youtube

YouTube Transcript to Structured Notes

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

Instructions

This workflow fetches a YouTube video transcript and transforms it into a structured, skimmable reference document. Uses a forked context since the transcript processing doesn't need to inform follow-up conversation.

1. Parse Video Input

• Full URL: Use directly (supports youtube.com, youtu.be)
• Video ID: Construct https://youtube.com/watch?v={id}
• If missing: Ask for the video URL

2. Fetch Video Metadata

yt-dlp --print "%(title)s" --print "%(channel)s" --print "%(uploader)s" --print "%(upload_date)s" --print "%(duration)s" --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

Capture:

• Title — for filename and frontmatter
• Channel/Uploader — for attribution (use uploader if personal, channel if organizational)
• Upload Date — format as YYYY-MM-DD
• Duration — for context

3. Download Transcript

mkdir -p tmp
yt-dlp --skip-download --write-auto-subs --sub-langs "en" --sub-format "srt" --convert-subs srt -o "tmp/transcript" "VIDEO_URL"

Saves to tmp/transcript.en.srt. If no English subs, try en-orig or check --list-subs.

4. Determine Output Filename

Use APA-style title capitalization with creator:

Format: Reference/Full Title Here (Creator Name).md

APA rules:

• Capitalize first word and all major words
• Capitalize words of 4+ letters
• Lowercase: a, an, the, and, but, or, for, nor, on, at, to, by (unless first)

Examples:

• No Vibes Allowed - Solving Hard Problems in Complex Codebases (Dex Horthy).md
• The Art of Doing Science and Engineering (Richard Hamming).md

5. Spawn Processing Agent

Hand the transcript to a subagent rather than reading it — an hour of captions crowds out the rest of the session for no benefit, since the structured document is the only output that matters. Use the Task tool with subagent_type: general-purpose:

## Task: Convert Video Transcript to Structured Written Document

**Input file:** `tmp/transcript.en.srt`

**Video Metadata:**
- Title: [VIDEO TITLE]
- Speaker/Creator: [CREATOR NAME]
- Channel: [CHANNEL NAME]
- Upload Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- URL: [VIDEO URL]
- Duration: [DURATION]

## Your Mission

Transform this SRT transcript into a **structured written document** optimized for speed-reading and reference.

## Key Principles

1. **Structure, don't summarize.** Convert spoken word to written form — don't condense. The human brain can skim structured text far faster than watching video.

2. **Preserve density.** Don't pad with filler, but don't cut substantive points. If the speaker made a point, include it.

3. **Use document structure liberally:**
   - Clear hierarchical headings (H2, H3, H4)
   - Blockquotes for key quotes or memorable phrasings
   - Bullet lists for enumerations
   - Code blocks for technical examples
   - Bold for key terms/concepts
   - Horizontal rules between major sections

4. **Write for skimmability.** Someone should get the gist from headings alone, then dive deeper as needed.

## Output Format

Write to: `Reference/[FILENAME].md`

Start with YAML frontmatter:
```yaml
---
title: "[Full Video Title]"
speaker: [Speaker/Creator Name]
organization: [Organization if applicable, omit if none]
event: [Event name if applicable, omit if none]
date: YYYY-MM-DD
source: [VIDEO URL]
type: talk-notes
tags:
  - [relevant-tag-1]
  - [relevant-tag-2]
  - [add 2-4 more based on content]
---

After frontmatter, include attribution: Video by [Creator]. Watch the original.

Quality Checklist

Before finishing, verify:

• All substantive points from the talk are represented
• Headings create a scannable outline
• Key quotes preserved as blockquotes
• Technical terms properly formatted
• Reads as coherent written piece (not transcript-like)
• Someone could understand the content without watching