MCP server / Claude

Claude MCP server for video transcripts

One server, three ways in: the claude.ai connector, Claude Code, or Claude Desktop. Paste a video URL and Claude reads what was said.

Start fetchingSet it up

Pick your Claude

Same server URL everywhere: https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp. The claude.ai path signs in with OAuth and needs no key; Code and Desktop send an API key as a bearer header and work on any Claude plan.

Claude on the web, one-click connector

  1. Open this prefilled link : name and server URL arrive already filled. (Manual path: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the URL below.)
  2. Click Connect, sign in, approve access. No API key: OAuth handles it.

Custom connectors live on paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise).

Server URL
https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp

Claude Code MCP server

One command in a terminal, any Claude plan:

bash
claude mcp add --transport http transcriptfetch https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer tf_live_YOUR_KEY"

Claude Desktop

Desktop speaks stdio, so bridge the HTTP server with mcp-remote in claude_desktop_config.json:

claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcriptfetch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer tf_live_YOUR_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

What Claude can do with it

Seven tools: get_transcript (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or a direct media file URL), search_videos, search_channels, list_channel_videos, list_channel_playlists, list_playlist_videos, and get_credits. Videos without captions get AI transcription as a background job; the tool says so, and Claude calls it again shortly after to collect the finished text.

In Claude, after connecting
You: Summarize the argument in this video and pull the three
     strongest quotes: youtube.com/watch?v=...

Claude: [calls get_transcript]
        The speaker argues that... "direct quote one" (2:41)...
Full MCP server overview →Configuration reference →Guide: connect YouTube transcripts to Claude →REST API instead →

Frequently asked questions

How do I add an MCP server to Claude?

Three ways. On claude.ai: Settings, Connectors, Add custom connector, paste the server URL and sign in with OAuth. In Claude Code: one `claude mcp add` command with your API key as a bearer header. In Claude Desktop: an mcp-remote entry in claude_desktop_config.json. All three are shown on this page.

Does this work on Claude's free plan?

Claude Code and Claude Desktop work on any plan using a TranscriptFetch API key. The one-click claude.ai connector requires a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise), because that is where custom connectors live.

What can Claude do once it is connected?

Fetch the transcript of any YouTube, TikTok or Instagram URL you paste, search for videos (on YouTube, filtered by date, length or captions), find YouTube channels and playlists, list a channel's videos, Shorts, streams or playlists and a playlist's videos, and check your credit balance. Videos without captions get AI transcription as a background job: the tool says so, and Claude calls it again shortly after to collect the text.

What does it cost?

TranscriptFetch gives every account 50 free credits a month. Caption fetches cost one credit; AI transcription is billed by audio duration, only on delivery. Failed or empty fetches are never billed. Paid plans start at $5 a month for 1,000 credits. Claude-side, the connector path needs a paid Claude plan; the API-key paths do not.

Is this an official Anthropic server?

No. TranscriptFetch is an independent transcript API whose MCP server follows Anthropic's open Model Context Protocol, the same standard Claude uses for every third-party tool. It is listed in the official MCP Registry as com.transcriptfetch/youtube-transcripts.

Two minutes from key to transcript

Sign up, grab a key, paste one config block into whichever Claude you use. 50 free credits a month, failures never billed.

Get started free