u-transcript max

YouTube transcripts, AI translation and downloads for Python — with zero dependencies. Its MCP server lets Claude, Codex and other AI assistants use them too.

Alpha. The API can still change before 0.1.0. The design lives in docs/design.

Install

From PyPI, on Python 3.11 or newer:

pip install u-transcript-max          # the library, no dependencies
pip install "u-transcript-max[mcp]"   # plus the MCP server, utmax-mcp

AI translation calls the provider's official SDK with your own API key: add the claude, openai, gemini or openrouter extra, or ai for all of them.

Quickstart

import utmax

transcript = utmax.fetch("https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ")  # the spoken language, manual first
transcript.save("rick.srt")  # also .vtt, .json and .txt

turkish = utmax.translate(transcript, "tr", model="claude=claude-opus-5-5")  # needs [claude]
utmax.bilingual(transcript, turkish).save("rick.en+tr.srt")

utmax.download("dQw4w9WgXcQ", "rick.mp4")  # H.264 up to 1080p with English subtitles
videos = utmax.list_videos("@RickAstleyYT", kind="videos", limit=20)

Coming from youtube-transcript-api? Change one import:

from utmax.compat import YouTubeTranscriptApi

MCP server

utmax-mcp gives an AI assistant four tools: list_tracks, get_transcript, list_videos and download. It needs no API key: ask for a translation and the assistant translates the transcript itself. The commands below start it with uvx from uv, which installs it from PyPI on first use.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user utmax -- uvx --from "u-transcript-max[mcp]" utmax-mcp

claude mcp get utmax should say Connected; inside Claude Code, /mcp lists the server.

Codex

codex mcp add utmax -- uvx --from "u-transcript-max[mcp]" utmax-mcp

A long download can outlast Codex's default tool timeout, and the first start installs the server, so give it more time in ~/.codex/config.toml (the CLI and the IDE extension share this file):

[mcp_servers.utmax]
command = "uvx"
args = ["--from", "u-transcript-max[mcp]", "utmax-mcp"]
startup_timeout_sec = 60
tool_timeout_sec = 1800

Claude Desktop

Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config, add the server to claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "utmax": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "u-transcript-max[mcp]", "utmax-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

If Claude Desktop cannot find uvx, put its full path in command (which uvx, or where uvx on Windows).

Other clients and settings

Any MCP client that starts stdio servers can run the same command, or utmax-mcp after pip install "u-transcript-max[mcp]". Environment variables change the defaults:

Set them with -e NAME=value in Claude Code, --env NAME=value in Codex, or an "env" object in Claude Desktop.

License

MIT