Gladia YouTube Transcription (Free)

Transcribe speech from YouTube videos or audio URLs into text using Gladia API with up to 10 free hours of monthly transcription. Use when: you need to summarize YouTube videos (especially Cantonese/Chinese content without captions), convert MP3/audio to text, or extract speech from any video URL. NOT for: private/unlisted content, real-time transcription needs, or when Gladia quota is exhausted.

Video/Audio Transcription Skill

Overview

This skill provides automated transcription for video and audio content using Gladia API. It converts spoken content from YouTube videos, MP3 files, or any accessible audio/video URL into text, which can then be summarized by an LLM.

Use Cases

• YouTube Video Summary - Transcribe YouTube videos for LLM summarization (especially useful for Cantonese/Chinese content without captions)
• MP3/WAV to Text - Convert audio files to transcript
• Video Content Extraction - Extract speech from any publicly accessible video URL
• Podcast Transcription - Convert podcast episodes to text

Service: Gladia API

What is Gladia?

Gladia is an audio transcription API that supports multiple languages including Cantonese. It provides both async (pre-recorded) and real-time transcription.

Free Tier (as of March 2026)

Feature	Free Tier
Monthly transcription	10 hours
Renewal	Monthly (resets automatically)
New streams limit	5 per minute
Languages	All included
Cost after quota	$0.61/hour (async) / $0.75/hour (real-time)

How to Sign Up

1. Visit gladia.io
2. Click "Try for free" → Sign up with email
3. Go to Dashboard → API Keys
4. Create a new API key
5. Copy the key (format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)

Checking Usage

1. Log in to Gladia Dashboard
2. Navigate to Usage or Billing section
3. View current month consumption (hours/minutes used)

Alternatively, you can check via API:

bash

curl -X GET "https://api.gladia.io/v2/usage" -H "x-gladia-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Setup

Step 1: Save Your API Key

Recommended: Set in current session

bash

export GLADIA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Or add to ~/.bashrc (ensure ~/.bashrc is in .gitignore):

bash

echo 'export GLADIA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Note: Storing secrets in shell rc files is discouraged due to risk of accidental commits. Prefer setting the environment variable directly in your session or use a secrets manager.

Step 2: Verify Key Works

Test that your API key is valid by checking usage:

bash

curl -X GET "https://api.gladia.io/v2/usage" -H "x-gladia-key: $GLADIA_API_KEY"

If successful, you'll see your usage information. If you get an auth error, check your API key.

How to Use

Command Line

bash

# Navigate to skill directory (where you installed the skill)
cd /path/to/video-transcription

# Basic usage
./scripts/youtube_transcribe.sh "YOUTUBE_URL"

# Save to specific file
./scripts/youtube_transcribe.sh "YOUTUBE_URL" /path/to/output.txt

Via OpenClaw

1. Provide a YouTube URL or video link
2. The skill will:
   • Submit transcription job to Gladia
   • Poll for completion (~1-2 min for 10-15 min videos)
   • Return the full transcript

Script Location

text

/path/to/video-transcription/scripts/youtube_transcribe.sh

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
GLADIA_API_KEY	Yes	Your Gladia API key

Output

The script saves transcripts to a transcripts/ subdirectory in the skill folder:

text

/path/to/video-transcription/transcripts/

Privacy & Security Notes

• NEVER share your API key publicly
• NEVER include your API key in any skill documentation or code commits
• IMPORTANT: Do NOT store API keys in shell rc files (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc) or config files that might be committed to version control
• Use session-only environment variables: export GLADIA_API_KEY='your-key'
• Or use a secrets manager (e.g., 1Password, AWS Secrets Manager)
• Output transcripts may contain sensitive content - handle accordingly

Limitations

• Video must be publicly accessible (no private/unlisted content)
• Audio quality affects transcription accuracy
• Some copyrighted content may have restrictions
• Processing time depends on video length (~10 seconds per minute of video)
• Free quota resets monthly; excess usage incurs charges

Troubleshooting

"Failed to call the url"

• The video URL may be inaccessible or private
• Try a different video URL

"Quota exceeded"

• You've reached the 10-hour monthly limit
• Wait for quota reset next month, or upgrade to paid plan

"Authentication failed"

• Check your API key is correct
• Ensure GLADIA_API_KEY environment variable is set

Alternative Services

If Gladia quota is exhausted:

Service	Free Tier	Notes
AssemblyAI	Limited	Requires credit card
Deepgram	$0 credit	Pay-per-use
YouTube Transcript	Free (if available)	Only works if video has captions

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements:

• Add speaker diarization (identify different speakers)
• Support real-time transcription
• Automatic LLM summarization after transcription
• Multi-language translation
• Save transcripts to cloud storage

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Last updated: March 2026