BulkTranscripts API
64
AI ReadinessAI-Aware (B)64/100
Official vendor OpenAPI document · agent-readyMediaVideo Processingbearer, apiKey10 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Fetch YouTube transcripts, search videos, channels, and playlists, and run bulk transcript jobs, across 10 endpoints secured with a bearer token or X-API-Key.
Use for: Get the transcript of a YouTube video, Search for YouTube videos about a topic, List all videos in a channel, I need to fetch every transcript in a playlist
Not supported: Does not host, transcode, or stream video, and does not generate speech-to-text itself. Use for retrieving existing YouTube transcripts and video search only.
The BulkTranscripts API retrieves YouTube transcripts and searches YouTube videos, channels, and playlists. It fetches a single video's transcript, searches across YouTube or within one channel's uploads, and lists a channel's videos, its latest uploads, or a playlist's videos in order. A bulk operation starts a background job that fetches every transcript in a channel, playlist, or video list, and companion operations report the job's progress and per-video outcomes. The account operation reports the caller's current credit balance.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the BulkTranscripts API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the BulkTranscripts API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fbulktranscripts.co%2Fbulktranscripts" | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fbulktranscripts.co%2Fbulktranscripts" | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with BulkTranscripts API.
Fetch a single YouTube video's transcript
Search YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists, and search within one channel's uploads
List a channel's videos, its latest uploads, or a playlist's videos in order
Start a bulk job that fetches every transcript in a channel, playlist, or video list and poll its progress
Read the caller's current credit balance
Use Cases
Patterns agents use BulkTranscripts API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Transcript Retrieval and Search
Turn a YouTube URL or search into readable text for an agent to summarise. The agent searches YouTube or a single channel, lists a channel's or playlist's videos, and fetches each video's transcript. Because transcripts are returned as structured text, the agent can quote and summarise them without scraping the page.
Search YouTube for a topic, pick a video, and fetch its transcript
Bulk Channel and Playlist Transcription
Pull an entire channel or playlist in one background job. The agent starts a bulk job over a channel, playlist, or video list, polls the job's progress, and reads the per-video outcomes page to see which transcripts landed in the library. This is how an agent builds a corpus without fetching one URL at a time.
Start a bulk job for a channel, poll its progress, then read the per-video results page
AI Agent Integration via Jentic
An AI agent discovers and calls BulkTranscripts through Jentic without handling the API key directly. The agent searches by intent, receives the matching operation and its input schema, and fetches a transcript or starts a bulk job while Jentic injects the stored key. This gives the agent YouTube text without reading the reference docs or holding secrets.
Search Jentic for 'get a youtube transcript', load the operation schema, and fetch the transcript with Jentic-injected credentials
Key Endpoints
10 endpoints — the bulktranscripts api retrieves youtube transcripts and searches youtube videos, channels, and playlists.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/api/v1/transcript
Get a video's transcript
GET
/api/v1/search
Search YouTube videos, channels, or playlists
GET
/api/v1/channel/videos
List a channel's videos
GET
/api/v1/playlist/videos
List a playlist's videos in order
POST
/api/v1/bulk
Start a bulk transcript job for a channel, playlist, or video list
GET
/api/v1/bulk/{run_id}
Check a bulk job's progress
GET
/api/v1/transcript
Get a video's transcript
GET
/api/v1/search
Search YouTube videos, channels, or playlists
GET
/api/v1/channel/videos
List a channel's videos
GET
/api/v1/playlist/videos
List a playlist's videos in order
POST
/api/v1/bulk
Start a bulk transcript job for a channel, playlist, or video list
GET
/api/v1/bulk/{run_id}
Check a bulk job's progress
Jentic AI Readiness Score
This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use.
B
BulkTranscripts API
- AI-Aware (B)64/100
99
Foundational Compliance63
Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility46
AI-Readiness & Agent Experience94
Agent Usability55
Security60
AI DiscoverabilityPowered by JenticScoring Framework 1.0.0 | Scoring Engine 0.4.2
Show dimension breakdown
99
Foundational Compliance
Base layer of spec validity and structural soundness.
