> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.transcriptmagic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Programmatic access to video transcripts from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Rumble, and X — one REST call, JSON response.

The TranscriptMagic API returns transcripts from public video URLs on the seven platforms we support. One auth scheme, seven paths, and a per-platform response shape (YouTube returns timed segments; TikTok and Facebook return joined text plus optional download URLs; Instagram, LinkedIn, Rumble, and X return plain text).

## When to use the API

Reach for the API when you're building automation: ingesting channel archives into a vector DB, generating SRT files at scale (YouTube only — it's the platform that returns per-line timing), indexing video courses, or wiring transcripts into an LLM pipeline. If you just need to grab a single transcript, the [no-code tools](https://transcriptmagic.com) on the main site are faster.

If you're working **inside an AI client** (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code), connect the [MCP server](/mcp-server) instead — OAuth sign-in, no API key, tools available in every chat. If you orchestrate workflows in n8n, install the [community node](/n8n) and skip the glue code.

## Supported platforms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="YouTube" icon="youtube" href="/api-reference/youtube">
    Watch URLs, `youtu.be` short links, `/shorts/`, mobile, and live replays. Returns timed segments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="TikTok" icon="tiktok" href="/api-reference/tiktok">
    Full share URLs and `vm.tiktok.com` short links resolve cleanly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Instagram" icon="instagram" href="/api-reference/instagram">
    Reels (`/reel/`), video posts (`/p/`), and IGTV (`/tv/`). Stories are not supported (no stable URLs).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Facebook" icon="facebook" href="/api-reference/facebook">
    Reels, Watch, posts containing video, video posts, and `fb.watch` short links — all formats accepted.
  </Card>

  <Card title="LinkedIn" icon="linkedin" href="/api-reference/linkedin">
    Public posts containing video. Returns plain text.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rumble" icon="video" href="/api-reference/rumble">
    Public videos that have captions. WEBVTT cleaned to plain text.
  </Card>

  <Card title="X" icon="x-twitter" href="/api-reference/twitter">
    Video tweets under 2 minutes. AI-transcribed, so slower than the others.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Pricing

Every successful API call costs **1 credit** — whether the video is a 30-second Short or a 4-hour livestream replay. Free credits are included with every account, no card required to start. Buy more anytime on the [credits page](https://transcriptmagic.com/credits/). Cache hits and error responses are free.

## A taste

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/youtube/transcript \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"}'
```

Next: [generate a key](/quickstart) and make your first call.