youtube-insights-mcp 0.1.1

MCP server for YouTube transcript extraction and insight analysis

youtube-insights-mcp

An MCP server that fetches YouTube transcripts and extracts structured insights using Claude. Provides 4 MCP tools and a full CLI, with 6 focus area presets across 24 insight categories.

Features

• Transcript extraction with intelligent language fallback
• Structured insight analysis across 24 categories (business, investment, technical, YouTube growth, AI learning)
• 6 focus area presets: general, entrepreneurial, investment, technical, youtube-channel, ai-learning
• Multiple URL formats: youtube.com, youtu.be, embed links, or just a video ID
• Dual mode: MCP server for Claude Desktop + standalone CLI
• Smart chunking for long transcripts with overlap for context continuity
• Proxy support for environments with IP restrictions

Installation

pip install youtube-insights-mcp

Or with development dependencies:

pip install youtube-insights-mcp[dev]

Quick Start

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

Using pip install (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-insights-mcp": {
      "command": "youtube-insights-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using a local clone:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-insights-mcp": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "youtube_insights_mcp"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/project",
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/absolute/path/to/project",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: MCP configuration requires absolute paths. Relative paths will cause startup failures.

CLI Usage

# Health check
youtube-insights-mcp cli ping

# Fetch a transcript
youtube-insights-mcp cli get-transcript "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

# List available transcript languages
youtube-insights-mcp cli list-transcripts "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

# Extract insights (pipe transcript from stdin)
youtube-insights-mcp cli get-transcript VIDEO_ID --no-segments | \
  jq -r '.full_text' | \
  youtube-insights-mcp cli extract-insights - --focus "entrepreneurial,investment"

# List all focus areas and categories
youtube-insights-mcp cli list-focus-areas

MCP Tools

get_transcript

Fetch transcript for a YouTube video with intelligent language fallback.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
video_url	string	required	YouTube URL or video ID
language	string	"en"	Preferred language code

Fallback order: requested language > auto-generated version > any English variant > first available.

list_available_transcripts

List all available transcript languages for a video. Useful for checking what's available before fetching.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
video_url	string	required	YouTube URL or video ID

extract_insights

Prepare a transcript for structured insight extraction by Claude. Returns an extraction prompt, categories, and chunked transcript data.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
transcript	string	required	Full transcript text (min 100 chars)
focus_areas	string	"general"	Comma-separated focus areas
video_id	string	""	Optional video ID for tracking
max_insights	string	"10"	Maximum insights to extract

list_focus_areas

List all available focus area presets and their category definitions.

Focus Areas

Preset	Categories
general	Key points, action items, notable quotes, context
entrepreneurial	Business strategies, growth tactics, lessons learned, mistakes to avoid
investment	Market trends, opportunities, risks, recommendations
technical	Technologies, tools, best practices, pitfalls
youtube-channel	Channel strategy, content ideas, audience growth, production tips
ai-learning	AI concepts, AI tools, mental models, practical applications

Use "all" to extract across every category, or combine presets: "entrepreneurial,investment".

Configuration

Proxy Support

If YouTube blocks your IP, configure a proxy via environment variables:

{
  "env": {
    "PROXY_URL": "http://user:pass@proxy:8080",
    "WEBSHARE_USERNAME": "",
    "WEBSHARE_PASSWORD": ""
  }
}

Priority: Webshare credentials > PROXY_URL > no proxy.

Requirements

• Python >= 3.10
• Dependencies: mcp, pydantic, youtube-transcript-api, yt-dlp

License

MIT