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TranscriptLab
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FreeNeeds a video link

YouTube Shorts Transcript Downloader

Get the text of a Short, with a word count and runtime.

Free caption pulls available each month. No sign-in needed.

Same job, one API call

curl -s https://api.transcriptlab.dev/v1/transcript \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ytgw_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"video_id": "SHORT_ID", "format": "json"}'
Read the API docsGet a free API key

Questions

Can I paste the /shorts/ link directly?

Yes. Paste the Shorts URL as it appears in the share sheet; the tool reads the video ID from it.

Why does my Short return no transcript?

Many Shorts have no caption track at all. When the video carries no captions there is nothing to download — the tool says so instead of guessing at the audio.

Does a regular watch link work too?

Yes — any YouTube URL that carries a video ID works. The tool is aimed at Shorts, but a standard video returns its transcript, word count, and runtime the same way.

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