youtube-processor

YouTube Processor

What This Does

Takes a YouTube URL, extracts the transcript, and you (Claude) summarize it. Outputs Obsidian-ready markdown. Zero friction: share a link, get actionable notes.

When to Use

• "Summarize this video: [URL]"
• "Turn this YouTube into notes"
• "What's this video about?"
• "Process this for my newsletter"
• Any YouTube URL shared for processing

Location

This skill's tools live at:

/Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools/

How It Works

Step 1: Python extracts the transcript (no API key needed) Step 2: You (Claude) summarize using your intelligence + context Step 3: You write the Obsidian-formatted output

This approach means you can use mission-context, newsletter-coach, and other skills during summarization.

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Instructions

Which Method to Use

Environment	Method
Claude Code	Local Python script (Step 1a)
Claude.ai / Mac Client	API via WebFetch (Step 1b)

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Step 1a: Extract Transcript (Claude Code)

Run the Python tool to get the transcript:

cd /Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools && \
python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]"

For JSON output (easier to parse):

python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]" --json

Step 1b: Extract Transcript (Claude.ai / Mac Client)

Use the API endpoint via WebFetch:

WebFetch: https://youtube-processor-eight.vercel.app/transcript?url=[VIDEO_URL]

The API returns JSON:

{
  "success": true,
  "video_id": "abc123",
  "language": "en",
  "transcript": "...",
  "char_count": 5000,
  "word_count": 850
}

Example prompt for WebFetch: "Extract the transcript text from the response"

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Step 2: Summarize the Transcript

Once you have the transcript, summarize it based on what the user needs:

Quick Summary:

• Headline (1 sentence)
• Key points (3-5 bullets)
• Main takeaway

Detailed Analysis:

• Headline summary
• Key points with context
• Main takeaways
• Action items mentioned
• How this relates to Ed's work (if relevant)

Newsletter Mining:

• Hook ideas for an article
• Core insight/framework
• Story beats for anecdotes
• Takeaways for readers
• Newsletter angle for The Little Blue Report

Step 3: Format for Obsidian

Create markdown with this structure:

---
source: YouTube
video_id: [ID]
url: [URL]
processed: [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM]
tags: [youtube, video-notes]
---

# [Video Title or Topic]

**Link**: [URL]
**Processed**: [Date]

## Summary

[Your summary here]

---

## Full Transcript

[The transcript]

---

_Generated by youtube-processor skill_

Step 4: Save (Optional)

Save to Ed's Zettelkasten:

/Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/

Filename format: YT - [Topic] - YYYY-MM-DD.md

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Error Handling

Error	Meaning	What to Do
"Transcripts disabled"	Creator turned off captions	Video can't be processed
"No transcript found"	No English captions available	Try a different video
"Video unavailable"	Private, deleted, or age-restricted	Check the URL

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Examples

Example 1: Quick Summary

User says:

Summarize this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

You do:

1. Run: python3 get_transcript.py --url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
2. Read the transcript output
3. Provide a summary to the user

Example 2: Save to Obsidian

User says:

Turn this video into notes and save it: [URL]

You do:

1. Extract transcript with the Python tool
2. Summarize the content
3. Format as Obsidian markdown
4. Use Write tool to save to Zettelkasten
5. Confirm: "Saved to [filepath]"

Example 3: Newsletter Mining

User says:

I want to write about this video for the newsletter: [URL]

You do:

1. Extract transcript
2. Analyze for newsletter angles (hooks, insights, story beats)
3. Present the angles
4. Offer to hand off to newsletter-coach skill

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Integration Points

• newsletter-coach: After extracting video insights, hand off for article development
• mission-context: Use Ed's voice and style when summarizing
• task-clarity-scanner: Action items from videos can be added to daily notes

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Dependencies

The Python tool requires:

youtube-transcript-api

Install if needed:

pip3 install youtube-transcript-api

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Version History

Version	Date	Changes
1.1	2026-01-03	Added Vercel API for Claude.ai/Mac client support
1.0	2026-01-02	Initial build with transcript extraction

Notes & Learnings

• youtube-transcript-api works without API keys
• Most videos have auto-generated English captions
• Claude doing the summarization is better than Python calling the API (can use context)
• ~3-5 second transcript extraction for typical videos