AskVideo - Chat with YouTube Videos

Get information, summaries, and answers from any YouTube video using AI.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• User shares a YouTube URL and asks questions about it
• User wants to summarize a YouTube video
• User asks "what's in this video?"
• User wants to extract information from video content
• User needs to understand a tutorial, lecture, or presentation
• User asks about timestamps or specific topics in a video

Keywords: YouTube, video summary, video transcript, explain video, what's in this video, video content, video tutorial

Prerequisites

The askvideo CLI must be installed and authenticated:

# Check if installed
which askvideo

# If not installed
npm install -g askvideo

# Authenticate (first time only - requires user's email)
askvideo login

Commands

Ask a Single Question (Recommended for Agents)

Use --simple flag for clean, non-streaming output:

askvideo ask "<question>" --url "<youtube-url>" --simple

Examples:

# Get a summary
askvideo ask "Summarize this video in 3 bullet points" --url "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --simple

# Ask specific questions
askvideo ask "What are the main topics covered?" --url "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --simple

# Extract information
askvideo ask "List all the tools mentioned in this video" --url "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --simple

# Get timestamps
askvideo ask "At what timestamp do they discuss pricing?" --url "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --simple

Ask About an Already-Indexed Video

If the video was previously processed, use the video ID for faster responses:

askvideo ask "<question>" --id <video-id> --simple

List User's Indexed Videos

askvideo videos

Check Credits

askvideo credits

Workflow for Agents

1. When user shares a YouTube URL with a question:

   askvideo ask "<user's question>" --url "<url>" --simple
   

2. For multiple questions about the same video:

   • First query will index the video (takes 30-60 seconds)
   • Subsequent queries are instant
   • Use --id flag if you have the video ID

3. If credits are exhausted:

   • Run askvideo credits to check remaining credits
   • Inform user they need to upgrade at https://askvideo.ai/pricing

Response Format

The CLI returns plain text answers. Present them to the user in a clear format:

Based on the video:

[AI response from askvideo]

Error Handling

Supported Video Types

• Standard YouTube videos with captions/transcripts
• YouTube Shorts
• Unlisted videos (if URL is provided)

Limitations

• Requires video to have a transcript (auto-generated or manual captions)
• Free plan: 1 video + 10 messages per month
• Video processing takes 30-60 seconds on first query

Examples for Common Tasks

Summarize a Video

askvideo ask "Give me a comprehensive summary of this video with key takeaways" --url "URL" --simple

Explain a Tutorial

askvideo ask "Explain the step-by-step process shown in this tutorial" --url "URL" --simple

Extract Code/Commands

askvideo ask "List all the code snippets or commands mentioned in this video" --url "URL" --simple

Find Specific Information

askvideo ask "What does the speaker say about [topic]?" --url "URL" --simple

Get Video Outline

askvideo ask "Create an outline of all topics covered with timestamps if mentioned" --url "URL" --simple

Links

• Website: https://askvideo.ai
• npm Package: https://npmjs.com/package/askvideo
• Support: https://askvideo.ai/support