youtube-to-ebook adoption decision

README excerpt

README.md

Features

• Fetches latest videos from YouTube channels (automatically filters out Shorts)
• Extracts transcripts from videos
• Uses Claude AI to transform transcripts into polished magazine-style articles
• Generates EPUB ebooks readable on any device
• Optional: Email delivery with ebook attachment
• Optional: Web dashboard for easy management

Quick Start

1. Clone and install:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/youtube-to-ebook.git
   cd youtube-to-ebook
   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Set up API keys:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your keys

3. Add your channels:

   # Edit channels.txt with YouTube channel handles
   @mkbhd
   @veritasium
   @3blue1brown

4. Generate your ebook:

   python main.py

Web Dashboard

Launch a friendly web interface:

pip install streamlit
python -m streamlit run dashboard.py

"ModuleNotFoundError" when running automation

Your Mac may have multiple Python installations. The automation scripts use python3, but your packages might be installed in a different Python.

Fix: Find your Python path and update the scripts:

## Known Issues & Solutions

This project documents several YouTube API quirks:

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| Shorts not filtered by duration | Check `/shorts/` URL pattern |
| Search API not chronological | Use uploads playlist instead |
| Transcript API syntax changed | Use instance method `ytt_api.fetch()` |
| Cloud servers blocked | Run locally, not GitHub Actions |
| Names misspelled in transcripts | Include video description in Claude context |
| Articles truncated mid-sentence | Increase `max_tokens` in write_articles.py |

See [SKILL.md](SKILL.md) for detailed explanations.

SKILL.md excerpt

SKILL.md

1. YouTube Shorts Detection

Problem: Filtering by duration doesn't work—some Shorts are longer than 60 seconds.

Solution: Check if the /shorts/ URL resolves:

def is_youtube_short(video_id):
    shorts_url = f"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/{video_id}"
    response = requests.head(shorts_url, allow_redirects=True, timeout=5)
    return "/shorts/" in response.url

2. Videos Not in Chronological Order

Problem: YouTube Search API doesn't return truly chronological results.

Solution: Use the channel's uploads playlist via playlistItems API:

### 3. Transcript API Syntax
**Problem**: `YouTubeTranscriptApi.get_transcript()` no longer works.

**Solution**: Use instance method:

from youtube_transcript_api import YouTubeTranscriptApi

ytt_api = YouTubeTranscriptApi()

transcript = ytt_api.fetch(video_id)

### 4. Rate Limiting on Transcripts
**Problem**: Fetching many transcripts quickly triggers rate limits.

**Solution**: Add 2-second delays between requests:

import time

for video in videos:

transcript = get_transcript(video["video_id"])

time.sleep(2)

## Workflow

┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌────────────┐

│ Fetch Videos│───▶│Get Transcripts│───▶│Write Articles │───▶│Create EPUB │

│ (YouTube API)│ │(Transcript API)│ │ (Claude AI) │ │ (ebooklib) │

└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └────────────┘