How to get an AI summary of a YouTube video
GET request to /v1/youtube/summarize with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 3 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. AI summary from YouTube's published captions — same source as /transcript. Flat 3 credits; caption-miss 404 is free.How to get an AI summary of a YouTube video (step by step)
- 1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
- 2
Call the YouTube Summarizer API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/summarize with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
- 3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
Code example
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/summarize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiG9CE55wbtY" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."What the response looks like
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY",
"videoId": "iG9CE55wbtY",
"title": "Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson | TED",
"summary": "In his TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson explores the critical role of creativity in education and argues that the current education system stifles this essential human capacity. He highlights the extraordinary creativity present in children and contends that, as they grow, they become increasingly fearful of making mistakes, which ultimately hinders their ability to innovate. Robinson emphasizes that creativity should be valued as highly as literacy in educational curricula, as it is vital for preparing students for an unpredictable future. He illustrates his points with anecdotes about children’s natural creativity and the detrimental effects of a rigid educational hierarchy that prioritizes academic subjects over the arts.\n\nRobinson also critiques the traditional education system for its focus on producing university professors rather than nurturing diverse talents. He calls for a rethinking of intelligence that recognizes its dynamic and distinct nature, advocating for an educational approach that embraces creativity and allows children to explore their full potential. By fostering an e …",
"keyPoints": [
"Creativity is as important as literacy in education and should be treated with equal status.",
"Children are naturally creative but often lose this ability as they grow due to fear of making mistakes.",
"The education system prioritizes academic subjects over the arts, which limits the development of diverse talents.",
"Intelligence is dynamic and should be understood as a combination of various ways of thinking and learning.",
"Mistakes should be embraced in educational settings to foster creativity and innovation.",
"A new conception of human ecology is needed to appreciate and nurture human capacities.",
"The future of education must focus on the holistic development of children to prepare them for an unpredictable world."
],
"topics": [
"Creativity",
"Education",
"Intelligence",
"Child Development",
"Arts in Education",
"Mistakes in Learning",
"Future of Education"
],
"sentiment": "positive"
}
}Billing metadata (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.
Request parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | Public YouTube video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble. |
| language | string | No | Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. |
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Summarizer API do?
The YouTube Summarizer API lets you generate an AI summary with key points and topics from a public YouTube video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/summarize. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Summarizer API cost?
Each successful call costs 3 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle access, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
Which AI model powers the summaries?
Summaries are generated by an AI model from the transcript.
Why did I get 404 on a video with clear speech?
This endpoint returns captions YouTube published — it does not run speech-to-text. Read detail.code: no_captions means the video is playable but tracks=0 (common on long live streams); language_not_available means tracks exist but not in your language (see availableLanguages); video_unavailable means the video is deleted, private, or otherwise unplayable (YouTube: "this video is no longer available"). On no_captions only, detail.suggestion points at /v1/youtube/audio-transcript with estimatedCredits. 404 never charges credits.
If I pass language=en and only Turkish captions exist, what happens?
We try YouTube's timedtext translation into en. If that fails → 404 language_not_available with availableLanguages (not a silent Turkish transcript). On success, requestedLanguage and returnedLanguage are both set; isTranslated is true when YouTube translated.
Is the YouTube Summarizer API suitable for production use?
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
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