YouTube

YouTube Transcript API

Beta

Returns the timed transcript of a public YouTube video, short or live replay: the creator's manual captions when they exist, otherwise YouTube's auto-generated track, in the language you ask for. Videos without any caption track are transcribed from their audio with speech-to-text. Accepts every YouTube URL form (watch, youtu.be, shorts, live, embed, music.) or a bare 11-character video ID.

GET /v1/youtube/transcript

Try it

Example

cURL
curl -G 'https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript' \
  --data-urlencode 'url=dQw4w9WgXcQ' \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"
Node.js
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SOCIALTAP_API_KEY ?? "" },
});
const body = await res.json();
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${body.error.code}: ${body.error.message}`);
const { data, meta } = body;
console.log(data, meta.credits_charged);
Python
import os

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript",
    params={"url": "dQw4w9WgXcQ"},
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"]},
)
body = res.json()
if not res.ok:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{body['error']['code']}: {body['error']['message']}")
data, meta = body["data"], body["meta"]
print(data, meta["credits_charged"])
Go
package main

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"log"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	q := url.Values{}
	q.Set("url", "dQw4w9WgXcQ")
	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript?"+q.Encode(), nil)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", os.Getenv("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"))
	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()
	var body struct {
		Data  json.RawMessage `json:"data"`
		Meta  map[string]any  `json:"meta"`
		Error *struct {
			Code    string `json:"code"`
			Message string `json:"message"`
		} `json:"error"`
	}
	if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	if body.Error != nil {
		log.Fatalf("%s: %s", body.Error.Code, body.Error.Message)
	}
	fmt.Println(string(body.Data), body.Meta["credits_charged"])
}
PHP
<?php

$query = http_build_query([
    'url' => 'dQw4w9WgXcQ',
]);
$ch = curl_init('https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript?' . $query);
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ['x-api-key: ' . getenv('SOCIALTAP_API_KEY')],
]);
$body = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
if (curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE) >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException($body['error']['code'] . ': ' . $body['error']['message']);
}
print_r($body['data']);
echo $body['meta']['credits_charged'], PHP_EOL;
Ruby
require "json"
require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form('url' => 'dQw4w9WgXcQ')
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = ENV.fetch("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY")
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: uri.scheme == "https") { |http| http.request(req) }
body = JSON.parse(res.body)
raise "#{body["error"]["code"]}: #{body["error"]["message"]}" unless res.is_a?(Net::HTTPSuccess)
pp body["data"]
puts body["meta"]["credits_charged"]
Java
import java.net.URI;
import java.net.URLEncoder;
import java.net.http.HttpClient;
import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        String query = "url=" + encode("dQw4w9WgXcQ");
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
            .uri(URI.create("https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript?" + query))
            .header("x-api-key", System.getenv("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"))
            .GET()
            .build();
        HttpResponse<String> response = HttpClient.newHttpClient()
            .send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
        // An error is {"error": {"code", "message", ...}}; success is {data, meta}, meta.credits_charged its price.
        if (response.statusCode() >= 400) throw new RuntimeException(response.body());
        System.out.println(response.body());
    }

    static String encode(String value) {
        return URLEncoder.encode(value, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
    }
}
.NET
using System.Text.Json;

using var http = new HttpClient();
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"));

var query = string.Join("&",
    "url=" + Uri.EscapeDataString("dQw4w9WgXcQ"));
var res = await http.GetAsync("https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript?" + query);
using var body = JsonDocument.Parse(await res.Content.ReadAsStringAsync());
if (!res.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
    var error = body.RootElement.GetProperty("error");
    throw new Exception($"{error.GetProperty("code")}: {error.GetProperty("message")}");
}
Console.WriteLine(body.RootElement.GetProperty("data"));
Console.WriteLine(body.RootElement.GetProperty("meta").GetProperty("credits_charged"));
Rust
// Cargo.toml: reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["blocking", "json"] }, serde_json = "1"
use std::env;

fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    let res = reqwest::blocking::Client::new()
        .get("https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/youtube/transcript")
        .query(&[("url", "dQw4w9WgXcQ")])
        .header("x-api-key", env::var("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY")?)
        .send()?;
    let ok = res.status().is_success();
    let body: serde_json::Value = res.json()?;
    if !ok {
        return Err(format!("{}: {}", body["error"]["code"], body["error"]["message"]).into());
    }
    println!("{} {}", body["data"], body["meta"]["credits_charged"]);
    Ok(())
}
200 OK
{
  "data": {
    "available_languages": [
      "en",
      "de-DE",
      "ja"
    ],
    "duration_ms": 213000,
    "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "is_auto_generated": false,
    "language": "en",
    "platform": "youtube",
    "platform_specific": {},
    "segments": [
      {
        "end_ms": 3040,
        "start_ms": 1360,
        "text": "[♪♪♪]"
      },
      {
        "end_ms": 21880,
        "start_ms": 18640,
        "text": "♪ We're no strangers to love ♪"
      },
      {
        "end_ms": 26960,
        "start_ms": 22640,
        "text": "♪ You know the rules and so do I ♪"
      }
    ],
    "source": "captions",
    "text": "[♪♪♪] ♪ We're no strangers to love ♪ ♪ You know the rules and so do I ♪ ♪ A full commitment's what I'm thinking of ♪ ♪ You wouldn't get this from any other guy ♪ ♪ I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Gotta make you understand ♪ ♪ Never gonna give you up ♪ ♪ Never gonna let …",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_3f9c2a7d1e8b4c6a9f0e2d4b6a8c0e1f",
    "platform": "youtube",
    "source": "captions",
    "is_cached": false,
    "credits_charged": 1,
    "latency_ms": 511,
    "fetched_at": "2026-10-25T12:00:00Z",
    "input": {
      "kind": "video",
      "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    },
    "credits_remaining": 9999,
    "client_request_id": null,
    "warnings": [],
    "mode": "live"
  }
}

Long arrays and strings are shortened for display; real responses are complete.

x-api-keystringheaderrequired

Your API key. Keys starting with st_test_ are test keys: recorded responses, free. Authentication

NameTypeDescriptionExample
url requiredstring
max 2,048 chars
YouTube video URL (watch, youtu.be, shorts, live, embed, m./music. hosts) or an 11-character video ID.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
lang optionalstring
bcp47
Preferred language: a BCP-47 tag such as en or pt-BR (case-insensitive; _ is read as -). Selects the caption track; a manual track is preferred over an auto-generated one. Default: the video's original-language manual track, else its auto-generated track.en
urlstringrequiredmax 2,048 chars

YouTube video URL (watch, youtu.be, shorts, live, embed, m./music. hosts) or an 11-character video ID.

Examplehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

langstringbcp47

Preferred language: a BCP-47 tag such as en or pt-BR (case-insensitive; _ is read as -). Selects the caption track; a manual track is preferred over an auto-generated one. Default: the video's original-language manual track, else its auto-generated track.

Exampleen

url takes YouTube video links; another kind of link, or another platform's, fails free with invalid_input. Unknown parameters are rejected with a suggestion, never ignored (Requests).

Parameters every endpoint accepts
NameTypeDescriptionExample
max_age optionalinteger
min 0
Accept a cached response up to this many seconds old. Cache hits cost 0 credits. Omit to always fetch fresh. The Cache-Control: max-age=N request header is equivalent; max_age wins when both are sent.—
fields optionalstringReturn only these fields of each item: comma-separated paths in the schema's notation (id,text,metrics.view_count,segments[].text; a parent path keeps the whole object). Unknown paths are rejected. Applied after the cache, so it changes neither the price nor cache hits; page and meta are always returned whole.—
max_ageintegermin 0

Accept a cached response up to this many seconds old. Cache hits cost 0 credits. Omit to always fetch fresh. The Cache-Control: max-age=N request header is equivalent; max_age wins when both are sent.

fieldsstring

Return only these fields of each item: comma-separated paths in the schema's notation (id,text,metrics.view_count,segments[].text; a parent path keeps the whole object). Unknown paths are rejected. Applied after the cache, so it changes neither the price nor cache hits; page and meta are always returned whole.

