MKirovBG/scribefy-mcp

MCP server for Scribefy — extract YouTube transcripts from Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, ChatGPT custom GPTs, or any other MCP-compatible client.
> **Live now** — set it up in a minute below, or try the web app at **scribefy.app**.
Why
Most YouTube transcript tools live in browser extensions or one-off web UIs. This wraps Scribefy's API into the MCP standard so your AI assistant can pull a transcript whenever a user pastes a YouTube link — no manual copy-paste, no separate tabs.
Requirements
- Node 20+
- A Scribefy account on the **API + MCP** plan ($25/mo) for an API key. You can install without a key first — the MCP host registers the server cleanly and you'll get a friendly nudge when you try to use a tool — then add your key from scribefy.app/dashboard to start extracting.
Setup
Claude Desktop
Open the config file (Settings → Developer → Edit Config):
Restart Claude Desktop. The extract_transcript tool appears in the available-tools panel.
Cursor
Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server:
Windsurf
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
Anywhere else
Any MCP host that supports stdio transport: spawn npx -y scribefy-mcp with SCRIBEFY_API_KEY in the env. The server speaks the standard MCP JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout.
Tools exposed
Four tools. Three are free (research toolkit); only extract_transcript charges credits.
extract_transcript
Pulls the transcript of a YouTube video.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | yes | Full YouTube URL — youtube.com/watch?v=…, youtu.be/…, or youtube.com/shorts/… |
| lang | string | no | BCP-47 language code (e.g. en, es, fr, zh-Hans). Defaults to en |
**Returns:** Markdown with title, channel, duration, language, and the transcript split into segments with timestamps.
**Cost:** 1 credit (≤15 min) → 8 credits (2 h+). Cached transcripts are free.
search_videos
Free-text YouTube search.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | string | yes | Search query — same syntax YouTube's own search bar accepts |
| limit | number | no | Max results, 1–25 (default 10) |
**Returns:** Markdown list of title / channel / duration / views / URL for each result.
**Cost:** Free.
get_video_metadata
Title, channel, duration, view count, upload date, and available caption tracks. **Does not** pull the transcript.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | yes | Full YouTube URL |
**Returns:** Markdown summary plus a list of every caption track (authored ✏ or auto-generated ⚙) with its language code.
**Cost:** Free. Use this to inspect a video before deciding whether to extract, or to discover which caption languages are available.
get_related_videos
YouTube's "Up next" feed for a video.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | yes | Full YouTube URL of the seed video |
| limit | number | no | Max related videos, 1–25 (default 10) |
**Returns:** Same shape as search_videos.
**Cost:** Free.
Tools coming in a future release