YouTube Search
Search YouTube and fetch transcripts via TranscriptOut.com.
Setup
If $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY is not set, read references/auth-setup.md and follow the instructions there to get and store the key.
Required Header
Every request needs one header:
- Authorization:
Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY
Every response is one JSON envelope. Success: {"ok": true, "request_id": "...", "data": {...}}. Error: {"ok": false, "code": "...", "detail": "...", "request_id": "..."}. Branch on the machine-readable code, not on the human text. The remaining credit balance rides in the X-Credits-Remaining response header.
API Reference
Base URL: https://api.transcriptout.com/v1. Full reference with the latest parameters and schemas: transcriptout.com/docs.
GET /v1/search · 1 credit/page
Search YouTube for videos or channels.
# Videos
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/search?q=QUERY&type=video&limit=20" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
# Channels
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/search?q=QUERY&type=channel&limit=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
# Next page
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/search?next_page_token=TOKEN" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
| Param | Required | Default | Validation |
|---|---|---|---|
q |
yes* | - | the query (*or pass next_page_token) |
type |
no | video |
video, channel |
limit |
no | 20 |
1-50 |
next_page_token |
no | - | token from a previous page |
The response carries next_page_token and has_more. Video entries have video_id, title, channel, duration ("M:SS"), view_count, published, url, thumbnails.
GET /v1/channel/search · 1 credit/page
Search inside one channel using YouTube's native relevance search. A result whose title lacks the query word is normal: it is relevance, not substring match.
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/channel/search?name=@kurzgesagt&q=QUERY&limit=30" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
| Param | Required | Default | Validation |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
yes* | - | @handle, channel name, UC... ID or URL (*or next_page_token) |
q |
yes* | - | query to search within the channel |
limit |
no | 30 |
1-100 |
next_page_token |
no | - | token from a previous page |
Cheaper and better-ranked than downloading the catalogue and grepping it.
Workflow: Search → Transcript
Results are metadata only: choose from them, then transcribe just the chosen few (the transcript endpoint is 1 credit and lives in the transcript skill).
# 1. Search
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/search?q=QUERY&limit=5" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
# 2. Transcript of a chosen result
curl -s "https://api.transcriptout.com/v1/transcript?video=VIDEO_ID&format=text&video_metadata=true" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TRANSCRIPTOUT_API_KEY"
Errors
| Code | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 400/422 | Bad parameter | Fix the request. Credit refunded automatically |
| 401 | Bad or missing API key | Check the key. It must start with sk_ |
| 402 | Out of credits | transcriptout.com/billing |
| 404 | No captions on that language/track, or bad ID | Definitive answer, do not retry. Try another lang or kind=auto. Billed |
| 410 | Video removed | Do not retry |
| 451 | Age-restricted or members-only | Do not retry |
| 429 | Rate limit (200 req/min per key) | Wait, respect Retry-After. Refunded |
| 502 | Failed on YouTube's side | One retry is reasonable. Billed |
| 503 | Service at capacity | Retry after Retry-After. Refunded |
Every error body carries a machine-readable code and a request_id. Include the request_id when contacting support.