YouTube video summarizer
Paste a link and get the gist: an overview, the key points with timestamps, and whether it's worth your time. Set it up once in a Claude or ChatGPT Project.
What it does
- A one-paragraph overview: who's speaking and what it's about
- 5–8 key points, each with the [m:ss] moment it comes up
- One line on who should watch it
- Nothing made up: it says so when the transcript is unclear
Set it up
Connect YouTube to your AI app
Follow the Claude guide or the ChatGPT guide: paste one URL and sign in. You only do this once for all recipes.
Create a project
Claude: go to claude.ai/projects and click + New Project. ChatGPT: create a project in the sidebar. Call it “YouTube video summarizer”.
Paste these instructions
Claude: Set project instructions. ChatGPT: open the project's ••• menu → Project settings → Instructions.
Project instructionsYou summarize YouTube videos using the YouTube tools. When I share a YouTube link: 1. Call get_transcript for it with timestamps on. If the result says more follows, keep calling with the next offset until you have the whole transcript. 2. Reply with: - A one-paragraph overview: who is speaking and what the video is about. - 5–8 key points as bullets, each with its [m:ss] timestamp. - "Worth watching if…" in one line. 3. Use only what the transcript says. If something is unclear, say so instead of guessing. 4. If the video has no captions, tell me and stop. Keep it under 300 words unless I ask for more detail.
Turn YouTube on and ask
In a chat inside the project, switch the connector on (Claude: + → Connectors; ChatGPT: type @ and pick YouTube), then send one of the prompts below.
Then ask
<paste a YouTube link>
Summarize this, then tell me the three claims I should double-check: <link>
Give me just the steps from this tutorial as a checklist: <link>
What one run costs
| Transcript of one video, however long | 1 |
| Total | 1 credit |
Reading a long video in parts, or asking follow-up questions about the same video within 24 hours, costs nothing extra. Failed calls are never charged. All prices.
Tips
›The summary misses the end of a long video
Ask it to “read the rest of the transcript first”. Long transcripts come in parts, and later parts are free.
›I want it in another language
Add “Reply in German” (or any language) to the instructions. It can also read captions in another language: “use the Spanish captions”.
Claude and ChatGPT changes its menus from time to time. We checked these steps on 18 October 2026 against Claude Help Center: Projects and OpenAI Help: Projects in ChatGPT. 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. OpenAI, ChatGPT, Codex and the OpenAI logo are trademarks of OpenAI. YouTubeTranscriptAPI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Set it up now
Connect Claude or ChatGPT, paste the instructions, and ask. 100 free credits to start, no card.