YouTube Transcript MCP server

The Youtube Transcript MCP server allows you to query YouTube video transcripts directly within Claude for Desktop using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This enables Claude to access and analyze YouTube video content through transcripts when responding to your queries.

Prerequisites

• Claude for Desktop installed on your system
• Node.js version 22 or later

Installation

Install Dependencies

First, install the required dependencies:

npm install

Build the Application

Build the MCP server using:

npm run build

Configure Claude for Desktop

You need to create a configuration file for Claude to recognize the MCP server:

./install.sh

This script creates the necessary configuration file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.

Usage

Verify Configuration

After installation, you can verify that the configuration was successful. Your Claude for Desktop should now show the YouTube Transcript MCP as an available option.

Granting Permissions

When using the MCP for the first time, Claude will ask for permission to access the external MCP server.

Important: Always review the code before granting permissions to any MCP server for security reasons.

Using the MCP

Once permissions are granted, you can ask Claude to retrieve and analyze YouTube video transcripts in your conversations. For example:

• "Summarize the transcript of this YouTube video: [URL]"
• "What are the key points discussed in this YouTube video: [URL]"
• "Extract information about [specific topic] from this YouTube video: [URL]"

The MCP server will fetch the video transcript and make it available to Claude for analysis and response.

Troubleshooting

If the MCP isn't working correctly:

• Ensure Claude for Desktop is properly configured
• Verify that the server is built and running
• Check that you've granted the necessary permissions
• Make sure the YouTube video has available transcripts/captions

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.