# Scribiz

> Paste a YouTube, TikTok or podcast link, or upload a file. Get the transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters. Export SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown or JSON.

Scribiz returns the context of any video: a transcript with speakers and timestamps, the text and scenes on screen, a summary and chapters. Input is a link or a file. Output is SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown, Context (Markdown with on-screen notes) or JSON. It works when a video has no captions. It runs on the web, as a command-line tool (npm install -g scribiz), as an MCP server and as an HTTP API. A Mac app is available to download.

## When to use Scribiz

Reach for Scribiz when you have a video or audio link, or a local media file, and need to know what is in it:

- The transcript of a YouTube or podcast link, a direct media link or a file, with timestamps and speakers, also when the video has no captions. TikTok, Instagram, X, Vimeo and Facebook links work on a best-effort basis.
- What was shown on screen: slides, code, interfaces and text overlays, with the time each appeared (the Watch mode).
- A summary and chapters of a long video, or answers to questions about it that cite timestamps.
- Subtitles to download: SRT or VTT.
- Notes from a local recording (a meeting, a lecture, a screen recording). The command-line tool sends the audio, and for Watch a low-resolution copy, never the original video.

It is not for editing or generating video, live captions during a call, live streams in progress, or DRM services such as Spotify and Netflix.

How to call it:

1. MCP, for Claude, Cursor, Codex and other MCP clients: connect to https://scribiz.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP). Without a key it reads captions, videos already processed and, within a small daily allowance, the link itself (never the picture). With an API key (`Authorization: Bearer sbz_live_...`) it uses the account's minutes and can read the picture (`watch: true`). Tools: get_transcript, get_video_context, ask_video, search_video, get_job.
2. Command line: `npx scribiz "<link or file>"`, after `scribiz login` (a free account) or `scribiz setup` (your own Gemini key). Add `--json` for machine-readable output.
3. HTTP API: `POST https://scribiz.com/api/v1/context` with `{"url": "..."}`, then poll `GET https://scribiz.com/api/v1/jobs/{id}` until `status` is `succeeded`. The OpenAPI document is https://scribiz.com/api/v1/openapi.json.

## For agents and developers

- [OpenAPI document](https://scribiz.com/api/v1/openapi.json): every endpoint, with operation ids, schemas and the scopes each one needs.
- [API catalog](https://scribiz.com/.well-known/api-catalog): RFC 9727 linkset pointing at the API description and docs.
- [Authentication](https://scribiz.com/auth.md): API keys (scopes read, mcp and all), the device login of the command-line tool, and what works without a key.
- [Pricing in Markdown](https://scribiz.com/pricing.md): plans, limits and what one minute costs.
- [MCP server card](https://scribiz.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json): name, version, endpoint and tools of the remote MCP server.
- [Public MCP repository](https://github.com/Illyism/scribiz-mcp): the MCP server's install snippets, plugin manifests for Claude and Cursor, and agent skills.
- Every docs page has a Markdown twin: add .md to its URL. The home page answers `Accept: text/markdown` with this file.

## Tools

- [YouTube transcript](https://scribiz.com/youtube-transcript): Paste a YouTube link, get a timestamped transcript in seconds. Works even when captions are off. Copy it, or export SRT, VTT and TXT.
- [Transcribe a YouTube video](https://scribiz.com/transcribe-youtube-video): Turn a YouTube video into text, with or without captions. Speech-to-text from the audio, with timestamps. Free to try, no sign-up.
- [Download transcript](https://scribiz.com/youtube-transcript-download): Download a YouTube transcript as TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown or JSON, or save it as a PDF. Paste a link, no extension needed.
- [Subtitle downloader](https://scribiz.com/youtube-subtitle-downloader): Download YouTube subtitles as SRT or VTT. Uses the video captions, or listens and writes them when there are none. No extension.
- [YouTube summarizer](https://scribiz.com/youtube-video-summarizer): Summarize a YouTube video with key points, chapters and clickable timestamps. Works when captions are off. Free to try, no sign-up.
- [TikTok transcript](https://scribiz.com/tiktok-transcript): Paste a TikTok link, get the transcript and the on-screen text. Works on videos with no captions. Free, no sign-up.
- [Instagram transcript](https://scribiz.com/instagram-transcript): Get a timestamped transcript of an Instagram Reel from the saved file. A pasted link is usually refused, because Instagram wants a login.
- [Podcast transcript](https://scribiz.com/podcast-transcript): Turn a podcast episode into a transcript with speakers, timestamps, a summary and chapters. Drop the audio file or paste its link. Free to try.
- [Audio to text](https://scribiz.com/audio-to-text): Convert audio to text with speakers and timestamps. MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG and more. Export SRT, VTT or TXT. Free to try.
- [MP3 to text](https://scribiz.com/mp3-to-text): Convert MP3 to text online with speakers and timestamps. Export SRT, VTT or TXT. Free to try, no sign-up.
- [M4A to text](https://scribiz.com/m4a-to-text): Convert M4A to text with timestamps. Voice memos, Zoom audio and recordings. Export SRT, VTT or TXT. Free to try, no sign-up.
- [Video to text](https://scribiz.com/video-to-text): Convert video to text: speech with timestamps from a file or a link, and the words shown on screen from a link. MP4, MOV, WebM. Free to try.
- [MP4 to text](https://scribiz.com/mp4-to-text): Convert MP4 to text with timestamps. Only the audio leaves your browser. Export SRT, VTT, TXT or Markdown. Free to try.
- [SRT generator](https://scribiz.com/srt-generator): Generate an SRT or VTT subtitle file from a video, audio file or link. Caption-length cues and speaker labels for your editor.
- [Video summarizer](https://scribiz.com/video-summarizer): Summarize a video from a link or a file. Key points and chapters, plus the screen for links. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, MP4, MP3. Free to try.
- [Video analyzer](https://scribiz.com/video-analyzer): Analyze any video: scene-by-scene notes, on-screen text, transcript and summary. Works on silent videos. Free to try.
- [Video OCR](https://scribiz.com/video-ocr): Video OCR: extract the text shown in a video, with a timestamp for each scene. Slides, code, captions drawn on the picture. Free to try.

