Gemini CLI · about 3 minutes · Sign in or API key

YouTube MCP server for Gemini CLI and Antigravity

Steps for both of Google's coding agents: Gemini CLI and Antigravity. Their config files look alike but use different field names, so pick the right one.

Server URL

https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Before you start

What you need

Gemini CLI or Antigravity. If gemini tells you it has moved to Antigravity, use the Antigravity steps further down.
An API key from Dashboard → API Keys (or sign in instead, where the app supports it). New accounts get 100 free credits.

Setup

Connect Gemini CLI

Add the server to Gemini CLI
Terminal
gemini mcp add --transport http youtube https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp
Sign in
Start Gemini CLI and run /mcp auth youtube. It finds our sign-in page by itself; approve on the consent screen.
Check it
/mcp lists the server and its seven tools.

Gemini CLI with an API key

Terminal

gemini mcp add --transport http --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" youtube https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp

Or in ~/.gemini/settings.json. Use httpUrl: in Gemini CLI, url means the older SSE transport.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": {
      "httpUrl": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Antigravity

Add the server in ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json (all workspaces) or .agents/mcp_config.json (one workspace). Antigravity uses serverUrl; url and httpUrl don't work for remote servers there.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube": { "serverUrl": "https://youtubetranscriptapi.com/mcp" }
  }
}

Without headers, Antigravity signs in for you. To use a key, add "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }; the file doesn't read environment variables, so keep it out of shared folders. In the CLI, /mcp shows the server.

Test it

Try this prompt

Prompt

Use the youtube tools to search @freecodecamp's videos for "docker" and summarize the best match.

The agent calls search_channel (1 credit) and get_transcript (1 credit).

Pricing

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.

Help

If something doesn't work

›The tools don't load in Gemini CLI

Check the field is httpUrl. With url, Gemini CLI tries the older SSE transport, which this server doesn't use.

›Antigravity doesn't see the server

It needs serverUrl, and the file has to be the global or workspace mcp_config.json named above.

›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.

›"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

Revoke the key in Dashboard → API Keys. If you signed in instead, use Dashboard → Connected apps.

Gemini CLI changes its menus from time to time. We checked these steps on 18 October 2026 against Gemini CLI MCP docs and Antigravity MCP 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. OpenAI, ChatGPT, Codex and the OpenAI logo are trademarks of OpenAI. YouTubeTranscriptAPI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.