Sometimes you just want to quickly extract insights from a YouTube video without opening a browser. That's why we built Vidiopintar CLI ā a command-line tool that lets you chat with YouTube video transcripts directly from your terminal.
What is Vidiopintar CLI?
Vidiopintar CLI is a lightweight, fast command-line tool that:
- š„ Fetches video transcripts automatically from any YouTube URL
- š¬ Interactive chat ā ask questions about the video content
- š Conversation history ā maintains context from your last 5 exchanges
- š Multi-language support ā works with English and Indonesian videos
- ā” Transcript-only mode ā get the transcript without an OpenAI API key
Installation & Setup
The CLI is included in the Vidiopintar repository. Make sure you have Bun installed, then:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ahmadrosid/vidiopintar.com.git
cd vidiopintar.com
# Install dependencies
bun install
Environment Setup
For the AI chat features, you'll need a DeepSeek API key:
# Option 1: Export in your shell
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
# Option 2: Create a .env file
echo "DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your-api-key-here" > .env
The CLI uses deepseek-v4-flash for all chat responses.
Usage
Chat Mode
Start an interactive chat session with any YouTube video:
bun run cli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
The tool accepts multiple URL formats:
# Full URL
bun run cli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
# Short URL
bun run cli https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
# Just the video ID
bun run cli dQw4w9WgXcQ
Example Session
$ bun run cli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
Fetching transcript...
ā Transcript loaded (1,234 words)
============================================================
Video ID: example
Chat with YouTube video transcript
Type your questions (or :q to quit)
============================================================
> What are the main points discussed in this video?
Thinking...
Based on the video, here are the main points:
1. **Point one** ā Description here...
2. **Point two** ā Description here...
3. **Point three** ā Description here...
> Can you explain the first point in more detail?
Thinking...
[Detailed explanation with context from the video...]
> :q
Goodbye!
Transcript-Only Mode
Don't have an OpenAI API key? No problem! Get just the transcript:
bun run cli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID --transcript
This mode:
- ā Requires no API key
- ā Outputs clean text to stdout
- ā Perfect for piping to other tools
- ā Great for quick reference
Pro Tips
Pipe the transcript to a file:
bun run cli VIDEO_URL --transcript > video-notes.txt
Search within the transcript:
bun run cli VIDEO_URL --transcript | grep -i "keyword"
Copy to clipboard (macOS):
bun run cli VIDEO_URL --transcript | pbcopy
Use Cases
Here are some ways I use Vidiopintar CLI daily:
- Quick research ā Summarize long tutorials without watching
- Note-taking ā Extract key points for documentation
- Content creation ā Get transcripts for quote verification
- Learning ā Ask clarifying questions about complex topics
- Accessibility ā Read transcripts when audio isn't available
Behind the Scenes
The CLI is built with:
- Bun ā Fast JavaScript runtime
- youtube-transcript-plus ā Reliable transcript fetching
- OpenAI SDK ā AI-powered responses
- marked ā Markdown rendering in terminal
It's a simple but powerful tool that demonstrates how AI can make video content more accessible and actionable.
What's Next?
We're considering adding:
- Batch processing multiple videos
- Export to JSON/Markdown formats
- Integration with note-taking apps
- Support for more languages
Have ideas? Let us know or contribute on GitHub.
Try It Now
# Quick start with a popular tech talk
bun run cli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPQjjsBbIc
Happy hacking! š