Use YouTube transcripts in ChatGPT
ChatGPT can't watch videos — but with one connector it can read any video, channel, or playlist as text.
Setup steps ↓https://bulktranscripts.co/mcpTwo steps from install to answers
Create a custom connector
Turn on Developer mode under Settings → Connectors → Advanced, click Create, paste the URL and choose OAuth.
https://bulktranscripts.co/mcpAsk ChatGPT in plain words
ChatGPT picks the right tool by itself. You never name one.
search_channel15 relevant videos1 creditget_transcripts15 full transcripts15 credits- Every video and its core idea, in one table
- Rules, workflows and prompts in ten sections
- Each point traced to the video it came from
Step by step
Add the connector
- Open Settings → Connectors → Advanced and enable Developer mode (available on paid ChatGPT plans).
- Click Create (add a custom connector).
- Name it BulkTranscripts and set the MCP server URL to
https://bulktranscripts.co/mcp. - Authentication: OAuth — connect, and sign in with Google on the BulkTranscripts page that opens (30 free credits included).
- In a new chat, enable the connector under the tools menu and ask away.
Using a license key instead
Credits follow your signed-in account, so top-ups apply automatically. If you prefer not to use OAuth, ChatGPT's connector form has no header field — put the license key in the URL and pick No authentication:
https://bulktranscripts.co/mcp?key=YOUR_LICENSE_KEYTry asking
- Summarize this video with the five most quotable lines: [paste URL]
- Compare how these three videos explain transformers: [three URLs]
- What did @TED upload this week? Summarize anything about health.
- Get the transcripts for this lecture playlist and make me a study guide.
Notes
Connecting the MCP server takes one sign-in — Google or a license key — and includes 30 free credits, no card needed. Buying a one-time credit pack gets you a license key that doubles as the API key; credits never expire and repeat reads from your own library are free.
Which setup fits you
All of them share one account, one credit balance and one library.
| Way in | How you connect | Sign-in | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom connector | Developer mode → Create, with OAuth | Google, in the browser | Paid ChatGPT plans |
| Connector with a key | The same form, URL with ?key= | License key in the URL | Skipping OAuth |
| Paste the text | Copy a transcript from the web app | None | Free plans, one video |
What to ask ChatGPT
Paste any of these once the server is connected.
“Summarize this video with the five most quotable lines: [paste URL]”
“Compare how these three videos explain transformers: [three URLs]”
“What did @TED upload this week? Summarize anything about health.”
“Get the transcripts for this lecture playlist and make me a study guide.”
“Pull every episode of this podcast and list the books the host recommends.”
“Find the most-watched videos on intermittent fasting and tell me where experts disagree.”
ChatGPT or Codex?
Both are OpenAI. Pick by where the result should go.
ChatGPT
Reading, research, summaries and study guides. A custom connector in Developer mode.
Codex
Turning a video into code or docs in your repo. One block in config.toml. Codex guide
Use it in your other tools too
Same account and credits everywhere. Your library follows you.
Claude Code
One terminal command (MCP) or the agent skill
Codex
One config.toml block (MCP) or the skill
Cursor
One-click install button or mcp.json
Grok Bot
MCP server with OAuth
VS Code
Copilot agent mode, one mcp.json entry
n8n
Community node or HTTP Request
Make
HTTP module with an API key
Gemini CLI
One extension install, or gemini mcp add
Claude Cowork
Custom connector, Google sign-in
Perplexity Computer
Custom remote connector, OAuth
MManus
Custom MCP connector, OAuth or Bearer key
OpenClaw
openclaw mcp add, or the ClawHub skill
HHermes Agent
hermes mcp add with OAuth
Kimi Code
One mcp.json entry, then /mcp-config login
NNanoClaw
ncl add-mcp-server with an API key
PPaperclip
Skill from the company Skills page
Questions about ChatGPT
Does the ChatGPT connector need a paid plan?
Custom connectors need Developer mode, which ChatGPT offers on paid plans. On a free plan, paste the link into the BulkTranscripts web app and copy the transcript into ChatGPT instead.
Can ChatGPT summarize a YouTube video without a connector?
Only from the title, description and what others wrote about it, which can be wrong. With the connector it reads the real transcript and can quote it.
Is BulkTranscripts free to use in ChatGPT?
You start with 30 free credits when you sign in with Google, no card needed. One credit fetches one new transcript. Reading a transcript that is already in your library is free, and checking a channel for new uploads is free. After that, one-time credit packs that never expire; there is no subscription.
Does every YouTube video have a transcript?
No. A transcript can only be fetched when the video has captions, either uploaded by the creator or generated by YouTube. Videos without captions are skipped and never charged.
Can ChatGPT read a whole channel or playlist?
Yes. Ask for a channel or playlist and the server lists the videos, then fetches their transcripts. Large jobs of up to 1,000 videos run on the server in the background and report progress, so they survive a long conversation.
The same engine, three other ways in
MCP server
Ten tools for any MCP client: transcripts, search, channels, bulk jobs, upload alerts.
REST API
Plain GET requests with an OpenAPI spec, for scripts, n8n, Make and Sheets.
Agent skill
One SKILL.md that teaches Claude Code, Codex and OpenClaw the whole API.
Developer docs
Every endpoint, parameter, error code and credit rule in one place.
Connect it in ChatGPT
30 free credits, no card. One sign-in for the MCP connector, one free API key for the REST API.