How to Summarize a YouTube Video with ChatGPT (with Timestamps)
Get the useful 2 minutes out of a 40-minute video. Try TinyFish free. New accounts start with $8 in Wallet funds.
TL;DR
You can summarize a YouTube video with ChatGPT in one prompt, with timestamps, so you can jump straight to the parts that matter. ChatGPT on its own can't watch a video. With the TinyFish app connected, it opens the video in a real browser, reads the transcript, and hands you a timestamped summary plus anything the video says about the topic you care about.
It's built for the videos a small business owner is "supposed to" watch and never has time for: the 40-minute supplier webinar, a competitor's product launch, the platform update stream.
A quick disclosure: I work at TinyFish, which gives ChatGPT and Claude live web access, including a browser agent that can open real web pages for you.
What you need
- ChatGPT or Claude. Ask in plain English.
- The TinyFish app. Install it once by following the plugin docs. TinyAgent, the TinyFish browser agent, then opens YouTube in a real cloud browser and reads the page for you.
- A video link with a transcript. YouTube shows a transcript for any video that has captions. You can check yourself: under the video, open the description and look for Show transcript (YouTube Help). No YouTube login needed.
How to summarize a YouTube video with ChatGPT
Copy this prompt. Swap in the video link and the topic you care about.
Use TinyFish to open this YouTube video [link], open the transcript, and give me a timestamped summary of the key points plus anything it says about [topic]. No sign-in needed.Here's a filled-in example. Say you run Harbor Coffee Roasters, an invented small roaster, and your packaging supplier posted a 40-minute webinar about next year's bag range. You only care about one thing: minimum order quantities.
Use TinyFish to open this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAMPLE123, open the transcript, and give me a timestamped summary of the key points plus anything it says about minimum order quantities and price changes. No sign-in needed.Why this prompt works:
- "Open the transcript." The transcript is the text of everything said, lined up with the time it was said. That's what makes real timestamps possible, rather than a vague recap.
- "Plus anything it says about [topic]." A general summary tells you what the video is about. The topic line pulls out the one detail you'd otherwise scrub through the video to find.
- "No sign-in needed." It tells the agent this is a public page. It reads, it doesn't log in anywhere or touch any account.
A second prompt for competitor launches
The same pattern works when a competitor posts a launch or demo video:
Use TinyFish to open this YouTube video [link], open the transcript, and give me a timestamped summary of the key points plus anything it says about pricing, new products and launch dates. No sign-in needed.Then ask a follow-up in the same chat, for example "What should I say differently on my own product page?" ChatGPT already has the summary in front of it.
Watch it run in ChatGPT
Here is the tested prompt running in ChatGPT with the TinyFish app, sped up. You can see TinyFish open the site in a live browser, then ChatGPT write up the answer.
Watch it run in Claude
The same job in Claude with the TinyFish plugin, sped up through the wait. Claude hands the task to TinyFish, which works through the site in a cloud browser, then Claude writes up what it found.
What you get back
A list of key points, each with the timestamp where it starts, followed by a short section on your topic. Because each point has a time, you can click into the video at that spot and hear it in context before acting on it.
Example output (invented business):
| Time | Key point |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Intro and agenda for the 2027 packaging range |
| 4:12 | New compostable valve bags, available from March |
| 11:30 | Minimum order quantity drops from 5,000 to 2,000 bags for stock prints |
| 18:45 | Custom-print orders keep the 5,000 minimum |
| 26:10 | Price increase on kraft bags from January |
| 35:20 | Q&A: lead times for small roasters |
On minimum order quantities: stock-print bags drop to 2,000 at 11:30; custom prints stay at 5,000 (18:45).
That's the whole webinar, reduced to the two moments worth rewatching.
Tips and when it doesn't work
- No captions, no transcript. This only works when the video has a transcript. If there's no Show transcript option on the video, there's nothing for the agent to read. Try another video on the same subject.
- YouTube sometimes asks visitors to sign in or prove they're not a bot. If that happens, try again a bit later, or try a different video.
- Very long videos may get a shorter summary. For a multi-hour livestream, ask about one topic at a time, or try asking for one section, such as "key points between 1:00:00 and 1:30:00."
- Check the moment before you act on it. Use the timestamps to listen to anything important in the speaker's own words, especially prices and dates.
- For articles and web pages, not videos, the same idea works: see how to summarize a website with ChatGPT.
On cost: new accounts start with $8 in Wallet funds, no card needed. Agent runs are billed per step, at $0.016 per agent step.
Want to see this live? We're running it at TinyFish Small Business Week, a free 45-minute live session on Thu Nov 19, 11 AM ET. Save your seat, and bring the job you want off your plate.
Turn long videos into timestamped notes in one prompt. Start free on TinyFish.
AI disclosure
Content on this website may be created or refined with the assistance of AI tools and is subject to human editorial review.
