# How to get YouTube video transcripts from a keyword search

> Search YouTube by keyword, pick the videos worth reading and fetch their transcripts with timestamps: lang, segments vs text, captionless videos, Python code and cost.

Canonical page: https://okdata.online/guides/youtube-video-transcript/

Search with YouTube video search, then fetch each chosen video's captions with YouTube video transcript. The worked example is 6 calls and costs at most $0.024; a failed call is not charged, and a video without captions comes back not_found at no charge.

Updated 2026-11-12

The job: you want to know what the popular videos on a topic actually say, not just their titles. Search YouTube, keep the videos worth reading, and pull their transcripts. You end with one JSON Lines file: per video, its title, channel, views, the language of the track you got, the full text for a model to read, and timed segments for quoting with a timestamp.

No Google API key, OAuth consent or proxy is involved. Each call is an HTTPS request with your key.

## Step by step

### Step 1: find the videos

Call [YouTube video search](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/search/) with `query`. `sort` takes `relevance` (the default), `latest` or `most_viewed`. One call returns about 20 videos for $0.004, each with the 11-character `id`, `title`, `url`, `published_at`, the channel in `author` and `metrics.views`. Add `view=full` and each video carries `ext.length_s`, its length in seconds, which helps you skip Shorts when you want long explanations.

```bash
curl -G "https://api.okdata.online/v1/youtube/videos/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OKDATA_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'query=sourdough starter' \
  -d sort=most_viewed -d view=full
```

Search results leave `text` empty and `metrics.likes` and `metrics.comments` null; [YouTube video detail](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/get/) has them if you need them. `published_at` is worked out from labels such as "3 weeks ago", so treat it as approximate.

### Step 2: fetch each transcript

Pass a video's `id` to [YouTube video transcript](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/transcript/get/). One call returns one transcript for $0.004.

- `lang` is your preferred language, such as `en`, `es` or `ja`. It is a preference: the transcript's own `lang` field says which track came back, and it is `und` when the track's language cannot be told. Check it before you file the text under a language.
- `segments` is the list of timed pieces, each with `start` and `end` in seconds and its `text`. Use it for quotes, chapter notes, subtitles or links that jump to a moment (`&t=` plus the start in whole seconds).
- `text` is all segments joined into plain text. Hand this to a model when you want a summary.

```bash
curl -G "https://api.okdata.online/v1/youtube/videos/transcript/get" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OKDATA_API_KEY" \
  -d id=Qm7rT2vXa9c -d lang=en
```

A video without captions returns `not_found`, which is free, so the bill is lower for every captionless video in your batch.

### Step 3: put it together in Python

```python
import json
import os
import requests

API = "https://api.okdata.online"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['OKDATA_API_KEY']}"}
PICK = 5  # transcripts to fetch; each is one call


def get(path, **params):
    return requests.get(API + path, headers=HEADERS, params=params, timeout=90).json()


found = get("/v1/youtube/videos/search", query="sourdough starter", sort="most_viewed", view="full")
if found["code"] != "ok":
    raise RuntimeError(f"{found['code']}: {found['message']}")
videos = sorted(found["data"]["items"], key=lambda v: v["ext"]["length_s"] or 0, reverse=True)[:PICK]

with open("transcripts.jsonl", "w", encoding="utf-8") as out:
    for v in videos:
        body = get("/v1/youtube/videos/transcript/get", id=v["id"], lang="en")
        if body["code"] == "not_found":
            print(v["id"], "no captions, not charged")
            continue
        if body["code"] != "ok":
            print(v["id"], body["code"], body["message"])
            continue
        t = body["data"]["item"]
        out.write(json.dumps({
            "id": v["id"], "title": v["title"], "channel": v["author"]["name"], "views": v["metrics"]["views"],
            "lang": t["lang"], "text": t["text"], "segments": t["segments"],
        }, ensure_ascii=False) + "\n")
```

A failed transcript is printed and skipped rather than stopping the run, because the other videos are still worth having.

## Good to know

- **No captions, no transcript.** The endpoint reads caption tracks; it does not run speech-to-text. For a captionless video, use Whisper or another speech model on audio you are allowed to use. New uploads sometimes get automatic captions a day later.
- **One language per call.** Asking for a second language is a second charged call. Ask once, check `lang`, and translate segment by segment yourself if needed; the timings stay valid.
- **Automatic or typed captions.** The response does not say which kind of track it is. Treat automatic captions with care when you quote.
- **The official API.** YouTube's [captions.download](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/captions/download) costs 200 quota units per call and requires permission to edit the video, so it serves your own channel, not other people's videos.
- **Retries without paying twice.** Send an `Idempotency-Key` header, such as `transcript-` plus the video ID. A repeated request with the same key within 24 hours returns the stored answer with no new charge.

If a library such as youtube-transcript-api tells you transcripts are disabled, see [what TranscriptsDisabled means](https://okdata.online/answers/youtube-transcripts-disabled/). For hundreds of videos at once, see [bulk YouTube transcripts](https://okdata.online/answers/bulk-youtube-transcripts/).

## What the example costs

One page of the most viewed YouTube videos about sourdough starters, then the English transcripts of the five longest

| Endpoint | Calls | Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| [YouTube video search](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/search/) | 1 | $0.004 | $0.004 |
| [YouTube video transcript](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/transcript/get/) | 5 | $0.004 | $0.02 |
| Total | 6 |  | $0.024 |

Prices in force when this page was built. A failed call costs nothing.

## In your AI (MCP)

Connect the MCP server once, then say what you want. The agent finds these endpoints, reads their prices and calls them on your balance.

Say: Search YouTube for sourdough starter, most viewed, one page. Take the five longest videos, get their English transcripts and summarise what each one recommends, with a timestamp for each point.

```json
{
  "endpoint": "youtube.videos.search",
  "params": {
    "query": "claude code tutorial"
  },
  "idempotency_key": "<a new UUID>"
}
```

MCP: `https://api.okdata.online/mcp`

## Endpoints in this guide

- [YouTube video search](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/search/) `youtube.videos.search`: $0.004 per call · about 20 videos per page
- [YouTube video transcript](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/videos/transcript/get/) `youtube.videos.transcript.get`: $0.004 per call

## More about YouTube

- [YouTube API](https://okdata.online/apis/youtube/)
- [How to export YouTube comments for every video on a topic](https://okdata.online/guides/youtube-comments-export/)
- [How do I download transcripts for hundreds of YouTube videos at once?](https://okdata.online/answers/bulk-youtube-transcripts/)
- [Should I use a platform's official API or a third-party social data API?](https://okdata.online/answers/official-api-vs-third-party-social-data/)
- [Is there an MCP server that gives Claude TikTok, YouTube and X data?](https://okdata.online/answers/tiktok-youtube-x-mcp-server/)
- [How do I build a RAG chatbot over YouTube video transcripts?](https://okdata.online/answers/youtube-transcripts-rag-chatbot/)
- [How can I know what a social data job will cost before I run it?](https://okdata.online/answers/estimate-data-api-cost-before-running/)
- [How do I add TikTok and YouTube data as tools in a Node.js agent?](https://okdata.online/answers/node-agent-tiktok-youtube-tools/)
- [Official platform APIs vs third-party data APIs (2026)](https://okdata.online/compare/official-apis-vs-data-apis/)
- [How to choose a social media data API (2026)](https://okdata.online/compare/social-media-data-apis/)
- [Post search API](https://okdata.online/roles/posts-search/)
- [Transcript API](https://okdata.online/roles/transcripts-get/)

## Sources

- [YouTube Data API: Captions: download](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/captions/download) (read 2026-11-12)