Summarize a YouTube video
Open the video on WithTranscript and read the chapter list: each chapter usually comes with a one- or two-sentence summary, which together give you the shape of the video in a minute. When you want a summary of your own (shorter, longer, for a particular question), copy the transcript and ask ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, with timestamps so you can check it. Part of giving a YouTube video to an AI assistant.
Skim by chapter
On desktop the chapters are in the sidebar beside the transcript; on a phone they're in the chapter list. Read the summaries, click the chapter that matters, and the video and transcript jump there.
A summary your way
- Press Copy transcript (on a phone, in the ⋯ menu).
- Paste it into an assistant with a prompt like the one below.
Summarize this video for someone deciding whether to watch it:
what it covers, the three strongest points, and who it is for.
Give a [m:ss] timestamp for each point.More in prompts for YouTube transcripts.
Why not trust a summary blind
A summary is only as good as the text behind it. With the transcript beside the video, every point with a timestamp is one click from the moment it came from.
Example from the library
All-In's 2026 PredictionsAll-In Podcast · 1h 31mA 91-minute episode in 8 chapters. Read the chapter list to see what is covered before you press play.