YouTube Channels

YouTube channel tools via [TranscriptAPI.com]().

Setup

If $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY is not set, help the user create an account (100 free credits, no card):

Step 1 — Register: Ask user for their email, generate a secure password.

node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js register --email USER_EMAIL --password SECURE_PASS --json

→ OTP sent to email. Ask user: _"Check your email for a 6-digit verification code."_
⚠️ SAVE THE PASSWORD — you need it again in Step 2!

Step 2 — Verify: Once user provides the OTP (use SAME password from Step 1):

node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js verify --email USER_EMAIL --password SECURE_PASS --otp CODE --json

→ Returns api_key (starts with sk_).

Step 3 — Save: Store the key (auto-configures agent + shell):

node ./scripts/tapi-auth.js save-key --key API_KEY --json

→ Ready to use. Agent runtime picks up the key automatically.

Manual option: [transcriptapi.com/signup]() → Dashboard → API Keys.

GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/resolve — FREE

Convert @handle, URL, or UC... ID to canonical channel ID.

curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

Param

Required

Validation

input

yes

1-200 chars — @handle, URL, or UC... ID

Response:

{ "channel_id": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ", "resolved_from": "@mkbhd" }

If input is already UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}, returns immediately.

GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/latest — FREE

Latest 15 videos via RSS with exact stats.

curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

Param

Required

Validation

channel_id

yes

^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$ (24 chars total)

Response:

{
  "channel": {
    "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ",
    "title": "MKBHD",
    "author": "MKBHD",
    "url": "",
    "published": "2008-03-21T00:00:00Z"
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "videoId": "abc123xyz00",
      "title": "Latest Video Title",
      "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ",
      "author": "MKBHD",
      "published": "2026-01-30T16:00:00Z",
      "updated": "2026-01-31T02:00:00Z",
      "link": "",
      "description": "Full video description...",
      "thumbnail": { "url": "" },
      "viewCount": "2287630",
      "starRating": {
        "average": "4.92",
        "count": "15000",
        "min": "1",
        "max": "5"
      }
    }
  ],
  "result_count": 15
}

Great for monitoring channels — free and gives exact view counts + ISO timestamps.

GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/videos — 1 credit/page

Paginated list of ALL channel uploads (100 per page).

# First page
curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

# Next pages
curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

Param

Required

Validation

channel_id	conditional	^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$ (first page)
continuation	conditional	non-empty (next pages)

Provide exactly one of channel_id or continuation, not both.

Response:

{
  "results": [{
    "videoId": "abc123xyz00",
    "title": "Video Title",
    "channelId": "UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ",
    "channelTitle": "MKBHD",
    "channelHandle": "@mkbhd",
    "lengthText": "15:22",
    "viewCountText": "3.2M views",
    "thumbnails": [...],
    "index": "0"
  }],
  "playlist_info": {"title": "Uploads from MKBHD", "numVideos": "1893", "ownerName": "MKBHD"},
  "continuation_token": "4qmFsgKlARIYVVV1...",
  "has_more": true
}

Keep calling with continuation until has_more: false.

GET /api/v2/youtube/channel/search — 1 credit

Search within a specific channel.

curl -s "
?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID&q=iphone+review&limit=30" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

Param

Required

Validation

channel_id	yes	^UC[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{22}$
q	yes	1-200 chars
limit	no	1-50 (default 30)

Typical workflow

# 1. Resolve handle to ID (free)
curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

# 2. Check latest uploads (free)
curl -s "" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

# 3. Get transcript of recent video
curl -s "
?video_url=VIDEO_ID&format=text&include_timestamp=true&send_metadata=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"

Errors

Code

Action

400	Invalid param combination (both or neither channel_id/continuation)
402	No credits — transcriptapi.com/billing
404	Channel not found
408	Timeout — retry once
422	Invalid channel_id format

Free tier: 100 credits, 300 req/min. Free endpoints (resolve, latest) require auth but don't consume credits.