Grade: A+Signals: 4
98%
Lint Results
Aggregated quality score from linter diagnostics, weighted by severity.
100%
Resolution Completeness
Percentage of `$ref` references that resolve successfully.
100%
Specification Validity
Checks whether the API description parses successfully and conforms to its declared specification (e.g., OpenAPI).
100%
Structural Integrity
Structural correctness score based on schema issues using logarithmic dampening.
63
Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility
Clarity, completeness, and ingestion readiness for developers and tooling.
Grade: BSignals: 4
0%
Example Density
How richly the API is illustrated with examples.
100%
Example Validity
Percentage of examples that conform to their schemas.
53%
Response Coverage
Percentage of operations with complete response definitions (success, client error, server error).
100%
Tooling Readiness
Health of API ingestion, bundling, and resolution within Jentic pipelines.
46
AI-Readiness & Agent Experience
Semantic breadth, depth, and agent comprehension for AI systems.
Grade: DSignals: 4
34%
Description Coverage
Coverage of descriptions across API elements.
0%
Error Standardization
Coverage of RFC 9457 Problem Details for error responses.
100%
OperationId Quality
Coverage, uniqueness, and casing consistency of operationIds for AI inference.
50%
Summary Coverage
Coverage of summaries across operations/tags/info.
94
Agent Usability
Functional utility, complexity comfort, and AI orchestration readiness.
Grade: A+Signals: 1
94%
Complexity Comfort
Agent comfort level based on API operational and structural complexity.
55
Security
Trust, risk posture, and security compliance.
Grade: CSignals: 1
55%
Authentication Strength
Average quality of security schemes based on authentication method strength (weakest link for OAuth2).
60
AI Discoverability
Findability, semantic richness, and reasoning readiness.
Grade: B-Signals: 1
60%
Descriptive Richness
Clarity and depth of descriptions across API elements.
Score it yourself
Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required.
npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score <openapi-url>Why Jentic?
What agents get from Jentic-routed access to this vendor.
Setup
Wiring BulkTranscripts by hand means creating a key, deciding whether to send it as a Bearer token or in the X-API-Key header, and tracking credit spend per transcript yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import BulkTranscripts from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
Permission scoping
Through Jentic you limit the agent to the read operations it needs, such as fetching transcripts and searching, while leaving the bulk job operations that spend more credits out of the set.
Credential isolation
Your BulkTranscripts key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'get a youtube transcript' or 'search youtube videos', and Jentic returns the matching BulkTranscripts operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using BulkTranscripts API through Jentic.
What authentication does the BulkTranscripts API use?
The BulkTranscripts API authenticates with an API key, sent either as a Bearer token in the Authorization header or in the X-API-Key header, per its OpenAPI spec; a license key or an OAuth access token also works as a Bearer token. Through Jentic the key is stored encrypted by your own Jentic One instance and injected at call time, so it never reaches the agent.
Is there a BulkTranscripts MCP server?
You do not need a separate MCP server to give your agent BulkTranscripts. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it, store your key once, and your agent calls its transcript and search operations on demand. Operations are discovered as needed, so no extra server's tool definitions load into the agent's context.
Can I fetch an entire channel's transcripts with the BulkTranscripts API?
Yes. Start a bulk job over a channel, playlist, or video list, poll the job for progress, and read the per-video outcomes page as transcripts land in your library. For a single video, fetch its transcript directly instead.
Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the BulkTranscripts API?
Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your rules decide which BulkTranscripts operations the agent may call. You can allow the read operations it needs, such as fetching transcripts and searching, while withholding the bulk job operations that spend more credits, and every call is logged.
What are the rate limits for the BulkTranscripts API?
The spec documents an overall ceiling of 120 requests per minute per IP, alongside per-key limits; a transcript costs one credit the first time it enters your library, while repeat reads from your own library are free. Check the BulkTranscripts documentation at https://bulktranscripts.co for current per-plan limits.
How do I get a YouTube transcript with the BulkTranscripts API through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'get a youtube transcript' to get the matching BulkTranscripts operation and its input schema, then your agent passes the video and reads the returned transcript text. To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo.
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