> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Send a video link. Get a timestamped transcript back.

Video Transcript API turns a video or audio link into a transcript with millisecond timestamps.

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://app.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/v1/transcript?url=https://youtu.be/jNQXAC9IVRw" \
  -H "x-api-key: $VIDEO_TRANSCRIPT_API_KEY"
```

It works with:

* YouTube videos and Shorts
* Instagram reels
* Facebook reels and videos
* Videos in public X and LinkedIn posts
* Audio and video files, from a public link or [uploaded](https://docs.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/concepts/uploads.md)

## How a request works

If the video has captions, you get them in a few seconds. If it doesn't, we transcribe the audio with AI. The request waits up to 25 seconds. If the transcript isn't ready by then, you get a job ID to poll.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
  A["GET /v1/transcript?url=..."] --> B{"Has captions?"}
  B -->|Yes| C["Read captions"]
  B -->|No| D["AI transcription"]
  C --> E{"Ready within 25 s?"}
  D --> E
  E -->|Yes| F["200 + transcript"]
  E -->|No| G["202 + jobId"]
  G --> H["Poll /v1/transcript/{jobId}"]
```

This is the default `auto` mode. You can force captions or AI with [`mode`](https://docs.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/concepts/modes).

## Two ways in

> [card] [REST API](https://docs.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/quickstart.md)
>
> One `GET` with your API key. JSON back.

> [card] [MCP server](https://docs.bestvideotranscriptapi.com/mcp-server.md)
>
> Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client.

Both use the same account, usage balance and rate limit.

## Try it without code

The **Playground** in the [dashboard](https://app.bestvideotranscriptapi.com) runs the same request and shows you the code for it.

![Pasting a YouTube link into the Playground and getting a transcript back](https://mintcdn.com/tatsat-bodhaa-opc-private-limited/YVscscAdRf-4dZpR/images/playground.gif?s=bc85cfdb1f662ba725a4e6e38ce63a3f)

Getting a transcript in the Playground


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