mcp-youtube-channel-transcript-extractor

Get YouTube Channel Stats

get_youtube_channel_stats

Idempotent

Resolve a company domain or YouTube handle to its channel, returning subscriber count, UC channel ID, name, creation date, and status flags. Optionally pull transcripts.

Instructions

Resolve a company domain, or a YouTube handle, to that company's YouTube channel. Returns the subscriber count, the stable UC channel id, channel name, creation date and description, as one flat Clay ready row. Subscriber counts are rounded by YouTube above roughly a thousand subscribers, on the page and in its official API alike, and the row flags that. Optional transcript pulling is available and is CURRENTLY GATED by YouTube: the caption track list is readable and the caption content endpoint returns an empty body without a proof of origin token, which the row reports as not_extractable rather than as a video having no captions. A company with no channel reports youtube_status not_found. Read youtube_status before any count. Use it to look up one known company channel per call; it does not search YouTube, list a channel's videos, or return video detail, and the package name mentions transcripts only because transcript pulling is an option. No API key needed. Read only; requires an APIFY_TOKEN and consumes Apify credits per call.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`handle`	No	Optional. A YouTube handle such as @shopify, or a full channel URL. Supplying it skips discovery and goes straight to the channel.
`skipCache`	No	When "false" (default) a successful lookup is cached for seven days and reused. Set "true" to force a fresh fetch. Sent as a string for Clay compatibility.
`company_name`	No	Optional. Improves search accuracy and is what the identity gate checks a discovered profile against, so supplying it reduces wrong matches.
`company_domain`	No	Bare company domain, for example shopify.com. Supply this or a handle. With a domain the actor runs full discovery; with a handle it skips straight to the fetch.
`max_charge_usd`	No	Optional spending cap for this call, in USD, passed to the actor as max_charge_usd. The run stops before any charge that would take it past this amount and keeps every row already charged. Leave empty to rely only on the maximum charge per run set on your Apify account.
`includeTranscripts`	No	When "true", full timestamped transcripts are pulled for the most recent videos on the channel and returned as one row per video. Default is "false" because transcripts are the expensive half of this actor and most buyers want channel stats only. Sent as a string for Clay compatibility.
`transcriptVideoCount`	No	How many of the channel's most recent videos to pull transcripts for, when transcripts are on. Default 5. Each video is one extra fetch and one extra billable transcript event, so this is the dial that sets the cost of a transcript run.
`includeFollowerCounts`	No	When "true" (default) the profile page is fetched and the counts are extracted. Set "false" to resolve the profile URL only, which is cheaper and needs no proxy. Sent as a string for Clay compatibility.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.1.1Oct 16, 2026

removedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -false
```

addedInput schema / properties / max_charge_usd

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Optional spending cap for this call, in USD, passed to the actor as max_charge_usd. The run stops before any charge that would take it past this amount and keeps every row already charged. Leave empty to rely only on the maximum charge per run set on your Apify account.",
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}

First observedv1.0.0Aug 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior2/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

The description is otherwise unusually candid — YouTube's subscriber rounding, the transcript gating and the not_extractable vs. no-captions distinction, credit consumption, and the APIFY_TOKEN requirement are all disclosed. However, it asserts 'Read only' while the annotations declare readOnlyHint=false, an outright conflict on the safety profile. Flagged as an annotation contradiction, which caps this score.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose and return shape are front-loaded, and the caveats (rounding, gating, status field, cost) follow in descending priority. It runs long at roughly nine sentences, and the aside about the package name is borderline, but almost every sentence carries information an agent needs.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With 8 optional parameters and no output schema, the description does the heavy lifting: it names the return fields, the flat-row shape, the youtube_status signal, and the not_found case, plus auth and billing. It stops short of enumerating all possible youtube_status values or how a missing domain+handle is handled, which keeps it from a 5.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds genuine semantics beyond it: transcripts are CURRENTLY GATED by YouTube and the row reports not_extractable rather than no-captions, which materially changes how an agent should interpret includeTranscripts/transcriptVideoCount results. It also explains the cost framing of a transcript run rather than leaving it to the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Opens with a precise verb+resource: resolve a domain or handle to a company's YouTube channel, then lists the returned fields (subscriber count, UC id, name, creation date, description). It also explicitly fences the scope — 'it does not search YouTube, list a channel's videos, or return video detail' — so an agent knows exactly what this tool is and is not.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives direct usage guidance: 'Use it to look up one known company channel per call', with explicit exclusions (no search, no video listing, no video detail) and a sequencing rule ('Read youtube_status before any count'). The domain-vs-handle choice and its consequence (full discovery vs. straight to fetch) is stated inline.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Deploy Server

Other Tools

get_youtube_channel_statsA