Response

application/json

200

{data, meta}. data is a transcript object; meta describes the request (meta). The fields are the shared transcript schema, the same on every platform.

FieldTypeDescription
data.platformstringPlatform the media is hosted on.
data.idstringPlatform-native ID of the post (equals post.id).
data.urlstring (uri)Canonical URL of the post.
data.languagestring or nullBCP-47 language of the returned transcript; null when unknown.
data.sourcestringcaptions = platform caption track; asr = speech-to-text on the audio. New values may be added.
One of captions, asr
data.is_auto_generatedbooleanTrue when the track was machine-generated (platform auto-captions or ASR).
data.available_languagesstring[]BCP-47 caption languages the platform offers for this post; [] if none or not listed.
data.duration_msinteger or nullMedia duration in milliseconds; null when unknown.
data.segmentsobject[]Timed cues in order; never empty on success.
data.segments[].start_msintegerStart time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.
data.segments[].end_msintegerEnd time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.
data.segments[].textstringCue text, whitespace-normalized.
data.textstringFull transcript: segment texts joined with single spaces.
data.platform_specificobjectFields only this platform has, under its ID (platform_specific.<platform>); each null when unknown.
platformstring

Platform the media is hosted on.

idstring

Platform-native ID of the post (equals post.id).

urlstring uri

Canonical URL of the post.

languagestringnullable

BCP-47 language of the returned transcript; null when unknown.

sourcestring

captions = platform caption track; asr = speech-to-text on the audio. New values may be added.

One ofcaptionsasr

is_auto_generatedboolean

True when the track was machine-generated (platform auto-captions or ASR).

available_languagesstring[]

BCP-47 caption languages the platform offers for this post; [] if none or not listed.

duration_msintegernullable

Media duration in milliseconds; null when unknown.

segmentsobject[]

Timed cues in order; never empty on success.

ShowHide 3 child fields
start_msinteger

Start time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.

end_msinteger

End time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.

textstring

Cue text, whitespace-normalized.

textstring

Full transcript: segment texts joined with single spaces.

platform_specificobject

Fields only this platform has, under its ID (platform_specific.<platform>); each null when unknown.

not_found, private_or_unavailable and no_transcript are item-level: the request was fine, the item can't be returned.

400

400 Bad Request: 1 error code. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
invalid_input400NoThe request parameters are missing or malformed, or the URL is not a supported link for this endpoint.Fix the parameter named in param (the message says how); for a link of the wrong kind, call the endpoint the message names.

The request parameters are missing or malformed, or the URL is not a supported link for this endpoint.

Fix the parameter named in param (the message says how); for a link of the wrong kind, call the endpoint the message names.

401

401 Unauthorized: 1 error code. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
unauthorized401NoThe x-api-key header is missing, unknown or revoked (or, on the dashboard's routes, the session cookie is missing or expired).Send a valid API key in the x-api-key header; without one, get a key at details.signup_url (AI agents: POST details.agent_signup_url).
unauthorizedNo retry

The x-api-key header is missing, unknown or revoked (or, on the dashboard's routes, the session cookie is missing or expired).

Send a valid API key in the x-api-key header; without one, get a key at details.signup_url (AI agents: POST details.agent_signup_url).

402

402 Payment Required: 2 error codes. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
insufficient_credits402NoThe account does not have enough credits for this request.Buy credits (a human pays: details.purchase_url, or details.checkout makes a checkout link), then repeat the request; do not retry automatically.
spend_limit_reached402NoThe API key reached its spend limit for the current period; the account may still have credits.Wait until details.resets_at or raise the key's spend limit (PATCH /v1/api_keys/{id}); do not retry automatically.

