Claude extension Chrome guide for YouTube videos

A Claude extension Chrome users install should save steps, not add another generic chat box. For YouTube, the useful job is getting the transcript into the project where you already work.

What this Chrome extension does

YouTube Transcript to Claude adds an Add to Claude button next to Like and Share on YouTube watch pages. One click pulls the caption track, formats it as markdown, and files it into a Claude project using your existing claude.ai browser session.

The markdown includes the video title, channel, URL, length, caption status, and timestamped transcript paragraphs. Manual English captions are preferred. If they are not available, the extension falls back to any manual track, then auto-English, then whatever exists.

Use cases

• Summarize long YouTube videos without copying text by hand
• Chat with a lecture, interview, tutorial, or podcast transcript
• Build a research library inside project knowledge
• Keep source timestamps for quotes and follow-up review

How it differs from generic AI sidebars

Generic sidebars usually sit beside every page and wait for prompts. This extension is narrower. It handles the YouTube transcript workflow: extract captions, format markdown, preserve timestamps, and place the transcript in the project you choose.

If you only need text, the popup also has Preview transcript, Copy, and Download actions. You can use it without sending the transcript anywhere.

Related YouTube workflows

Start with adding a video to a project. Then use the transcript to summarize a video, ask questions about it, or keep a clean timestamped transcript.