YouTube Translate

Provides transcripts, translations, subtitles, summaries, and search for YouTube videos via an MCP server.

python

4

GitHub Stars

python

Language

6 months ago

First Indexed

2 months ago

Catalog Refreshed

Documentation & install

Readme and setup notes from the catalogue, plus a client-ready config you can copy for your MCP host.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brianshin22-youtube-translate-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/youtube-translate-mcp",
        "run",
        "-m",
        "youtube_translate_mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YOUTUBE_TRANSLATE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can access transcripts, translations, subtitles, summaries, and targeted searches for YouTube videos through this MCP server. It provides an efficient, programmable way to retrieve and process video content, expanding how you interact with YouTube data in your workflows.

How to use

You will run the YouTube Translate MCP server locally or remotely and connect it with your MCP client. Once connected, you can:

Retrieve transcripts for YouTube videos by providing the video identifier. Then, optionally translate the transcript into your preferred language.
Generate subtitles in SRT or VTT formats from transcripts to accompany videos or for archiving.
Create concise summaries of video content to get quick overviews without watching the full video.
Search within video transcripts to locate specific segments or topics.

How to install

Prerequisites to begin are Python 3.12 or higher and, optionally, Docker if you plan to run in containers.

Manual installation can be done with either uv (recommended) or standard Python tooling.

Install with uv (recommended) and set up a virtual environment, then install the package in editable mode.

Install with standard tools using pip or uv to install dependencies, then install the package in editable mode.

Additional configuration and troubleshooting

Set the environment variable YOUTUBE_TRANSLATE_API_KEY with your access key to the YouTube Translate API. The MCP server relies on this key to access transcripts, translations, and related features.

If you plan to test locally with Claude Desktop, you can add your server configuration to Claude Desktop’s MCP setup. You can run in stdio mode with a local uv-based command or test with Docker, as shown in the examples.

For debugging, review the MCP logs produced by Claude Desktop or your local MCP runtime. You can tail the log file to monitor activity and diagnose issues.

Examples of server connections

{
  "type": "stdio",
  "name": "youtube_translate",
  "command": "uv",
  "args": [
    "--directory",
    "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/youtube-translate-mcp",
    "run",
    "-m", "youtube_translate_mcp"
  ],
  "env": {
    "YOUTUBE_TRANSLATE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
}

{
  "type": "stdio",
  "name": "youtube_translate",
  "command": "docker",
  "args": [
    "run",
    "-i",
    "--rm",
    "-e",
    "YOUTUBE_TRANSLATE_API_KEY",
    "youtube-translate-mcp"
  ],
  "env": {
    "YOUTUBE_TRANSLATE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
}

Available tools

getTranscripts

Fetch transcripts for a given YouTube video ID.

translateTranscript

Translate a transcript into a target language.

generateSubtitles

Create subtitles in SRT or VTT format from transcripts.

summarizeVideo

Generate a concise summary of video content.

searchContent

Search within transcripts for specific content or keywords.