# Send tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer to your agent Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually. ## Fast path - Download the package from Yavira. - Extract it into a folder your agent can access. - Paste one of the prompts below and point your agent at the extracted folder. ## Suggested prompts ### New install ```text I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete. ``` ### Upgrade existing ```text I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run. ``` ## Machine-readable fields ```json { "schemaVersion": "1.0", "item": { "slug": "tldw", "name": "tl;dw - YouTube Video Summarizer", "source": "tencent", "type": "skill", "category": "内容创作", "sourceUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/vovavvk/tldw", "canonicalUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/vovavvk/tldw", "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw" }, "install": { "downloadUrl": "/downloads/tldw", "sourceDownloadUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=tldw", "sourcePlatform": "tencent", "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw", "packageFormat": "ZIP package", "primaryDoc": "SKILL.md", "includedAssets": [ "ATTRIBUTION.md", "LICENSE.txt", "SKILL.md", "scripts/extract_transcript.py" ], "downloadMode": "redirect", "sourceHealth": { "source": "tencent", "slug": "tldw", "status": "healthy", "reason": "direct_download_ok", "recommendedAction": "download", "checkedAt": "2026-05-01T04:15:28.316Z", "expiresAt": "2026-05-08T04:15:28.316Z", "httpStatus": 200, "finalUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=tldw", "contentType": "application/zip", "probeMethod": "head", "details": { "probeUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=tldw", "contentDisposition": "attachment; filename=\"tldw-1.0.2.zip\"", "redirectLocation": null, "bodySnippet": null, "slug": "tldw" }, "scope": "item", "summary": "Item download looks usable.", "detail": "Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item.", "primaryActionLabel": "Download for OpenClaw", "primaryActionHref": "/downloads/tldw" }, "validation": { "installChecklist": [ "Use the Yavira download entry.", "Review SKILL.md after the package is downloaded.", "Confirm the extracted package contains the expected setup assets." ], "postInstallChecks": [ "Confirm the extracted package includes the expected docs or setup files.", "Validate the skill or prompts are available in your target agent workspace.", "Capture any manual follow-up steps the agent could not complete." ] } }, "links": { "detailUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw", "downloadUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/tldw", "agentUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent", "manifestUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent.json", "briefUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent.md" } } ``` ## Documentation ### tldw - YouTube Video Summarizer too long; didn't watch Extract and summarize YouTube video transcripts quickly and efficiently. ### Overview The tldw skill takes a YouTube URL, extracts the video transcript, and provides a comprehensive summary of the content. This allows you to quickly understand video content without watching the entire video. ### Purpose This skill solves the problem of information overload from video content. Instead of spending 10-60 minutes watching a video, you can get the key points, main arguments, and conclusions in a concise summary within seconds. ### When to Use Use this skill when: A user provides a YouTube video URL and asks for a summary You need to quickly understand video content without watching it You want to analyze or reference specific video content You need to extract information from educational, news, or documentary videos ### How It Works Extraction: Uses yt-dlp to download video transcripts (captions/subtitles) Cleaning: Applies deduplication to remove artifacts from auto-generated captions Processing: Analyzes the cleaned transcript directly in the main agent session Summary: Returns a structured summary with main points, key arguments, and conclusions ### Key Features Caching: Downloaded transcripts are cached locally to avoid re-downloading Deduplication: Removes duplicate lines common in auto-generated captions Multi-format support: Works with VTT, SRT, and JSON caption formats Cookie support: Can access age-restricted content with a cookie file Comprehensive summaries: Provides thesis, key examples, comparisons, and conclusions Fast processing: Typical videos summarized in seconds ### Attribution This skill is based on the tldw project by stong. Full attribution and licensing details are available in ATTRIBUTION.md. ### System Requirements Python: 3.8 or higher Disk space: ~60MB for virtual environment and dependencies, plus additional space for transcript cache ### Required Dependencies The skill uses a Python virtual environment with the following dependencies: yt-dlp: Video transcript downloader (installed via pip) Python standard library: json, re, argparse (built-in) All dependencies are installed in the local virtual environment at venv/. ### Optional Dependencies Cookie file: For accessing age-restricted or members-only content Format: Netscape cookie format (can be exported from browser) Place in skill directory and reference with --cookies flag ### Directory Structure tldw/ ├── SKILL.md # This documentation ├── ATTRIBUTION.md # Credit to original project ├── LICENSE # AGPL-3.0 license ├── scripts/ │ └── extract_transcript.py # Main extraction script ├── cache/ # Cached transcripts (auto-created) └── venv/ # Python virtual environment ├── bin/ │ └── yt-dlp # Video transcript downloader └── lib/ # Python packages ### Setup Follow these steps to set up the tldw skill: Navigate to the skill directory: cd tldw/ Create a Python virtual environment: python3 -m venv venv Install dependencies: venv/bin/pip install yt-dlp webvtt-py Verify installation: venv/bin/yt-dlp --version The cache directory will be created automatically on first use The skill is now ready to use! ### Basic Usage When a user provides a YouTube URL and requests a summary, use the following workflow: Extract the transcript using the extraction script Parse the JSON output to get the cleaned transcript Summarize the transcript directly (do not use