes.
### Export, API and AI agents (x402 + MCP)
Export the scraped data to **JSON, CSV or Excel**, pull it as a **dataset** through the Apify **API**, or wire it into your app with **no code**. This web scraper and data extractor also works for bulk data extraction and scheduled runs.
For AI agents: this Actor is available on **x402**, Apify's agentic payment standard built with Coinbase. An AI agent can discover, pay for and run it on its own with a funded wallet and a single HTTP request: no account, no subscription, no API key and no human in the loop. It also runs as an **MCP** tool inside Claude, Cursor and other AI clients out of the box. Learn more about [x402 agentic payments on Apify](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402).
Built by [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat).
# Actor input Schema
## `videoUrls` (type: `array`):
A list of YouTube video URLs. Each video's transcript is fetched and summarized into a summary, key points and chapters. When a transcript cannot be read, the tool falls back to a web lookup of the video.
## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):
YouTube serves an empty transcript to many datacenter IPs, so this runs through a residential proxy by default. You can change the country or group here.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Cap how many videos to process this run. Optional.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"videoUrls": [
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
],
"proxyConfiguration": {
"useApifyProxy": true,
"apifyProxyGroups": [
"RESIDENTIAL"
],
"apifyProxyCountry": "US"
}
}
````
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (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 '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"videoUrls": [
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
]
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool").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 = { "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"] }
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool").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 '{
"videoUrls": [
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
]
}' |
apify call scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapers_lat/youtube-summarizer-tool",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "Tool: YouTube Transcript Summarizer",
"description": "Fetch a YouTube video transcript and turn it into a clear summary, key points and chapters using premium AI. Paid Apify plans only.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "nJvRA0FMAYiOvZYZh"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/scrapers_lat~youtube-summarizer-tool/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapers_lat-youtube-summarizer-tool",
"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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~youtube-summarizer-tool/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-scrapers_lat-youtube-summarizer-tool",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~youtube-summarizer-tool/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-scrapers_lat-youtube-summarizer-tool",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": [
"videoUrls"
],
"properties": {
"videoUrls": {
"title": "YouTube video URLs",
"type": "array",
"description": "A list of YouTube video URLs. Each video's transcript is fetched and summarized into a summary, key points and chapters. When a transcript cannot be read, the tool falls back to a web lookup of the video.",
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"proxyConfiguration": {
"title": "Proxy",
"type": "object",
"description": "YouTube serves an empty transcript to many datacenter IPs, so this runs through a residential proxy by default. You can change the country or group here.",
"default": {
"useApifyProxy": true,
"apifyProxyGroups": [
"RESIDENTIAL"
],
"apifyProxyCountry": "US"
}
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max videos",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 100000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Cap how many videos to process this run. Optional."
}
}
},
"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
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```