TranscriptYTHow to add chapters to a YouTube video
- 1
Paste the video link
Any public video with captions works, including your own uploads once YouTube has auto-captioned them.
- 2
Generate chapters
The tool reads the transcript and marks each change of topic with a timestamp and a short title, starting at 0:00.
- 3
Paste into your description
Copy the list and paste it into the video's description in YouTube Studio. YouTube turns it into chapters on the progress bar.
Need more?
Need transcripts at scale? Use the API
The same transcripts are available through the YouTube Transcript API: timestamped JSON, text, SRT, VTT, CSV, or Markdown, 150+ languages, and AI transcription for videos without captions. Or connect the YouTube MCP server to Claude, Cursor, or Codex and just paste links in chat.
curl "https://transcript-yt.com/v1/transcript?url=5f3Pn-N6yLc&format=text" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ts_live_..."
Common questions
Is this YouTube chapter generator free?
Yes. You can generate chapters for a few videos a day with no account, and signing in with Google raises the limit.
What are YouTube chapters?
Chapters split a video into labeled sections on the progress bar, so viewers can jump to the part they want. They come from a list of timestamps in the description.
Why aren't my chapters showing on YouTube?
YouTube only shows chapters when the first timestamp is 0:00, there are at least three, and each chapter is at least 10 seconds long. The generated list follows these rules; also check the video isn't marked as made for kids, where chapters can be off.
How does it decide where chapters go?
An AI model reads the timestamped transcript and starts a new chapter wherever the topic changes. Review the titles and nudge any timestamp before publishing.
Does it work for videos in other languages?
Yes. Chapters are written in the language of the video's captions.
Can I generate chapters for many videos automatically?
Yes. Fetch transcripts with the TranscriptYT API and send them to the model of your choice, or connect the MCP server to Claude and ask it for chapters.