# Vidskim

> Vidskim is a Chrome extension for YouTube videos with available captions. Transcript reading, search, copy, and export work without an AI key. Limited hosted AI supports summaries and transcript-grounded chat; Google sign-in extends the free allowance, and users may optionally add their own provider key for direct calls. There is no paid plan yet. Not affiliated with YouTube.

## Connector for AI assistants (MCP)

- [YouTube connector for Claude, ChatGPT, and coding agents](https://vidskim.com/mcp): remote MCP server at https://vidskim.com/api/mcp (Streamable HTTP, OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration, Google sign-in, no API key). Tools: get_transcript (Markdown transcript with chapters and timestamp links, paged for long videos, optional machine translation), search_transcript (find moments inside a video), get_video_info, search_youtube, list_channel_videos. Free plan: 30 videos a month, counted once per video.

## Free web tools

- [Free YouTube Transcript Generator](https://vidskim.com/tools/youtube-transcript-generator): paste a YouTube link, get the full transcript with timestamps; copy or download as .txt/.srt; no sign-up.
- [YouTube Video Summarizer](https://vidskim.com/tools/youtube-video-summarizer): paste a link, get a concise AI summary with timestamps; free daily summaries.

## Guides

- [Can Claude Watch YouTube Videos?](https://vidskim.com/blog/can-claude-watch-youtube-videos): Claude can't play a YouTube video or open the link, but it can read the transcript. Three ways to make Claude summarize any video, with timestamps.
- [How to Transcribe a YouTube Podcast](https://vidskim.com/blog/how-to-transcribe-a-youtube-podcast): How to transcribe a podcast when the episode is on YouTube: get the transcript, keep timestamps, export text, and know the honest limits.
- [Why YouTube Transcript Is Missing and What You Can Try](https://vidskim.com/blog/youtube-transcript-missing): Why YouTube Show transcript is missing, what works on desktop and mobile, and when no tool can recover captions that are not available.
- [YouTube to Text: Transcripts, Captions, and What to Do Next](https://vidskim.com/blog/youtube-to-text): YouTube to text explained: caption extraction vs speech-to-text, clean text vs timestamps vs SRT, plus the fastest ways to convert and use the result.
- [How to Link to a YouTube Timestamp](https://vidskim.com/blog/youtube-timestamp-link): Learn how to create a YouTube timestamp link on desktop or mobile, use the t= parameter, and cite exact video moments from transcripts.
- [How to Translate YouTube Subtitles and Transcripts](https://vidskim.com/blog/translate-youtube-subtitles): Translate YouTube subtitles with native auto-translate captions, a downloaded transcript plus your own AI, or Vidskim's free on-page translate. Honest quality notes.
- [How to Search a YouTube Transcript](https://vidskim.com/blog/how-to-search-youtube-transcript): Learn how to search a YouTube transcript with Ctrl+F, mobile workarounds, transcript generator output, and Vidskim's in-panel search.
- [How to Download YouTube Subtitles as SRT Files](https://vidskim.com/blog/download-youtube-subtitles): How to download YouTube subtitles as .srt files for editors and players, plus .srt vs .vtt vs .txt and what to do when captions are missing.
- [Chat With a YouTube Video: When a Summary Is Not Enough](https://vidskim.com/blog/chat-with-youtube-video): Learn how to chat with a YouTube video after the transcript and summary: ask follow-up questions, verify details with timecodes, and avoid common limits.
- [Can ChatGPT Summarize a YouTube Video?](https://vidskim.com/blog/can-chatgpt-summarize-youtube-video): Can ChatGPT summarize a YouTube video? Yes, if you give it the transcript. Learn when a URL works, when it fails, and the one-paste alternative.
- [Best YouTube Summarizer Tools: What to Use When You Need More Than a TL;DR](https://vidskim.com/blog/best-youtube-summarizer-tools): A fair comparison of the best YouTube summarizer tools, with verified feature notes, pricing sources, and when to choose Vidskim, Glasp, NoteGPT, Eightify, and more.
- [YouTube Transcript: Every Way to Get, Search, and Use One](https://vidskim.com/blog/youtube-transcript-guide): Everything you can do with a YouTube transcript: get or copy it, download it, search it, translate it, cite a moment, or fix a missing one.
- [YouTube Summary: How AI Video Summaries Work and When to Trust Them](https://vidskim.com/blog/youtube-summarizer-guide): A YouTube summary is the video's transcript compressed by AI. How AI summaries are made, what a good one includes, and when to check or ask a follow-up.
- [Tactiq YouTube Transcript Alternative: What to Compare](https://vidskim.com/blog/tactiq-youtube-transcript-alternative): A fair Tactiq YouTube transcript alternative comparison covering transcript download, summary, chat, pricing, and in-YouTube workflows.
- [NoteGPT YouTube Transcript Generator Alternative: What to Compare](https://vidskim.com/blog/notegpt-youtube-transcript-generator-alternative): A fair NoteGPT YouTube transcript generator alternative comparison, covering transcript, export, summary, translate, chat, free limits, and pricing.
- [How to Transcribe a YouTube Video for Free](https://vidskim.com/blog/how-to-transcribe-youtube-video): Learn how to transcribe a YouTube video for free by extracting captions or using speech-to-text, plus the honest limits of each method.
- [How to Summarize a YouTube Video With AI](https://vidskim.com/blog/how-to-summarize-youtube-video-with-ai): Learn how to summarize a YouTube video with AI: the manual transcript plus ChatGPT method, prompt examples, and a faster extension workflow in Vidskim.
- [How to Get the Transcript of a YouTube Video](https://vidskim.com/blog/how-to-get-transcript-of-youtube-video): Wondering how can I get a transcript of a YouTube video? Follow these native desktop and mobile steps, plus fixes when Show transcript is missing.
- [Glasp YouTube Summarizer Alternative: What to Compare](https://vidskim.com/blog/glasp-youtube-summarizer-alternative): A fair Glasp YouTube video summarizer alternative comparison covering transcript, summary, highlights, chat, pricing, and in-YouTube workflows.
- [How to Download a YouTube Transcript for Notes, Research, and Summaries](https://vidskim.com/blog/download-youtube-transcript): YouTube transcript download guide: copy or export .txt and .srt files for notes, research, quotes, and summaries. Free export in Vidskim.
- [Best YouTube Transcript Generators: Free Options Compared](https://vidskim.com/blog/best-youtube-transcript-generator): Compare YouTube transcript generator options for transcripts, export, summaries, translation, chat, pricing, and in-YouTube workflows.

## Policies

- [Privacy](https://vidskim.com/privacy)
- [Support](https://vidskim.com/support)