MCP Server for YouTube, TikTok & Instagram Transcripts

Point any MCP-compatible AI client at TranscriptFetch so your assistant can fetch transcripts from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and direct media files, and discover videos, mid-conversation.

New here? The MCP server overview covers what it does, per-client setup, and pricing. This page is the configuration reference. The server advertises five tools:

Remote MCP endpointhttps://transcriptfetch.com/mcp OAuth + API key

get_transcriptFull transcript for a YouTube ID/URL, TikTok, Instagram, or direct media file. Pass ai_fallback: true to transcribe audio when captions are unavailable.

search_videosSearch YouTube by keyword; returns titles, IDs, and URLs.

list_channel_videosRecent videos for a handle (@name), channel ID (UC…), or URL.

list_playlist_videosVideos in a playlist ID or URL.

get_creditsThe caller’s remaining credit balance. The only free tool.

Every successful call costs 1 credit, the listing tools included; only get_credits is free. When a video has no captions, get_transcript starts AI transcription and, for short videos, waits inline and returns the finished text in the same call (typically ~30 seconds). Longer media returns outcome: "processing" with a jobId; the client calls the tool again with the same video to collect the finished text. When the job is not started automatically, the response says whether retrying with ai_fallback: true would work.

Claude (web), one-click connector

The fastest way to connect. Claude.ai handles authentication over OAuth, so no API key is needed. Sign in to TranscriptFetch and approve access. Requires a paid Claude plan.

Connect in Claude

Use Connect in Claude above. The dialog opens with the name and server URL already filled in. Or configure it manually: Settings → Connectors → “Add custom connector”, name TranscriptFetch, server URL https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp.
Click “Connect”. You’re taken to TranscriptFetch’s sign-in / authorization page, sign in (or create an account) and approve access.
Acknowledge that Claude will use your TranscriptFetch credits: one per delivered caption transcript, or duration-based credits for AI transcription.
Done. All five tools (get_transcript, search_videos, list_channel_videos, list_playlist_videos, get_credits) are now available. Paste a video URL from YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram and ask for the transcript.

Claude Code / Desktop, API key

For Claude Code, add the server with your API key as a bearer header:

bash

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

For Claude Desktop, bridge the HTTP server with mcp-remote in your claude_desktop_config.json:

JSON

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

Cursor / VS Code, API key

Add an entry to your MCP config (Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json, VS Code: .vscode/mcp.json):

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transcriptfetch": {
      "url": "https://transcriptfetch.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer tf_live_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}