youtube-summary

Summarize YouTube transcripts into timestamped topic overviews.

Updated Nov 4, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/cyx-1/hello --skill youtube-summary
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: youtube-summary
Source: https://github.com/cyx-1/hello/tree/main/.claude/skills/summarize_youtube_transcript
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/cyx-1/hello --skill youtube-summary

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires yt-dlp, and includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill automates turning YouTube transcripts into concise, timestamped video summaries, saving hours of manual note-taking and review work.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Transcript-aware summarization: If a transcript already exists locally at youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md, skip download and proceed to summarization.
  • Transcript download when needed: If no transcript exists, automatically download subtitles to enable summarization.
  • Structured, clickable outputs: Generate a summary at youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.md with topics and clickable timestamp links to the original video.
  • Organized outputs: Outputs are stored under the youtube/ directory by channel for easy retrieval and archival.

Quick Start

Provide the YouTube URL to analyze. The Skill will fetch or reuse an existing transcript, then produce a summary at youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.md with topic bullets and timestamp links like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=XXXs.

Frequently Asked Questions about youtube-summary

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I summarize a YouTube video with timestamps?▼

Summarize YouTube videos by providing a URL; the Skill automatically fetches or reuses an existing transcript, then generates a timestamped summary at youtube/{Channel Name}/summary-{Video Title}.md with clickable links to specific moments in the video.

Can I skip downloading transcripts if I already have them?▼

Yes. If a transcript exists locally at youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md, the Skill detects it and proceeds directly to summarization, skipping the download step.

What format does the summary output use?▼

Summaries are saved as Markdown files organized by channel under the youtube/ directory, containing an executive overview, topic bullets with start and end timestamps, and clickable YouTube links formatted as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=XXXs.

Do I need yt-dlp installed to use this Skill?▼

Yes. yt-dlp is required to download YouTube transcripts when they don't already exist locally; it handles subtitle extraction for videos where transcripts are unavailable.

What happens if a YouTube video doesn't have a transcript available?▼

The Skill attempts to download subtitles using yt-dlp. If no transcript or subtitles exist, summarization cannot proceed; a local transcript file at youtube/{Channel Name}/transcript-{Video Title}.md is required.

Can I use this for bulk processing multiple videos?▼

The Skill processes one video at a time. For multiple videos, run it sequentially on each URL; summaries organize automatically by channel name in the youtube/ directory for easy batch retrieval.