YouTube Agent Skills
A skill is a short file of know-how your agent loads when it needs it. Ours teach it to research YouTube well: pick the cheapest tool, read whole transcripts, and quote exactly, with links to the moment.
youtube-research (uses the MCP tools)
For agents that have the YouTube MCP server connected. It covers which tool to use and what each costs, reading long transcripts part by part, quoting with timestamp links, and what to do with each error.
In Claude (web or desktop)
Connect YouTube first
The skill uses the connector's tools: add YouTube to Claude.
Download the skill
Upload it
Open Customize → Skills, click + → Create skill → Upload a skill, and choose the ZIP. Skills need “Code execution and file creation” switched on in Settings → Capabilities. Anthropic's pages differ on which plans include skills, so check that Skills shows up under Customize.
In Claude Code
With the MCP server added, put the skill in your skills folder:
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/youtube-research && curl -o ~/.claude/skills/youtube-research/SKILL.md https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/.well-known/agent-skills/youtube-research/SKILL.md
In OpenClaw
Skills are folders with a SKILL.md. Put it in your personal agent skills folder, ~/.agents/skills/youtube-research/, or in a workspace's skills folder, and add the MCP server to openclaw.json under mcp.servers.
Skills for agents without MCP
These call the REST API with curl and read your key from the YT_API_KEY environment variable. Use them in Claude Code or any agent that can run shell commands.
- fetch-youtube-transcript — Fetch a YouTube video transcript via the YouTubeTranscriptAPI REST endpoint.
- search-youtube — Search YouTube for videos or channels via the YouTubeTranscriptAPI search endpoint.
- list-channel-uploads — List a YouTube channel's most recent uploads (up to 100) using the YouTubeTranscriptAPI channel videos endpoint.
Agents that discover skills automatically can read the index at /.well-known/agent-skills/index.json.
Claude and OpenClaw changes its menus from time to time. We checked these steps on 18 October 2026 against Claude Help Center: skills, Claude Code MCP docs and OpenClaw's skills docs. If something looks different, the app has probably moved it; tell us through the contact form.
Product names and logos belong to their owners and are shown only to say which apps this works with. YouTubeTranscriptAPI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Connect YouTube to your agent
Skills work best with the MCP server connected. It takes a couple of minutes.