# YouTube Channel Transcripts: every video of a channel, one run (`steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts`) Actor

Transcripts for the recent videos of a YouTube channel in one run, up to 50 channels: give a handle or channel URL, get one row per video with full transcript text, language, duration and views. Videos without captions cost nothing. Pay per transcript.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts.md
- **Developed by:** [Steadydata Team](https://apify.com/steadydata) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, AI, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.75 / 1,000 transcript fetcheds

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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Channel Transcripts: every video of a channel, one run

Transcripts for the recent videos of a YouTube channel in one run, up to 50 channels: give a handle or channel URL, get one row per video with full transcript text, language, duration and views. Videos without captions cost nothing. Pay per transcript.

### Why this scraper

- **Only delivered results are charged.** Inputs that fail come back as clear error
  records at no cost.
- **One input, whole channel.** Give `@RickAstleyYT`; measured on 15 September 2026 the
  run returned the five newest videos with full English transcripts (2,100 to 2,400
  characters each) at a platform cost of a tenth of a cent for the whole run.
- **Videos without captions cost nothing.** They are not delivered as rows; instead every
  row of the channel carries `skippedNoCaptions`, so you know how many fell outside and why.
- **Built from two proven routes.** The channel listing and the transcript fetch are the
  same tested code as `youtube-channel-videos` and `youtube-transcript-bulk`, with their
  test suites carried over (50 tests).

### Who this is for

Anyone who needs the spoken content of a channel rather than of a list of videos: research
on what a creator says over time, training and search corpora, content audits, competitive
monitoring of a channel's messaging. Up to 50 channels per run, up to 200 videos each,
newest first.

### Who this is not for

- **Channels whose videos have no captions.** No captions, no transcript: those videos are
  skipped (not charged) and counted in `skippedNoCaptions`. This actor does not transcribe
  audio.
- **Full channel history on very large channels.** The cap is 200 videos per channel per
  run, newest first. For a complete back catalogue, run `youtube-channel-videos` for the
  list and feed the ids to `youtube-transcript-bulk` in batches.
- **Comments, viewers or any person data.** Not delivered.

### Input example

```json
{
    "channels": [
        "@RickAstleyYT"
    ],
    "maxVideosPerChannel": 20,
    "languages": [],
    "preferManualCaptions": true,
    "includeTimestampedSnippets": false
}
```

### Output fields

- `channelHandle`
- `channelId`
- `channelName`
- `videoId`
- `url`
- `title`
- `publishedText`
- `viewCount`
- `durationSeconds`
- `language`
- `isAutoGenerated`
- `text`
- `snippets`

### Output example

```json
{
    "channelHandle": "@RickAstleyYT",
    "channelId": "UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
    "channelName": "Rick Astley",
    "videoId": "PXC_PYeB6F8",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXC_PYeB6F8",
    "title": "Rick Astley - Angels On My Side (Live at The O2, London, April 2026)",
    "publishedText": "2 days ago",
    "viewCount": 87548,
    "durationSeconds": 231,
    "language": "en",
    "isAutoGenerated": false,
    "text": "...",
    "skippedNoCaptions": 0,
    "status": "ok"
}
```

Error codes: `INVALID_CHANNEL`, `CHANNEL_NOT_FOUND` (no channel behind the handle or URL),
`NO_VIDEOS`, `NO_TRANSCRIPT` (no video of the channel has captions), `BLOCKED` (after
retries on fresh exits). None is charged.

### Related actors from steadydata

- [youtube-transcript-bulk](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-transcript-bulk): transcripts for a list of specific videos
- [youtube-channel-videos](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-videos): the video list of the channel, without transcripts
- [youtube-channel-details](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-details): the channel profile: subscribers, total views, country

### Pricing

Pay per event: one `transcript-fetched` event per delivered result. No charge for inputs
that fail, no separate platform-usage surcharge.

**Free Apify plan:** this actor delivers up to 25 rows per run for accounts on the Apify free
plan, and then stops with a message. That limit is set by us, not by Apify. It exists so the
actor keeps paying for itself for the people who do pay. Any paid Apify plan runs it at full
size, billed per delivered row, with failed rows never charged.

**Reviews:** if this actor saves you time, a short review on this page is the one thing that
helps most. Ratings are what other buyers look at first, and we have no other way to ask.

### FAQ

**Which videos are included?** The newest ones on the channel's Videos tab, up to
`maxVideosPerChannel`. Shorts and live streams follow YouTube's own listing.

**Can I choose the transcript language?** Yes, `languages` in order of preference (for example
`nl, en`). With `preferManualCaptions` on, a human-made track wins over an auto-generated
one; `isAutoGenerated` tells you which one you got.

**Why is a video missing?** It has no captions in any language, or YouTube blocked that
request; the first case is counted in `skippedNoCaptions`, the second is retried on a fresh
exit before the channel is reported as blocked.

**Do I get timestamps?** Set `includeTimestampedSnippets` on to add the timed snippets per
row; off (the default) keeps rows small.

**Is personal data collected?** No. Titles, transcripts and view counts of public videos;
no commenters, no viewers.

**Is personal data collected?**
No. Public video titles, transcripts and view counts only; no commenters, no viewers.

**What happens when the source changes?**
Sources change from time to time; that is the nature of this work. The actor is
monitored daily and fixed fast, and while it is broken you are not charged, because
only delivered results cost anything.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `channels` (type: `array`):

One per row, up to 50: an @handle, a channel id (UC...) or any youtube.com channel URL.

## `maxVideosPerChannel` (type: `integer`):

Cost ceiling per channel, newest first. Each delivered transcript is one charged event.

## `languages` (type: `array`):

Language codes in order of preference, for example en, nl, de. Empty takes the video's default track.

## `preferManualCaptions` (type: `boolean`):

On, a human-made track wins over an auto-generated one when both exist.

## `includeTimestampedSnippets` (type: `boolean`):

On, each row also carries the transcript as timed snippets. Off keeps rows small.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channels": [
    "@RickAstleyYT"
  ],
  "maxVideosPerChannel": 20,
  "languages": [],
  "preferManualCaptions": true,
  "includeTimestampedSnippets": false
}
```

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

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "channels": [
        "@RickAstleyYT"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts").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 = { "channels": ["@RickAstleyYT"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts").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 '{
  "channels": [
    "@RickAstleyYT"
  ]
}' |
apify call steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,steadydata/youtube-channel-transcripts"
        }
    }
}
```

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/CXsEla7ey8rb4Dpmg/builds/6Wbw2eSvBB7aSA0Zw/openapi.json