The account does not have enough credits for this request.

Buy credits (a human pays: details.purchase_url, or details.checkout makes a checkout link), then repeat the request; do not retry automatically.

The API key reached its spend limit for the current period; the account may still have credits.

Wait until details.resets_at or raise the key's spend limit (PATCH /v1/api_keys/{id}); do not retry automatically.

403

403 Forbidden: 2 error codes. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
forbidden403NoThe API key is valid but may not make this request: its account is suspended, its scopes do not include the route, it is waiting for its owner's email confirmation, it is past its expiry, or the request came from an IP its allowlist does not include. A running job stops the same way when its account is suspended or the key that created it is revoked or expires. It is about the key, never the item (a private item is private_or_unavailable, also 403): branch on the code.Do what details.reason says: if suspended, contact support; otherwise use a key whose scopes cover the route (details.required_scope), have the owner confirm the emailed link, create a new key, or call from an allowed IP.
private_or_unavailable403NoThe item exists but is private, age- or region-gated, or requires a login to view. It shares 403 with forbidden (which is about the key): branch on the code.Only public items can be fetched; do not retry.
forbiddenNo retry

The API key is valid but may not make this request: its account is suspended, its scopes do not include the route, it is waiting for its owner's email confirmation, it is past its expiry, or the request came from an IP its allowlist does not include. A running job stops the same way when its account is suspended or the key that created it is revoked or expires. It is about the key, never the item (a private item is private_or_unavailable, also 403): branch on the code.

Do what details.reason says: if suspended, contact support; otherwise use a key whose scopes cover the route (details.required_scope), have the owner confirm the emailed link, create a new key, or call from an allowed IP.

The item exists but is private, age- or region-gated, or requires a login to view. It shares 403 with forbidden (which is about the key): branch on the code.

Only public items can be fetched; do not retry.

404

404 Not Found: 2 error codes. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
not_found404NoThe item does not exist or was deleted.Check the URL or ID; do not retry.
no_transcript404NoThe media exists but has no transcript: no caption track and no speech to transcribe.Do not retry; try another language with lang if the platform offers one.
not_foundNo retry

The item does not exist or was deleted.

Check the URL or ID; do not retry.

The media exists but has no transcript: no caption track and no speech to transcribe.

Do not retry; try another language with lang if the platform offers one.

429

429 Too Many Requests: 1 error code. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
rate_limited429Yes, laterThe account exceeded its runaway-protection ceiling: plans do not limit request rate, but a high per-account safety ceiling stops broken client loops. Support raises it on request. Without an API key (signup, the MCP server's tool listing and find_endpoint), requests are limited per IP address instead.Wait for the number of seconds in the retry-after header, then retry; ask support to raise the ceiling if your sustained traffic needs more (calls without an API key: use one).
rate_limitedYes, later

The account exceeded its runaway-protection ceiling: plans do not limit request rate, but a high per-account safety ceiling stops broken client loops. Support raises it on request. Without an API key (signup, the MCP server's tool listing and find_endpoint), requests are limited per IP address instead.

Wait for the number of seconds in the retry-after header, then retry; ask support to raise the ceiling if your sustained traffic needs more (calls without an API key: use one).

500

500 Internal Error: 1 error code. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
internal500Yes, laterUnexpected SocialTap error.Retry with backoff; contact support with the request_id if it persists.
internalYes, later

Unexpected SocialTap error.

Retry with backoff; contact support with the request_id if it persists.

502

502 Bad Gateway: 1 error code. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
upstream_error502Yes, laterThe platform failed or returned something unexpected.Retry with backoff; failed requests are free.
upstream_errorYes, later

The platform failed or returned something unexpected.

Retry with backoff; failed requests are free.