## Product

- [Pricing](https://scribiz.com/pricing): Free, Pro and Mac Lifetime. One unit, the minute of video. Pro is on sale. Mac Lifetime is not on sale yet.
- [Download for Mac](https://scribiz.com/download): the command-line tool installs with npm install -g scribiz. It needs Node 24 or newer, runs with a free Scribiz account (scribiz login) or your own Gemini API key (scribiz setup), and has been tested on macOS only. The Mac app (beta) is available to download.
- [MCP server](https://scribiz.com/video-mcp): give Claude, Cursor or Codex the video. Install snippets, tools and token sizes. The endpoint is https://scribiz.com/mcp. It needs no key: captions, videos already processed, and a read of the link within a small daily limit. A local server comes with the command-line tool: claude mcp add scribiz -- scribiz mcp. It runs on your machine with your Scribiz account or your own Gemini key.
- [Status](https://scribiz.com/status): which sources are working right now.
- [About](https://scribiz.com/about): who makes Scribiz and where it came from.
- [Changelog](https://scribiz.com/changelog): what changed, by date.

## Guides

- [All guides](https://scribiz.com/blog): short guides on transcripts, missing captions and what ChatGPT and Claude can do with a video link.
- [How to Transcribe Video on a Mac](https://scribiz.com/blog/how-to-transcribe-video-on-mac): Transcribe a video on a Mac: a local speech model for private files, or Scribiz for the speech and the on-screen text. Export SRT, VTT or Markdown.
- [YouTube MCP Server for Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT](https://scribiz.com/blog/youtube-mcp-server): What a YouTube MCP server does, how a model reads a video from a link, and the install line for Claude Code, Claude and Cursor. No key needed to start.
- [How to Get a TikTok Transcript](https://scribiz.com/blog/how-to-get-tiktok-transcript): TikTok shows captions but gives you no transcript to copy. Get the words of a TikTok with timestamps, or export SRT, even with music or no captions.
- [Get a YouTube Transcript With No Captions](https://scribiz.com/blog/youtube-transcript-no-captions): No captions on a YouTube video? Check that the transcript is missing, then turn the audio into text. Steps for any public video, and for your own.
- [How to Open the Transcript on YouTube](https://scribiz.com/blog/open-transcript-on-youtube): Open the transcript on YouTube from a computer or a phone, and see what to do when the Show transcript button is missing.
- [Can ChatGPT or Claude Watch a YouTube Video?](https://scribiz.com/blog/can-chatgpt-or-claude-watch-youtube-videos): What ChatGPT and Claude can do with a YouTube link today, what they accept instead, and how to give either one the whole video.

## Comparisons

- [Transcript tool alternatives](https://scribiz.com/alternatives): We only compare what Scribiz does today. Each page says what the other tool does better.
- [Tactiq alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/tactiq): Tactiq is built for live meetings and also takes uploaded meeting files. Scribiz reads a video link or file: transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters.
- [NoteGPT alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/notegpt): NoteGPT is a wide study and work suite. Scribiz does one job: the transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters of a video link or file.
- [TurboScribe alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/turboscribe): TurboScribe transcribes audio and video files in bulk. Scribiz reads a video link or file: transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters.
- [Otter alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/otter): Otter is an AI notetaker for live meetings. Scribiz reads a video link or file: transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters.
- [Superwhisper alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/superwhisper): Superwhisper turns your voice into text in any app. Scribiz turns a video link or file into a transcript, on-screen text, a summary and chapters.
- [MacWhisper alternative](https://scribiz.com/alternatives/macwhisper): MacWhisper transcribes files, calls and dictation on your Mac with local models. Scribiz returns a video's transcript, on-screen text, summary and chapters.

## Docs

- [Docs index](https://scribiz.com/docs/index.md): Use Scribiz from the web, a command-line tool on npm, an MCP server or an HTTP API. The Mac app is a download for Apple silicon Macs. Every page is also raw Markdown: add .md to the path.
- [All docs in one file](https://scribiz.com/docs/llms-full.txt): every page as Markdown, concatenated.