sub-agents for large transcripts) Return a structured summary to the user ### Command Syntax cd tldw/ && \\ venv/bin/python scripts/extract_transcript.py \\ --json --cache-dir cache "YOUTUBE_URL" ### Processing the Output The script returns JSON with the following structure: { "transcript": "Full cleaned transcript text...", "video_id": "video_id_here", "title": "Video Title", "description": "Video description...", "duration": 1234, "uploader": "Channel Name", "upload_date": "20260101", "view_count": 12345, "webpage_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..." } Extract the transcript field and process it directly to create a comprehensive summary. ### Command Options --json: Output in JSON format (recommended for parsing) --cache-dir : Specify cache directory (default: cache/) --cookies : Path to Netscape-format cookie file for age-restricted content ### Example Workflow # 1. Extract transcript cd tldw/ && \\ venv/bin/python scripts/extract_transcript.py \\ --json --cache-dir cache "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" # 2. Parse the JSON output and extract the transcript field # 3. Summarize the transcript directly (include main points, key arguments, conclusions) # 4. Return formatted summary to user ### Accessing Age-Restricted Content For age-restricted or members-only videos, export cookies from your browser: Install a browser extension like "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY" Navigate to YouTube while logged in Export cookies in Netscape format Save to the tldw directory (e.g., youtube_cookies.txt) Use with: --cookies youtube_cookies.txt ### No Captions Available Error message: "No subtitles/captions found" What it means: The video has no auto-generated or manual captions available. Solution: Inform the user that the video cannot be transcribed because it lacks captions. ### Invalid URL Error message: "ERROR: unable to download video data" What it means: The URL is malformed, the video doesn't exist, or it's private/deleted. Solution: Verify the URL is correct and check if the video is publicly accessible. ### Age-Restricted Content Error message: "Sign in to confirm your age" or similar authentication errors What it means: The video requires age verification or YouTube login. Solution: Use the --cookies flag with exported browser cookies (see "Accessing Age-Restricted Content" above). ### Network/Connection Errors Error messages: "Unable to download", "Connection timeout", extraction failures What it means: Network issues, YouTube blocking the request, or outdated yt-dlp that's incompatible with current YouTube. Solution: First, update yt-dlp: cd tldw/ && \\ venv/bin/pip install --upgrade yt-dlp Retry the extraction If still failing: check internet connection or wait and try later YouTube frequently changes their API, so keeping yt-dlp updated is essential. ### Cache Issues Symptoms: Permission errors, disk full errors What it means: The cache directory has permission problems or insufficient disk space. Solution: Check available disk space with df -h and verify write permissions on the cache/ directory. ### Large Transcript Handling Note: Transcripts over 50,000 characters may take longer to process. Best practice: Process large transcripts directly in the main agent session. Do not delegate to sub-agents, as they have been found unreliable with large payloads. ### Debugging To see full error output (not just the last 100 lines): cd tldw/ && \\ venv/bin/python scripts/extract_transcript.py \\ --json --cache-dir cache "YOUTUBE_URL" To inspect cached transcripts: ls -lh tldw/cache/ ### Caption Dependency The skill only works with videos that have captions/subtitles available Cannot transcribe videos with only audio (no built-in speech-to-text capability) Auto-generated captions may contain errors, typos, or timing artifacts Deduplication helps clean up auto-generated caption issues but isn't perfect ### Language Support Depends on available caption languages provided by YouTube The script extracts whatever captions are available (auto-generated or manual) Non-English captions work, but summarization quality depends on the language model's capabilities English captions typically provide the best results ### Video Length Very long videos (2+ hours) may produce extremely large transcripts (100k+ characters) Processing time increases proportionally with transcript length No hard limit, but practical considerations for context window and processing time apply ### YouTube-Only Currently only supports YouTube URLs Does not work with other video platforms (Vimeo, Dailymotion, TikTok, etc.) While yt-dlp supports many platforms, this script is optimized specifically for YouTube ### Private/Restricted Content Cannot access truly private videos (not shared publicly) Members-only or channel membership content requires cookies from an authenticated session Live streams may not have captions available until after the stream has ended Some geographic restrictions cannot be bypassed even with cookies ### Deduplication Limitations The deduplication logic removes consecutive duplicate lines May occasionally remove legitimate repeated phrases or refrains Designed primarily for auto-generated caption artifacts, not all repetition scenarios Manual captions typically don't need deduplication ### No Audio Extraction This skill extracts text transcripts only, not audio files For audio extraction or processing, other tools (like yt-dlp directly with audio flags) would be needed Focus is on text-based content analysis, not media files ## Trust - Source: tencent - Verification: Indexed source record - Publisher: vovavvk - Version: 1.0.2 ## Source health - Status: healthy - Item download looks usable. - Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item. - Health scope: item - Reason: direct_download_ok - Checked at: 2026-05-01T04:15:28.316Z - Expires at: 2026-05-08T04:15:28.316Z - Recommended action: Download for OpenClaw ## Links - [Detail page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw) - [Send to Agent page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent) - [JSON manifest](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent.json) - [Markdown brief](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/tldw/agent.md) - [Download page](https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/tldw)