---
name: youtube-processor
description: Process YouTube videos into summarized Obsidian notes. Use when given a YouTube URL to summarize, extract insights, or turn videos into notes. Triggers on "summarize this video", "process this YouTube", "what's this video about", or any YouTube URL shared for processing.
allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Write, Glob, WebFetch
---

# YouTube Processor

## What This Does

Takes a YouTube URL, extracts the transcript, and you (Claude) summarize it. Outputs Obsidian-ready markdown. Zero friction: share a link, get actionable notes.

## When to Use

- "Summarize this video: [URL]"
- "Turn this YouTube into notes"
- "What's this video about?"
- "Process this for my newsletter"
- Any YouTube URL shared for processing

## Location

This skill's tools live at:
```
/Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools/
```

## How It Works

**Step 1:** Python extracts the transcript (no API key needed)
**Step 2:** You (Claude) summarize using your intelligence + context
**Step 3:** You write the Obsidian-formatted output

This approach means you can use mission-context, newsletter-coach, and other skills during summarization.

---

## Instructions

### Which Method to Use

| Environment | Method |
|-------------|--------|
| **Claude Code** | Local Python script (Step 1a) |
| **Claude.ai / Mac Client** | API via WebFetch (Step 1b) |

---

### Step 1a: Extract Transcript (Claude Code)

Run the Python tool to get the transcript:

```bash
cd /Users/eddale/Documents/GitHub/powerhouse-lab/skills/youtube-processor/tools && \
python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]"
```

For JSON output (easier to parse):
```bash
python3 get_transcript.py --url "[URL]" --json
```

### Step 1b: Extract Transcript (Claude.ai / Mac Client)

Use the API endpoint via WebFetch:

```
WebFetch: https://youtube-processor-eight.vercel.app/transcript?url=[VIDEO_URL]
```

The API returns JSON:
```json
{
  "success": true,
  "video_id": "abc123",
  "language": "en",
  "transcript": "...",
  "char_count": 5000,
  "word_count": 850
}
```

**Example prompt for WebFetch:**
"Extract the transcript text from the response"

---

### Step 2: Summarize the Transcript

Once you have the transcript, summarize it based on what the user needs:

**Quick Summary:**
- Headline (1 sentence)
- Key points (3-5 bullets)
- Main takeaway

**Detailed Analysis:**
- Headline summary
- Key points with context
- Main takeaways
- Action items mentioned
- How this relates to Ed's work (if relevant)

**Newsletter Mining:**
- Hook ideas for an article
- Core insight/framework
- Story beats for anecdotes
- Takeaways for readers
- Newsletter angle for The Little Blue Report

### Step 3: Format for Obsidian

Create markdown with this structure:

```markdown
---
source: YouTube
video_id: [ID]
url: [URL]
processed: [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM]
tags: [youtube, video-notes]
---

# [Video Title or Topic]

**Link**: [URL]
**Processed**: [Date]

## Summary

[Your summary here]

---

## Full Transcript

[The transcript]

---

_Generated by youtube-processor skill_
```

### Step 4: Save (Optional)

Save to Ed's Zettelkasten:
```
/Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/
```

Filename format: `YT - [Topic] - YYYY-MM-DD.md`

---

## Error Handling

| Error | Meaning | What to Do |
|-------|---------|------------|
| "Transcripts disabled" | Creator turned off captions | Video can't be processed |
| "No transcript found" | No English captions available | Try a different video |
| "Video unavailable" | Private, deleted, or age-restricted | Check the URL |

---

## Examples

### Example 1: Quick Summary

**User says:**
```
Summarize this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
```

**You do:**
1. Run: `python3 get_transcript.py --url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"`
2. Read the transcript output
3. Provide a summary to the user

### Example 2: Save to Obsidian

**User says:**
```
Turn this video into notes and save it: [URL]
```

**You do:**
1. Extract transcript with the Python tool
2. Summarize the content
3. Format as Obsidian markdown
4. Use Write tool to save to Zettelkasten
5. Confirm: "Saved to [filepath]"

### Example 3: Newsletter Mining

**User says:**
```
I want to write about this video for the newsletter: [URL]
```

**You do:**
1. Extract transcript
2. Analyze for newsletter angles (hooks, insights, story beats)
3. Present the angles
4. Offer to hand off to newsletter-coach skill

---

## Integration Points

- **newsletter-coach**: After extracting video insights, hand off for article development
- **mission-context**: Use Ed's voice and style when summarizing
- **task-clarity-scanner**: Action items from videos can be added to daily notes

---

## Dependencies

The Python tool requires:
```
youtube-transcript-api
```

Install if needed:
```bash
pip3 install youtube-transcript-api
```

---

## Version History

| Version | Date | Changes |
|---------|------|---------|
| 1.1 | 2026-01-03 | Added Vercel API for Claude.ai/Mac client support |
| 1.0 | 2026-01-02 | Initial build with transcript extraction |

## Notes & Learnings

- youtube-transcript-api works without API keys
- Most videos have auto-generated English captions
- Claude doing the summarization is better than Python calling the API (can use context)
- ~3-5 second transcript extraction for typical videos


---
Source attribution: nicepkg
Original project: https://github.com/nicepkg/ai-workflow/blob/d167b41af7f013d3d3c35dca87a6cc72817721d2/workflows/content-creator-workflow/.claude/skills/youtube-processor/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 nicepkg

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: nicepkg
Original project: https://github.com/nicepkg/ai-workflow/blob/d167b41af7f013d3d3c35dca87a6cc72817721d2/workflows/content-creator-workflow/.claude/skills/youtube-processor/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Recovered original package and original project license at a pinned revision

Fields of work: Marketing
Roles: Content Marketer, Email Marketer, Influencer Marketer, Marketing Analyst, Social Media Manager
Specialties: API
Tools: Obsidian
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 1200461e69d898baae540df4825df5441b14e5718200ce14764433bdeb3412e2
Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27
This metadata supersedes earlier Dave AI catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.