### Start

- [Overview](https://scribiz.com/docs/overview.md): What a Context is, the four layers it holds, and how Auto, Listen, Watch and Both decide what runs.
- [Quickstart](https://scribiz.com/docs/quickstart.md): Run your first Context in about a minute, from the web, an MCP client, the command line or the API.
- [Authentication](https://scribiz.com/docs/authentication.md): Sign in on the web or from the CLI, create API keys, and use your own Gemini key. Which credential wins, and what logout does.
- [Minutes and billing](https://scribiz.com/docs/minutes-and-billing.md): How minutes are counted, what each mode costs, what the plans include, and where to see your usage.
- [Sources and limits](https://scribiz.com/docs/sources-and-limits.md): Which links and files work where, why Instagram and sites that block servers work best from your own machine, and the size and length limits.
- [Privacy and data handling](https://scribiz.com/docs/privacy-and-data.md): What leaves your device, what Scribiz keeps and for how long, what Google sees, and how to delete a result.

### CLI

- [Install the CLI](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli.md): Install the scribiz command with npm, sign in to a free account or add your own Gemini key, check it with scribiz doctor, and find its files.
- [CLI commands](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/commands.md): Every scribiz command, what it prints and where it writes, and the exit codes a script can rely on.
- [CLI flags](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/flags.md): Every scribiz flag with its values and defaults, grouped by what it does.
- [Output formats](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/formats.md): SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown, Context and JSON, with a real sample of each and what the options change.
- [The JSON protocol](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/json-protocol.md): The newline-delimited JSON the CLI prints with --json, so you can run it from your own tool.
- [Config and env](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/config.md): The config file, the environment variables, the cache, and which setting wins.
- [CLI recipes](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/recipes.md): Subtitles for an editor, a folder of recordings, chapters, a pipe into an LLM, screen recordings and CI.
- [CLI troubleshooting](https://scribiz.com/docs/cli/troubleshooting.md): What to do when a tool is missing, a link is blocked, sign-in fails, a key is rejected, minutes run out or a result looks incomplete.

### MCP

- [MCP overview](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp.md): Give Claude, Cursor, Codex or any MCP client the context of a video, so it can search it, read parts of it and answer questions with timestamps.
- [MCP install per client](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/install.md): Add the Scribiz MCP server to Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Claude Desktop and claude.ai. No key to start, or run it locally with your account.
- [MCP connection modes](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/connection-modes.md): Remote without a key, remote with an API key, the local server with your account or Gemini key, and OAuth coming later. What each can do and which to pick.
- [MCP tools reference](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/tools.md): get_video_context, get_transcript, ask_video, search_video and get_job. Parameters, output shapes, detail levels, token budgets and citation links.
- [MCP recipes](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/recipes.md): Summarize a talk and find where a topic comes up, compare two videos, pull the steps out of a tutorial, and work on a local recording.
- [MCP limits and cost](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/limits.md): What each tool call costs in minutes, how long a call can take, the limits on the remote server, and what the errors mean.
- [MCP security](https://scribiz.com/docs/mcp/security.md): Transcripts are untrusted text. What the server sends and receives, how to protect your keys, and how to revoke access.

### API

- [API overview](https://scribiz.com/docs/api.md): The base URL, how jobs work, versioning, idempotency and where to find each endpoint. Everything the web tool does, over HTTP.
- [API authentication](https://scribiz.com/docs/api/authentication.md): Send an API key as a bearer token. How keys look, what scopes they have, how to rotate one, and what is not allowed.
- [API quickstart](https://scribiz.com/docs/api/quickstart.md): Create a job, wait for it, and read the Context, in curl, TypeScript and Python. Then stream progress and upload a file.
- [API endpoints](https://scribiz.com/docs/api/endpoints.md): Every route with its parameters, responses and status codes. Create jobs, follow them, upload files, ask questions, read your account and your keys.
- [The Context object](https://scribiz.com/docs/api/context-object.md): Every field of the Context: metadata, transcript, on-screen notes, summary, chapters, coverage, warnings and usage.
- [API errors and limits](https://scribiz.com/docs/api/errors.md): The error object, HTTP statuses, every error code with its CLI exit code, rate limits, quotas, upload limits and how to retry safely.

### Apps

- [Mac app](https://scribiz.com/docs/apps/mac.md): The Mac app: drop in a file or a link, pick a mode, sign in or add your own key, and export. Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later. License and scribiz:// links.

## Supported sources

Reliable: YouTube, public videos, Direct audio and video links, Podcast episodes, Files you upload. Best effort on the web, reliable in the Mac app: TikTok, Instagram, X, Vimeo, Facebook. Not supported: Spotify, Netflix and other DRM services, Private, age-restricted and login-walled videos, Live streams in progress.

## Policies

- [Privacy](https://scribiz.com/privacy): what is collected, what is sent to Google, how long results are kept.
- [Terms](https://scribiz.com/terms): the terms for using Scribiz.
- [Copyright and takedowns](https://scribiz.com/dmca): how to report a copyright problem. Notices go through the contact form at https://scribiz.com/contact.

## Notes

- Results are private links (/r/...) and are not indexed.
- Not affiliated with YouTube, TikTok or Instagram.