ChatGPT · about 3 minutes · Sign inAdd YouTube to ChatGPT
A custom plugin that lets ChatGPT read video transcripts, search YouTube and list channel uploads. You paste one URL and sign in, on chatgpt.com.
https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcpWhat you need
- ChatGPT on the web. Custom MCP servers can't be added from the phone apps.
- A plan that allows custom MCP servers. OpenAI lists Business, Enterprise and Edu with full support, and Pro for read-only tools, which is all seven of ours. For Plus, OpenAI's help article and pricing page currently disagree, so check whether you see the option in step 2.
- On Business, only admins and owners can add plugins. On Enterprise and Edu an admin can grant the permission.
- A YouTubeTranscriptAPI account. New accounts get 100 free credits and no card is needed; you can also create it during the sign-in step.
Connect ChatGPT
Open Plugins
Go to
chatgpt.com/plugins. ChatGPT renamed Connectors to Apps and then to Plugins, and you no longer need to switch on Developer Mode first. (The older path, Settings → Apps → Create, still works.)Add a custom MCP server
Click +, then Add custom MCP server. Name it YouTube and paste this as the server URL:
Server URLhttps://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcpChoose OAuth for authentication. ChatGPT doesn't accept API keys here; you sign in instead.
Confirm and create
ChatGPT shows a warning about custom servers. Tick “I understand and want to continue”, then click Create as a plugin.
Sign in and approve
Sign in to youtubetranscriptapi.com, or create an account, and approve ChatGPT on the consent screen. It shows ChatGPT as a verified app.
Use it in a chat
Install the plugin if ChatGPT asks, then start a new chat, type @ and pick YouTube. In workspaces the pick lasts for one message, so @mention it again when you need fresh data.
Use it in a ChatGPT Project
Projects keep instructions for every chat inside them, and plugins work there on every plan that has them. Open a project, then ••• → Project settings to add instructions; our AI agent recipes have some to paste.
Try this prompt
@YouTube What are the three main points of this video? <paste any YouTube link>
ChatGPT calls get_transcript and answers from the transcript. That call costs 1 credit.
What each call costs
| Tool | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| get_transcript | Read what's said in any public video | 1 credit |
| search_youtube | Search YouTube for videos or channels | 4 credits |
| search_channel | Search one channel's videos for a topic | 1 credit |
| list_channel_videos | List a channel's latest 100 uploads | 20 credits |
| get_latest_videos | See a channel's 15 newest videos | Free |
| resolve_channel | Turn an @handle into a channel ID | Free |
| list_playlist_videos | List the videos in a playlist | 20 credits |
- Failed calls are never charged: a video without captions, a bad link, a timeout.
- A long transcript comes back in parts. Later parts, and reading the same video again within 24 hours, cost nothing.
- Free tools still need a balance of at least 1 credit.
- New accounts get 100 free credits, no card needed. See plans.
If something doesn't work
›I don't see "Add custom MCP server"
Your plan or workspace may not allow it. On Business, ask an admin; on Plus, OpenAI's own pages disagree about support right now. Lockdown Mode also blocks custom servers.
›ChatGPT shows an "elevated risk" warning
It shows that for every custom server. Our tools only read YouTube data, and each is marked read-only, so ChatGPT shouldn't ask you to confirm every call.
›The tools changed but ChatGPT shows the old list
Open the plugin and click Refresh. In workspaces an admin refreshes the snapshot for everyone.
›It worked once, then stopped answering from YouTube
@mention YouTube again in the message. In workspaces the selection applies to one message at a time.
›It says I've run out of credits
The app shows our message with a link to billing. Free tools such as get_latest_videos need at least 1 credit too. Calls that fail are never charged.
›A long video's transcript stops partway
Long transcripts come back in parts so they fit the app's limit. The result says where it stopped; ask the assistant to keep reading and it calls get_transcript again with the next offset. Later parts are free.
›"Transcript unavailable" for a video
The video has no captions, is private, or was removed. Nothing is charged. Try another language with “use the Spanish captions”, for example, if the video has captions in a different language.
Disconnect
Open Dashboard → Connected apps and click Disconnect. The app stops working right away and asks you to connect again if you try to use it.
ChatGPT changes its menus from time to time. We checked these steps on 18 October 2026 against OpenAI Help: connecting custom MCP servers, OpenAI Help: plugins in ChatGPT and OpenAI's custom MCP server guide. 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.
Ready to connect ChatGPT?
Create a free account first if you like: it comes with 100 credits, enough for about 100 transcripts.