youtube-summarizer

Purpose

This skill extracts transcripts from YouTube videos and generates comprehensive, verbose summaries using the STAR + R-I-S-E framework. It validates video availability, extracts transcripts using the youtube-transcript-api Python library, and produces detailed documentation capturing all insights, arguments, and key points.

The skill is designed for users who need thorough content analysis and reference documentation from educational videos, lectures, tutorials, or informational content.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• User provides a YouTube video URL and wants a detailed summary
• User needs to document video content for reference without rewatching
• User wants to extract insights, key points, and arguments from educational content
• User needs transcripts from YouTube videos for analysis
• User asks to "summarize", "resume", or "extract content" from YouTube videos
• User wants comprehensive documentation prioritizing completeness over brevity

Step 0: Discovery & Setup

Before processing videos, validate the environment and dependencies:

# Check if youtube-transcript-api is installed
python3 -c "import youtube_transcript_api" 2>/dev/null
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "⚠️  youtube-transcript-api not found"
    # Offer to install
fi

# Check Python availability
if ! command -v python3 &>/dev/null; then
    echo "❌ Python 3 is required but not installed"
    exit 1
fi

Ask the user if dependency is missing:

youtube-transcript-api is required but not installed.

Would you like to install it now?
- [ ] Yes - Install with pip (pip install youtube-transcript-api)
- [ ] No - I'll install it manually

If user selects "Yes":

pip install youtube-transcript-api

Verify installation:

python3 -c "import youtube_transcript_api; print('✅ youtube-transcript-api installed successfully')"

Main Workflow

Progress Tracking Guidelines

Throughout the workflow, display a visual progress gauge before each step to keep the user informed. The gauge format is:

echo "[████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 20% - Step 1/5: Validating URL"

Format specifications:

• 20 characters wide (use █ for filled, ░ for empty)
• Percentage increments: Step 1=20%, Step 2=40%, Step 3=60%, Step 4=80%, Step 5=100%
• Step counter showing current/total (e.g., "Step 3/5")
• Brief description of current phase

Display the initial status box before Step 1:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║     📹  YOUTUBE SUMMARIZER - Processing Video                ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ → Step 1: Validating URL                 [IN PROGRESS]       ║
║ ○ Step 2: Checking Availability                              ║
║ ○ Step 3: Extracting Transcript                              ║
║ ○ Step 4: Generating Summary                                 ║
║ ○ Step 5: Formatting Output                                  ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ Progress: ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  20%               ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Step 1: Validate YouTube URL

Objective: Extract video ID and validate URL format.

Supported URL Formats:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Actions:

# Extract video ID using regex or URL parsing
URL="$USER_PROVIDED_URL"

# Pattern 1: youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
if echo "$URL" | grep -qE 'youtube\.com/watch\?v='; then
    VIDEO_ID=$(echo "$URL" | sed -E 's/.*[?&]v=([^&]+).*/\1/')
# Pattern 2: youtu.be/VIDEO_ID  
elif echo "$URL" | grep -qE 'youtu\.be/'; then
    VIDEO_ID=$(echo "$URL" | sed -E 's/.*youtu\.be\/([^?]+).*/\1/')
else
    echo "❌ Invalid YouTube URL format"
    exit 1
fi

echo "📹 Video ID extracted: $VIDEO_ID"

If URL is invalid:

❌ Invalid YouTube URL

Please provide a valid YouTube URL in one of these formats:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
- https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Step 2: Check Video & Transcript Availability

Progress:

echo "[████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 40% - Step 2/5: Checking Availability"

Objective: Verify video exists and transcript is accessible.

Actions:

…