503

503 Unavailable: 2 error codes. Free: errors cost nothing.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
upstream_blocked503Yes, laterThe platform refused every attempt.Retry later with backoff; failed requests are free.
overloaded503Yes, laterSocialTap was momentarily at capacity and did not start the request: nothing was fetched or charged.Retry after the number of seconds in the retry-after header; failed requests are free.

The platform refused every attempt.

Retry later with backoff; failed requests are free.

overloadedYes, later

SocialTap was momentarily at capacity and did not start the request: nothing was fetched or charged.

Retry after the number of seconds in the retry-after header; failed requests are free.

From 1 credit per request, up to 122 credits. Charged only for successful requests. Errors are free. The price depends on the source that produced the result, reported as meta.source; sources are tried cheapest first: Captions → Speech-to-text.

SourcePrice per successful requestPer 1,000 requests
Captions captions1 credit$0.75–$1.45
Speech-to-text asr2 credits + 2 per started minute of media
up to 122 credits (60 started minutes of media)
$1.50–$2.90 + $1.50–$2.90 per started minute of media

Example: a result from Speech-to-text asr with 3 started minutes of media costs 2 + 2 × 3 = 8 credits.

Balance, sources and what you were charged

Your balance must be at least 1 credit to start a request; with less, it is refused with insufficient_credits (HTTP 402) and costs nothing. Only that minimum is set aside when the request starts. One request costs at most 122 credits, but that amount is never locked up in advance: right before costlier work, SocialTap sets aside more of your balance, the exact price when the number of started minutes of media is known beforehand, otherwise as much as your balance allows (and the work is limited to what that pays for). It then charges the actual price and releases the rest. If the result would cost more than your balance covers, the request is refused with insufficient_credits as well, and costs nothing.

meta.sourceSourceWhat it means
captionsCaptionsThe platform's own caption track (uploaded or auto-generated).
asrSpeech-to-textTranscribed by SocialTap from the media's audio when the platform has no captions.

meta.credits_charged and the x-credits-charged header show what you paid. How credits work · Packs

A key starting with st_test_ gets recorded responses, free and the same every time (test mode). The recorded inputs return their recording; any other input returns the example above.

18 recorded inputs and magic inputs
InputAnswer
HtVdAasjOgU403 private_or_unavailable
https://www.youtube.com/live/qVv6vCqciTM200 OK
jNQXAC9IVRw200 OK
dQw4w9WgXcQ
with lang=en
200 OK
dQw4w9WgXcQ
with lang=de
200 OK
https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
with lang=ja
200 OK
jNQXAC9IVRw
with lang=fr
404 no_transcript
jfKfPfyJRdk404 no_transcript
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCc8FmEb1nY200 OK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ Default200 OK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
with lang=pt-BR
200 OK
lqQg6PlCWgI404 no_transcript
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tjjjtzRLHvA404 no_transcript
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk200 OK
Q39EVAstoRM404 not_found
yYr8q0y5Jfg403 private_or_unavailable
yZIXLfi8CZQ403 private_or_unavailable
6SJNVb0GnPI404 not_found

Magic inputs: send one of these as url to get that error.

ErrorValue
invalid_inputhttps://socialtap.dev/test/invalid_input
insufficient_creditshttps://socialtap.dev/test/insufficient_credits
spend_limit_reachedhttps://socialtap.dev/test/spend_limit_reached
rate_limitedhttps://socialtap.dev/test/rate_limited
not_foundhttps://socialtap.dev/test/not_found
private_or_unavailablehttps://socialtap.dev/test/private_or_unavailable
no_transcripthttps://socialtap.dev/test/no_transcript
upstream_blockedhttps://socialtap.dev/test/upstream_blocked
upstream_errorhttps://socialtap.dev/test/upstream_error
overloadedhttps://socialtap.dev/test/overloaded
internalhttps://socialtap.dev/test/internal

Endpoint ID youtube.transcript · operationId youtube.transcript.get · Product overview

Last updated