Gobbler YouTube
Convert YouTube videos to markdown transcripts.
Transcribe Video
# Basic transcription (outputs to stdout)
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
# Save to file
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" -o transcript.md
# With timestamps
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --timestamps
# Specific language
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --language es
# Output as JSON
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --format json
# Output as table
gobbler youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" -f table
CLI Options
| Option |
Short |
Description |
Default |
--output |
-o |
Output file path (stdout if not specified) |
- |
--language |
-l |
Preferred transcript language |
en |
--timestamps |
- |
Include timestamps in output |
--no-timestamps |
--format |
-f |
Output format: markdown, json, table |
markdown |
Output includes YAML frontmatter with metadata (title, channel, duration, word count).
Saving Output
When saving transcripts to a file, follow these steps:
Step 1: Check for default output directory
gobbler config get output.default_directory
Step 2: Save to the default directory
If a default directory is configured, use it with a descriptive filename:
gobbler youtube "URL" -o "<default_directory>/Video Title.md"
Step 3: If no default directory is configured
If the config returns empty/null, save to the current directory or ask the user where to save:
gobbler youtube "URL" -o "Video Title.md"
Alternative: Using the Convert Subcommand
gobbler convert youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" -o transcript.md
Supported URL Formats
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_IDhttps://youtu.be/VIDEO_IDhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
